Getting Your Home Ready to Sell

If there is a new home sales tract near your home, go visit. It doesn't matter what size the homes are. What you will find are some wonderfully (but sparsely) furnished homes that anyone could live in -- with the emphasis on "anyone." They are anonymous. There may be a baseball glove in the boy's room, but no family photos on the walls. There may be "personality" - but no person.

 

The reason you want to make your home "anonymous" is because you want buyers to view it as their potential home. When a potential homebuyer sees your family photos hanging on the wall, it puts your own brand on the home and momentarily shatters their illusions about living in the house themselves.

 

Put away family photos, sports trophies, collectible items, knick-knacks, and souvenirs. Put them in a box. Rent a storage area for a few months and put the box in the storage unit.

 

Do not just put the box in the attic, basement, garage, or closet. Part of preparing a house for sale is to remove "clutter," and that is the next step in preparing your house for sale.

 

This is the hardest thing for most people to do because they are emotionally attached to everything in the house. After years of living in the same home, clutter collects in such a way that may not be evident to the homeowner. However, it does affect the way buyers see the home, even if you do not realize it.

 

Clutter collects on shelves, countertops, drawers, closets, garages, attics, and basements. You want as much open clear space as possible, so every extra little thing needs to be cleared away.

 

Take a step back and pretend you are a buyer. Let a friend help point out areas of clutter, as long as you can accept their views without getting defensive. Let your agent help you, too.

 

Closets are great for accumulating clutter, though you may not think of it as clutter. We are talking about extra clothes and shoes – things you rarely wear but cannot bear to be without. Do without these items for a couple of months by putting them in a box, because these items can make your closets look "crammed full." Sometimes there are shoeboxes full of "stuff" or other accumulated personal items, too.

 

Many people have too much furniture in certain rooms – not too much for your own personal living needs – but too much to give the illusion of space that a homebuyer would like to see. You may want to tour some builders’ models to see how they place furniture in the model homes. Observe how they place furniture in the models so you get some ideas on what to remove and what to leave in your house.

 

Basements, garages, attics, and sheds accumulate not only clutter but junk. These areas should be as empty as possible so that buyers can imagine what they would do with the space. Remove anything that is not essential and take it to the storage area. Or have a garage sale.

 

It's one thing to look clean, but your home also needs to smell clean and fresh. Buyers should be welcomed by a pleasant, natural scent the minute they open the front door. Don't cook fish or other smelly foods (cabbage, sausage, etc) before a showing. On the flip side, don't go overboard on too many air fresheners. Avoid strong fragrances of all kinds, but especially artificial ones.

 

Homebuyers will feel like intruders if you are home when they visit, and they might not be as receptive toward viewing your home. Visit the local coffee house, or yogurt shop, or take the kids to the local park. If you absolutely cannot leave, try to remain in an out-of-the-way area of the house and do not move from room to room. Do not volunteer any information, but answer any questions the agent may ask.