Elsewhere in this blog, there are tips on how to prepare your home for sale. Here, though, let's talk about "staging" the house....making it more appealing to buyers. Why stage the house? Simple...a cluttered house full of personal items distracts potential buyers - it makes it harder for them to see how they can personalize the house. Unclutter, unclutter, unclutter! Take the personal photos down, pull the graduation announcements off the refrigerator (along with the magnets!), and take a critical look at your house.
WHY STAGE?
How we live in our house and how we sell it are two different things. To compete with other similar listings, your house must stand out. People must be able to see how the house would "live" yet they need to visualize their own things in it. Which seems a contradiction, perhaps, but the answer is easy...keep things simple, but with a bit of pizazz.
Will an empty house show better than a staged one? Not necessarily. While it isn't advisable to have too much in a house to show it, a bit of warmth here and there never hurts, and sometimes furniture can actually better show the scale of a room. Recently, a client looked at a builder's spec house which was empty and said "Nope, not for us." A week later, I had occasion to go back and saw that the house had been staged. I cajoled them into going back (since the house met all their requirements) and their reaction was totally different. They bought the house - and wanted to buy the builder's staging items (the builder graciously supplied them with the sources for all the items, although she declined to sell her staging accessories)
Staging need not be a "big" thing. Sometimes a bit of furniture (minimal) can help define a room. Sometimes it's just a few items to add warmth and color (a painting propped up on the mantel, a vase of flowers, some towels in a bathroom, a lamp, etc.)
STEPS TO STAGE A ROOM:
1. Stand and try to see what a potential buyer would see. What's the first impression they would have? Do you want to go into the room and take a look? The room should literally invite you in.
2. What's the purpose of the room?
3. Decide what furniture, if any, should stay in the room; remove what isn't necessary
4. If need be, rearrange the furniture to present the room in a more favorable light (take out furniture, turn the arrangement at an angle to break the severity of the space, etc.)
5. Take out an over-abundance of accessories; keeping counter tops and table tops uncluttered gives a clean look to a house, yet the accessories which remain add warmth to the room
6. Stand in the doorway. Look at the room now that you've made changes. Is it more inviting? If so, you've accomplished your goal!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Selling Your House? Some tips for you!
Today's market is very competitive; although we in Acadiana are fortunate in having high employment and strong home sales, the market has changed in recent months. So being aware of what you're marketing and how it should be marketed is even more important than ever.
Even though there's more room for negotiation these days, and people are being more adamant about getting concessions, homes are selling well. Still, there are some traps you'll want to avoid:
1. Try not to be emotionally attached to your home. While it may be your palace, to others it's yet another home for sale. Be realistic about your house...it may be lovely, it may have great features, but it IS another home for sale.
2. Don't price your home without knowing the competition. Nothing stops a house from being shown more than price. Even the greatest location is no guarantee that your property will sell, if it's over-priced. And bear in mind that appraisers must work with comparables - recent sales within the last six months. If your home is over-priced, it may languish on the market, and give the impression that you're vulnerable to low-ball offers because you must be getting desperate to sell.
3. Check your agent's references. Does he or she have a good track record with pricing and marketing properties? Do you know others who have used this agent successfully? Your home is one of your major assets - put it in the hands of someone who will treat it as such.
4. Don't fail to prep your property! A house with peeling paint, rotten facia, or out of control shrubs is a turn-off to potential buyers. Most buyers these days want move-in condition - they don't even want to paint a room, much less do major repairs. A house which isn't in good condition is vulnerable to low offers.
5. Do NOT be present during showings! Your presence is a turn-off to potential buyers - it makes them uncomfortable to think they're inconveniencing you by looking at their house. Also, your presence makes you open to having to answer questions about the house which would be better left to your agent; even the most innocent comment can send off alarm bells in a buyer's mind, if they interpret it incorrectly. Let them bond with the house by giving them the privacy to spend time there.
6. Don't take the negotiations personally. It's business, pure and simple. Instead of being insulted by a low offer, just make a counter-offer. Never cut off the negotiations. Keep the posibilities open and your home stands a much better chance of selling.
Even though there's more room for negotiation these days, and people are being more adamant about getting concessions, homes are selling well. Still, there are some traps you'll want to avoid:
1. Try not to be emotionally attached to your home. While it may be your palace, to others it's yet another home for sale. Be realistic about your house...it may be lovely, it may have great features, but it IS another home for sale.
2. Don't price your home without knowing the competition. Nothing stops a house from being shown more than price. Even the greatest location is no guarantee that your property will sell, if it's over-priced. And bear in mind that appraisers must work with comparables - recent sales within the last six months. If your home is over-priced, it may languish on the market, and give the impression that you're vulnerable to low-ball offers because you must be getting desperate to sell.
3. Check your agent's references. Does he or she have a good track record with pricing and marketing properties? Do you know others who have used this agent successfully? Your home is one of your major assets - put it in the hands of someone who will treat it as such.
4. Don't fail to prep your property! A house with peeling paint, rotten facia, or out of control shrubs is a turn-off to potential buyers. Most buyers these days want move-in condition - they don't even want to paint a room, much less do major repairs. A house which isn't in good condition is vulnerable to low offers.
5. Do NOT be present during showings! Your presence is a turn-off to potential buyers - it makes them uncomfortable to think they're inconveniencing you by looking at their house. Also, your presence makes you open to having to answer questions about the house which would be better left to your agent; even the most innocent comment can send off alarm bells in a buyer's mind, if they interpret it incorrectly. Let them bond with the house by giving them the privacy to spend time there.
6. Don't take the negotiations personally. It's business, pure and simple. Instead of being insulted by a low offer, just make a counter-offer. Never cut off the negotiations. Keep the posibilities open and your home stands a much better chance of selling.
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