A buyer has to be able to picture their life in your home. Don't lose a house sale over your personal stuff — remove these distractions before your first showing.
Empty your closets by about half. Buyers need to see the space they're getting. When a closet is stuffed, most buyers can't picture the space at all — they need to see that there's room for their own clothes.
Arrange remaining clothes neatly on hangers — shirts with shirts, jackets with jackets. Go a step further and arrange by color if you want. Neatly arranged clothes give the appearance of more room, even in a small closet.
We all get entrenched in our homes. Take "your home" out of your house by removing most of your personal items. Ask a friend or relative to hold some of it, or consider a storage unit. If you have a lot of extra personal stuff or clutter, this is the get-serious step toward selling — skipping it doesn't mean you won't sell, but doing it can go a long way toward a faster sale and a better offer.
A limited number of personal photos is fine as long as they're laid out neatly. Too many, and the showing becomes about you instead of the house you're trying to sell. If the house is a good fit for the buyer, a professional salesperson will help them start to envision their own life there — don't let your pictures get in the way of that.
More people react positively to a bright sunny day than a rainy one — you rarely hear someone say "it's beautiful out" when it's raining, even if they personally like a good thunderstorm. Open the shades and replace any burnt-out bulbs before every showing.
Fix it yourself or hire someone to do it. Buyers notice a leaky faucet, and to them, it goes straight onto a mental work-to-be-done list. It's a small investment to remove a distraction that costs you more in perception than it would to repair.
A fresh coat of new paint — emphasis on fresh and new. Your house is great, but if another comparable house (even one priced slightly higher) looks like less work and has a fresher feel, guess which one gets the offer.
Here's a reality check: buyers regularly comment on the cleanliness — or lack of it — walking out of a showing. Some people can see past clutter and a home that isn't spotless, but many can't. Beyond first impressions, a buyer who notices a lack of cleanliness will often feel more confident offering a lower price because of it. This isn't just anecdotal; it's a well-documented psychological effect. A clean first impression can be the difference between a single showing and a buyer coming back for a second look.
If you can't reach it, hire a licensed company. A thorough professional clean before photos and showings is one of the highest-return, lowest-cost things you can do before listing.
Do you want to sell your house at the high end of your price range? So do we. Call Scott to discuss what goes into a listing that does more than a basic MLS entry.