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STAGING YOUR HOME FOR SALE

Looking for ideas to prepare your home for anticipated PCS orders this year?  What projects will yield a higher return on your time and money? 

HGTV has made progress in teaching Sellers to “stage” their home for the Buyers.  The concept is valid but remember, you will be living in the home during the showing process so it has to be livable and practical.  Make it easy to straighten and clean.

De-personalizing your home is not mandatory.  Buyers expect to see some family photos and mementos, just not rooms full of them.  IF there is a “collector” in the family with displays in virtually every room it is time to pack it up.  Years ago, I showed a home with hundreds of teddy bears!  Every tread of the stairwell had its own pair of bears.  The laundry room doorknobs had bears hanging from them. The vacuum stood in the corner of the formal dining room with a child-sized stuffed bear cover on it.  You could barely see the mantel for the bears!  The Buyer so enthralled with the collection that he failed to observe the features of the home.  He could not image his furniture among all the teddy bears.  To make this house more “Buyer Friendly,” the cuddly creatures had to go.

Does your home have curb appeal?  Look at it from the street.  Are your front walk and entryway inviting?  A tree planted in the middle of the front yard obscures a picturesque view of your home!  Think about trimming and putting colorful annuals beneath it. Weed and mulch the beds.  Edge and trim the bushes.  Place bright cheerful flowers near the front porch or door.  Be sure the door bell works.  Paint the front door and broom clean the cobwebs.  A shadowy doorway shows best with the front light left on.  Roll out the welcome mat and prepare for Buyers to come calling.

Highlight your favorite features because they will probably appeal to the next owner as well.  Enter your home as if you were the Buyer.  What amenities sold you on this house?  Was it the large eat in kitchen?  Perhaps a long wall to accommodate oversized furniture or the luxury bath had alluring appeal. 

De-clutter!!!!!  This requires MAJOR emphasis.  Clear the surfaces throughout your home.  Remove everything from the exterior of the refrigerator.  Display only the bare essentials or tasteful accoutrements on counters.  Open your closets and start packing or pitching!  Leave only necessary items.  Does your home look like a Toys R Us outlet?  Pack up anything with little pieces.  Make it easier to contain and clean up in a hurry. 

Sparkling Clean is a MUST.  Pay attention to detail and deep clean your entire home!  You will only need to do this once before putting your home on the market.  Invest the sweat equity and get it done.  First impressions are important and cannot be recovered.  Everything from ceiling fans to floorboards, doorjambs to light fixtures must be clean.  Do NOT touch up paint.  It ALWAYS shows.  Wash or paint the entire wall if necessary.  Kitchens and baths are primary targets for cleanliness and shine.  All appliances should gleam like new.

Have all flooring professionally cleaned and repaired. Patchwork carpet is a major deterrent unless there is a natural break between surfaces. e.g.:  Install a wood surface in the hallway to create a transition between rooms of different colors or textures.  If the doorway seams are frayed or pet damaged consider installing a wooden threshold strip to secure it. Carpet that is too worn often cannot be overlooked.  Consider replacing it or offering a carpet allowance.  Place a printed note to Buyers in a conspicuous place stating this is your intent.

Look at your walls and ceilings.  Interior vibrant colors need to be neutralized.  Buyers can only cope with one room of accent color.  Paint over personalized stencils and remove the posters and stick-on cartoon characters from the kid’s walls and ceilings.  Do you have a water stain on your ceiling from a repaired leak?  Easy fix. Use Tilex Mildew Stain remover on it. Be sure to protect the surrounding surfaces.  Lightly spray…do not scrub!  Allow it to dry.  Repeat till the stain is gone.  Paint if necessary.  Spot painting a ceiling only draws attention to the area and raises angst.  Precision painting is a must.  Avoid blotches or spatters on trim or ceilings.

Open curtains and brighten rooms with cozy lamps and soft music.  Avoid overpowering scents.  It will appear as if you are trying to cover an odor problem.  A hint of scent is okay.  If you smoke, completely air out the house and wash all bedding.  Ask a non-smoking friend to sniff out nicotine odor for you. 

Repair anything electrical, heating, cooling, plumbing, or structural prior to marketing!  It is a good idea to have the HVAC unit cleaned and serviced. Change the interior filters.  Replace burned out bulbs in fixtures.  Check around your exterior doorframes.  Splash-back deterioration is common.  Get all rotten wood replaced, sealed, and painted.  Reseat loose shingles on the roof and clean the gutters.  Remember to inspect under sinks for possible water stains or leaks.

Your garage is convenient for neatly storing large furniture and boxes.  Clean oil spills and wipe the top of the hot water heater.  Again….clear cobwebs and give surfaces a good broom cleaning.  It is okay to have stuff packed up in the garage…..better there than in the house taking up space.

Pets are members of our family and we grow accustomed to the litter box or doggie dishes being out…. Secure these items before a showing.  Contain pets in a safe environment or take them with you.  Let the showing agent know if there is a pet on premises and give appropriate instructions.

Leave the security system off for an appointment showing.  It frustrates agents to have to find a keypad and remember a code upon entering an unknown environment.

Display a note saying “Thank you for taking the time to view our home.”  Provide information such as utility companies, average bills, plat plan, etc. in notebook.

These suggestions will take some prior planning but will reap you many rewards.  Remember it only takes one qualified Buyer to purchase your home.