When selling your home, you want to make a strong first impression on the buyer. Here are 17 tips to enhance your home to optimize the buyer’s experience.
- Curb Appeal – A first impression is crucial in selling a home. Remember that when a prospect comes to look at your home, the first impression is vital. Your front lawn and other landscaping should be neatly trimmed and mowed. Make certain that your yard is clean of refuse and leaves. Keep the walks swept in summer and remove ice and snow from walks and steps in winter. The front door must be clean and fresh looking and the doorbell in working order. Most potential buyers will drive past your home to see the outside before they will make an appointment to see the inside.
- Decorate for a Quicker Sale – Faded walls and worn woodwork will reduce the appeal of your home. Why describe how your home could look, when you can show how it does look. A minor investment in paint could pay bigger dividends to you in the form of a better price and a quicker sale.
- Let the Sun Shine In – Open the drapes and curtains. Clean the windows, remove the screens. Dark and dreary rooms do not appeal to most home-buying prospects.
- Fix Leaky Faucets – Dripping water suggests faulty or worn-out plumbing. Thoroughly clean discolored or rust-stained sinks.
- Little Things Add Up – Loose doorknobs or cabinet pulls, sticking doors and drawers, wobbly hinges, stuck windows – are all negative factors. They give the buyers the impression that the home has not been well maintaned. Check and repair all these seemingly minor flaws, since they do detract from the value of your home.
- Safety First – Keep stairways, walk ways and corridors both inside and out clear and clean of clutter. In addition to being unattractive, clutter causes accidents.
- Top to Bottom – Let prospects see the potential of your attic, basement, garage and other utility/storage spaces by removing junk and other articles. Neatly stack cartons and boxes. If the storage spaces are dark, a coat of pain or extra lighting can do wonders.
- Love Big Closets – We all love closet space and you can make they look bigger by having them clean, neat, and well organized. Pack out of season clothing and get rid of old clothes and clutter that take away from the spacious look.
- Kitchens and Bathrooms Sell Homes – Make kitchens & bathrooms sparkle. Clean stained sinks and toilet bowls, repair any damaged or discolored caulking around bathtubs and showers, be sure towels and area rugs are bright, make certain all light fixtures and bulbs work. Remove clutter from kitchen counters and magnets, photos, flyers, etc from refrigerator.
- Wake Up Your Bedrooms – Keep bedrooms bright and light filled. After the prospective buyers are gone, you can close the drapes. Remove excess furniture to avoid a crowded look, use attractive, coordinated and colorful bed linens and spreads.
- Can You See the Light – Illumination in your home can be the “welcome sign” for every prospective buyer. Turn on all of the exterior and interior lights (including the accent and picture lights) when you home is shown at night.
- Avoid Crowds – Potential buyers will feel like intruders and want to hurry through your house if you are present during the showing. Plan to go out for coffee, ice cream or run some errands while your home is being shown.
- Silence is Golden – When your home has a private showing, turn off the television. Let the buyers agents and their buyers talk freely without having the noise of a radio.
- This is Not a Garage Sale – Do not try to sell the potential buyers any of the furniture or furnishings that you do not want to take with you. We can discuss these details afterwards.
- Put the Pets in a Safe Place – Keep pets kenneled or out of the house if they have potential to cause issues during showing appointments.
- By Appointment Only – Only show your home through an appointment.
- Be Cautious – When you are opening your home to the public for showings, it’s always best to be extra cautious to keep your belongings safe. Store any valuables, prescription medicines, small electronics, and firearms in a safe place.
To get our complete guide to selling your home, please reach out to Audra Geldmacher at (608) 577-8318 or Wanda Roche at 608-212-2928 . We are here to help you and answer any questions that you have.
