We have all heard about cleaning up the front lawn, painting the rooms in neutral colors and stowing away the clutter. But that’s just part of preparing a home. Here are a few tips that can help differentiate your home from others on the market.
Refinish hardwood floors: Natural hardwood floors continue to be a requisite look in the interior design industry. Making sure yours look their best can be done quickly and cost effectively with a quick polyurethane coating.
Do it yourself home staging: As a real estate broker, I suggest hiding away furniture that has nicks or flaws that could distract a potential buyer. If your furniture is still in very good shape, I also recommend removing one or two items to make rooms appear larger and give buyers a better opportunity to imagine their belongings inside. A professional interior designer specializing in home staging may be a wise investment as well.
Room for improvement: Many homes have a room that is primarily used as a general storage depot. Remember, potential buyers may view that room as a perfect spot for sewing, exercise, a library or even as a private hideaway. If the room is clutter-free, your broker will have a better chance to showcase that room’s potential.
A rose by any other name: While everyone knows that flowers will brighten a home, it’s not necessary to spend a fortune at the florist for your staging. Arrange some dogwood branches, cherry blossoms and some forsythia branches strategically around the house, like on an end table or on top of the water tank of the commode, to add warmth and an outdoor touch.
Make it nameless: As much as you want the house to look attractive, it should not be a record of your family’s life. Tuck away as many of your personal belongings, like family photos, trophies and other knick knacks. You want potential buyers to imagine themselves in your home, not admiring your achievements.
Add a touch of class: The same way the perfect accessories can finish an outfit, the perfect accoutrements can make a room look complete. Stack three hardcover books neatly at an angle on an end table. Fan out high end glossy magazines across your coffee table. Put a colorful bowl of fruit on the windowsill. Any number of nice, yet anonymous additions can go a long way towards completing a room.
Under the microscope: Ask one of your most “constructively critical” friends or relatives to visit the home as if he or she were a potential buyer, and have that person tell you what he or she notices first about each room. That will tell you whether you have the room in the right shape for selling or if it needs some minor adjustments.
In this buyer’s market, homes on the market must be spotless, de-cluttered and all leaky faucets and other minor repairs should be fixed. The buyer’s eyes are very critical. Your time and effort will pay off with a higher sales price.
Anne-Marie McKenzie is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Yarmouth. She works with buyers, sellers and investors, and teaches free buyer classes. Contact her at 847-1725 or AnneMarie.McKenzie@NewEnglandMoves.com.