Simple Steps to Make Your Home Sell Faster!
Provided by Jay Burnham
In today’s real estate market, far too many sellers watch prospective buyers troop through their homes without making an offer. To avoid this kind of frustration, you must learn the secrets of making your house more saleable.Why does one house sell within days and another linger
for months on the market?
More important, the longer a house is on the market, the less likely the seller is to receive a high offer. It’s human nature to suspect the quality of merchandise that has been "on the shelf" for a long time. A slow-selling house makes prospective buyers nervous.
Selling your home can be a painless and profitable experience - if you follow the guidelines offered on the following pages. And don’t neglect to involve your family in this project. It is a cooperative venture with one shared goal; a timely sale of your home.
THE GROUNDWORK
Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes! Remember, they arrive at your front door waiting to fall in love with your home. If you’ve done your homework and set the stage, every room in your home will greet the customer with a pleasant surprise.
What makes your home special?First, settle down in your favorite easy chair, close your eyes, and try to remember your feeling the very first time YOU walked into your home. Now, start listing your home’s most positive features. Remember, the more personal, the better. Ask your spouse and your children to add their own special positive reactions. Your teenage daughter may remember how she fell in love with your home years ago because of a swing that hung from the old oak tree in the backyard. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring children’s special impressions. Tour every room, the attic, basement, the garage, and yard. Note at least one positive feature in each. Include the items that attracted you and those desirable features you have added.
Accentuate the Positive
A real estate agent will bring prospective buyers to your door, but don’t rely on him or her to do the WHOLE job of selling your home. A saleable home has each room sending out a unique message to the customer. It is more effective to have the buyer’s "discover" your home’s special features themselves (than to have the owner or agent point them out like a tour guide.) Draw attention to your home’s best asset by a LITTLE CREATIVITY: a cheerful glow of logs in the fireplace; a spotlight beaming down; a pot of red geraniums...stimulates the buyer’s imagination by setting the scene!Eliminate the Negative
You can eliminate many of your home’s negative features by transforming them into something visually pleasant. Inexpensive and creative disguises will minimize those drawbacks.No Home is Perfect, Even Yours
List the negative features you can find. Be "HONEST"!
THE "STEPS":
All those tiny flaws in your otherwise beautifully maintained home will add up to one thing to the observant buyer: the dreaded O.N., otherwise known as OWNER NEGLECT. All signs of OWNER NEGLECT must be eliminated.
Those hours spent thoroughly cleaning your home will be hours well spent when the results pay off in an early and profitable sale. Clean windows are important! Pay particular attention to your kitchen and bathrooms - they involve personal health and hygiene, and are areas buyers scrutinize closely.
Make your living space APPEAR larger by eliminating bulky, unnecessary furniture - rearrange to give the illusion of spaciousness.
Most buyers want large, bright, cheerful rooms.
Highlight the graceful bay window with a colorful arrangement of flowers. Color has the power to attract. Lighting should be used for emphasis.
Disguise that potentially offending view, but always let light into your rooms. Replace heavy curtains with sheer white panels. Above all, don’t apologize for a poor view.
Remember that some people are more sensitive to odors than others. Smokers rarely notice the odor of tobacco that fills their homes, and pet owners may be oblivious to objectionable doggy odor. Use powered products like "Love My Carpet" regularly. Mildew odors are another no-no. Don’t allow wet towels to accumulate in hampers, or old laundry to pile up in closets.
Smart sellers play down individualistic touches that may express perfectly their taste and personality, but, at the same time, appeal to a minority of homebuyers. In selling, play the odds. If your rooms are painted purple and beaded curtains hang in every doorway, don’t rely on your real estate agent to find the perfect buyer whose taste match yours. The average buyer will have a hard time looking beyond purple walls and eccentric decor. Two coats of white paint may be the best investment you ever made. Other areas of possible offenses are those two old bugaboos, politics and religion. Everyone is entitled to his own beliefs in these areas, but if you are trying to sell to the widest possible market, it is wise not to make your living room look like campaign headquarters or your dining room resemble a sacred temple.
Notice the small details that make the rooms particularly attractive and appealing - a vase of flowers, a basket of knitting yarns. Accessories can make or break a room. But be on the lookout for distractive clutter.
Go through your photo albums and select pictures of your house and yard during all four seasons. If hung at eye level in a well-lighted area, the pictures will speak for themselves and give you yet another selling edge.
Front Door and PorchNo matter how lovely your home may be behind that front door, a buyer will be turned off by crumbling front steps, a doorbell that doesn’t work, creaky hinges, or chipping paint on porch columns. Give special attention to your home’s front entry. Remember, first impressions are likely to color the remainder of the house tour.
There should be something special that beckons him to your front door, something that sets your home off from the other houses on the block. A bright red milk can, a tub of geraniums, a pot of floppy petunias, or a basket of nasturtiums. Invest in a new doormat that says, "welcome."
A buyer approaches a home with curiosity aroused; he wants to have positive feelings. If all the curtains are drawn and the front door is locked and bolted, your home will seem like a forbidding fortress. If the curtains are open, the windows sparkling clean, and the front door open (in warm weather), your home will radiate a welcome spirit and invite the buyer to enter.
Take advantage of the nostalgia it evokes. Set the stage and stimulate imaginations.
Your Home’s Entry Hall
Study your entry hall and ask "what kind of statement" it makes about your home. This area should "greet" and say, "Welcome, your house hunting days are over." Dried flowers can make a striking focal point on a hall table any time of the year. Imagine cattails, a bunch of orange Chinese lanterns, an arching spray of bittersweet, or wheat stalks in a glowing copper planter.
Virtually any entry hall, will benefit from a well placed mirror (enlarges the area). Clean regularly!
Your entry hall flooring is observed carefully buy the prospective buyer - give them a positive attitude.
The entry hall closet is the first one inspected - make it appear roomy. Add a few extra hangers. Hang a bag of cedar chips or a potpourri ball to give a pleasant, fresh scent.
Your Home’s Living Room and Family Room
Buyers ask themselves, "Can I imagine myself LIVING in this room?" Your job is to make each room project a positive response. What touches make a room look truly inviting? Music is one element. Consider leaning a guitar in the corner of your living room, or opening some sheet music on the piano with a light shinning on it.
Don’t take for granted and expect the buyer to imagine the glow of a roaring fire; light one. Place something colorful on the mantel, but don’t overdo!
Make rooms visually larger by removing excess furniture. Have easy traffic flow patterns. Be sure that all doors open fully.
Your Home’s Dining Room or Dining Area
You can stimulate a buyer’s imagination by setting your dining table with pretty china and silver - a warm or welcome site. (Notice the photographs of dining rooms in any home decorating magazine.) Avoid going overboard - any stage setting that you create should reflect the character of your entire home - to be effective.
If your dining table has one or two leaves take one or two out. Consider placing your dining table against a wall. Remove any extra "company" chairs. Consider putting that looming China cabinet in storage until your house is sold. Aim for a clean and tidy look.
Your Home’s KitchenThe kitchen continues to be the "heart of the home." A pleasant, working kitchen is near the top of most buyers’ list of priorities.
Set the scene with: - An open cookbook - A cooper colander filled with blueberries - A basket of eggs - A bunch of carrots on a wooden cutting board - A ceramic mixing bowl and wire whisk.
"Nothing’ says lovin’ like something from the oven." These aromas are associated with happiness and a sense of well being. An original kitchen aroma can be created on top of your stove, or here’s a mix guaranteed to have buyers longing to whip up a batch of cookies in your kitchen:
GRANNY’S AROMATIC SECRET
Halve the nutmeg and add all ingredients to 3 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then lower to simmer. In the heat of summer, a bowl of lemons on the counter will provide a fresh and pleasant aroma.
Clean counters of small appliances. Check the counter top around your sink, and remove any detergent or cleanser, etc., that may be cluttering the area.
If your cabinets, draws, and closets are jammed full, buyers assume that your storage space is inadequate. Weed out all these areas, removing what you don’t use, storing seldom-used items elsewhere, and reorganizing shelves. Neat, organized shelves and draws fool the eye by looking larger.
Large, cheerful kitchen windows are a real plus and should be highlighted as a special feature of your home. Hang a stained glass mobile or some wind chimes in front of your sunny kitchen window. If you hang a bird feeder outside your window, nature will seem to become part of the room.
Accentuate by setting the table for an informal meal with bright placemats and a generous bowl of fruit as a centerpiece.
A separate laundry room is a true asset and is appreciated by all buyers. Don’t hide this treasure behind closed doors. Spruce up the room and leave the door proudly open for inspection.
Add a fresh coat of paint! Is it well organized? Piles of dirty laundry can be a real turn-off to the buyer’s eye - and his nose!
If there’s room for a table and chair, could it be a pleasant sewing area? Set up that old Singer and place a bright colored piece of fabric under the presser foot.
StairwaysStairways should provide an attractive transition from one level of your home to another.
Stair lighting should be more than adequate, stairs must be clutter free, stair railings tight and secure, and runners or carpeting tacked securely. Cheerfully decorated stairs are positive!
A carefully chosen accent might improve the area’s visual appeal. If you have a wide, gracious staircase, emphasize this feature by hanging a few pictures along the wall. Draw attention to a handsome lighting fixture by polishing the brass and dusting each small light bulb or crystal prism. Any stair landing should also have an attractive focal point, be it a fern on a plant stand, a dramatic poster, a chiming clock, or a special chair on a large stair landing. If the staircase is narrow, fool the eye by minimizing clutter.
BedroomsImagine for a moment that you’re in the "bed & breakfast" business. How would you change your home’s bedrooms to appeal to a paying lodger? Naturally you’d make up the beds with your prettiest sheets and comforters. Maybe you’d add a vase of flowers on the dressing table or a cozy armchair in the corner. Every bedroom in your home should invite prospective buyers to settle right in.
Large master bedrooms are particularly popular among today’s homebuyers. Make your bedroom larger. Paint the room a light color, remove one of the bureaus if the room is crowded, and minimize clutter to maximize spaciousness. Aim for a restful, subdued "look."
A private bathroom off the master bedroom is a real sales plus...decorate to coordinate with the color scheme of your bedroom, create the "suite" effect.
Virtually all buyers are looking for a house with plenty of closet space. Try to make what you have appear generous and well planned...
Take the time to explain your house-selling goals to your children. Encourage them to participate in preparing your home for showing; particularly the principle of appealing to the widest possible market...store those personal posters until your home is sold.
BathroomsWise sellers take special pains with preparing their bathroom(s) for scrutiny by strangers. The bathroom is a room, after all, and a very personal one. Potential buyers will inspect yours with eagle eyes, so be sure it is immaculate. Don’t forget the medicine cabinet: dispose of those three-year-old prescriptions, and polish the shelves. The same goes for the storage cabinet under the sink. Replace that old caulking around the bathtub.
Decorate and personalize - create a pleasing, individual look. Add plants, shells you collected at the beach last summer in an attractive glass bowl or jar, pictures, magazine rack, display fresh towels that coordinate with paint colors, etc.
Remember; appeal to a wide range of buyers. Play down that all-pink look with contrasting dove-gray towels and matching bathroom rug. If your bathroom is mostly white or neutral, add a few cheerful accents of color; use towels in the popular shades. Don’t hesitate to buy a few new towels and a rug; you’ll be taking them with you to your new home.
41. IMPROVE YOUR FLOOR COVERING.
Notice the word "improve" not "replace." Scrub and wax the older floor. Cover the largest area you can with a large scatter rug.
Prospective buyers are very special guests in your home. Give the VIP treatment with fresh smelling towels and new soap in an attractive dish. Splurge on a box of fancy sculptures and perfumed guest soaps.
A gentle hint of fragrance in the air is fine, but keep it subtle.
AtticWhether a high-ceiling room of a crawl space under the eaves for storage, your attic area will be examined and should not detract from the well-kept appearance of your home. If your attic is reached by a steep flight of stairs, be sure they’re clutter free and well lit; if your attic space is reached by a folding set of stairs that you pull from the ceiling, be sure the mechanism is well oiled and there is adequate lighting.
Spruce up your attic space, hide the mousetraps, and install bright lights. If your attic does have windows, be sure to clean off the grime and let in as much light as possible. Clean as needed.
Get rid of anything that you don’t plan to move to your new home. Remaining stored materials should be neatly contained in boxes and trunks, and position against walls.
If you have a large, cheerful, windowed attic, you’re sitting on a potential gold mine. Don’t renovate your attic, just stage to suggest your attic space has potential.
BasementIf your home has a full basement, chances are that the "machinery" of your home furnace, water heater, electric circuit breakers, etc. is located there. Since educated buyers will inspect this area, do necessary clean up and repairs. Spend a Saturday morning cleaning out your basement. Get rid of broken tools, rusted lawn furniture, and other assorted debris that has accumulated over the years. Give your basement a thorough sweeping and take a damp cloth and wipe off any dust and grime from the surface of your water heater and furnace, they’ll look newer.
A dark damp-smelling basement will have trouble selling. One whiff of mildew and a prospective buyer may begin conjuring up scenes of wading through your flooded basement in rubber hip boots. Clean up mildew stains, throw out any upholstered basement furniture that retains that musty smell, and check the basement walls for high water marks. Many basements are creepy simply because they are too dark. Increase the wattage of your existing light bulbs, and if necessary, install a few more lights.
Set your ping pong table (with balls and paddles as props), hang some bright posters, dust off the old upright, and you’ve instantly transformed the place into a teen hangout. Your "stage setting" needn’t be complete and shouldn’t cost a cent - it's only meant to be an imagination jogger that suggests further possibilities to buyers.
Many men dream of having a home workshop for woodworking projects. Clear off that dusty workbench in your basement and draw some attention to it as a sales feature. Clean the surface, set out a few scraps of wood, a box of nails, and a couple of tools, hang a light over the bench, and you’ve set a scene for an amateur carpenter. Naturally, if someone in your family is REALLY into woodwork, an honest-to-gosh project in progress will stimulate buyers to imagine themselves working in your pleasant basement.
DRIVEWAYS & GARAGERutted driveways and junk filled garages spell OWNER NEGLECT, and can easily sour a buyer’s otherwise positive impression of your home. Give these areas an honest appraisal and see whether a few small improvements might make a difference. Remember that buyers are scouting for flaws, which they can use to justify a low offer. If you hope to get top dollar for your home, don’t give potential buyers any extra ammunition in a poorly maintained driveway or garage.
The driveway is no place for children’s toys. Not only are such things dangerous, the clutter is unsightly. The surface of your driveway should be beyond reproach; after all, it’s one of the first things a buyer will see when he drives up. Repair cracks and potholes, pull up pesky weeds, or get a new load of gravel.
A clean, organized garage appears larger. If dark, add more light, if small, one-car garage - remove your car before buyers visit. An empty garage always looks larger. If a two-car garage with very little extra room, remove one of your cars so that the buyer can make their inspection in comfort.
YardWhether your property consists of fifty acres or a small suburban lot, much of the value is in the land itself. If your yard is a well-landscaped setting for your home, your chances of selling quickly will be greatly enhanced.
Does your yard radiate owners pride? So, drag out the lawnmower, sharpen up those hedge cutters, and shape up your yard:
Paint stakes a bright red or yellow, and stick them in the ground at the corners of your property. This will not only show consideration, it will be an effective sales tool.
Plop the plants into a well-placed wheelbarrow, and old-fashioned washtub, or what have you. Such standbys as nasturtiums, petunias, impatience, and verbena are easy to maintain if you remember to water them regularly. Try a row of sweet smelling alyssum to line a short sidewalk or pop in some perky dwarf marigolds to form a cheerful oasis of color in your yard.
Many buyers can’t tell an oak from an elm, but they like the notion of having gracious, mature trees on the property they buy. Make sure yours grabs the buyer’s immediate attention. Hang a swing from a strong branch, plant some bright, shade tolerant flowers like impatience, or set up your picnic table under the tree’s leafy awning.
Set up your old badminton or volleyball net in that flat area of your yard.
It is important to devote at least one area of your yard to outdoor living. Buyers will still recognize a scene set with picnic table and chairs and respond positively to it. Cover your picnic table with a fringed, red-and-white checked cloth, set out some plastic plates and glasses bring out the barbecue equipment, and buyers will almost smell the hot dogs cooking!
When Your Home Is ShownOf course, like all home sellers, you’re fantasizing that the first prospective buyers who walk through your front door will fall madly in love with your home and offer to meet your price right there and then. It can happen, but it’s a rare occurrence. Now your home is in peak sales condition, you have selected a seasoned Real Estate Professional to market your home and your property is priced realistically. These three factors should give you a distinct selling edge. Before you rest on your laurels, however, study the following:
Play the odds. The more people who see your home, the more likely you are to sell it quickly. Yes, it’s an inconvenience to show your home at dinnertime, but if the people buy your home, isn’t it worth reheating the pot roast?
Prepare for the inevitable, unexpected showings with a family game plan. To be effective, this plan should be worked out by all your family and actually written down so that everyone knows what to do if you sound the alarm. No one is talking about major house cleaning at this point. The kinds of tasks you ought to be concerned with now are simple ones: dust the dining table top, stuff last night’s dirty pans in the dishwasher, hide those damp panty hose hanging on the shower rod. Even young children can participate by ‘"cleaning" their room.
Any home will smell better if you can open the windows in each room and let in some fresh air. Stale air isn’t appealing, particularly in a home with smokers or pets.
Yes, we all want to save on our heating costs, but a chilly house can make buyers nervous and set them to wondering if you home is poorly insulated or your furnace is on its last leg.
You can make home showings smoother for your agent if you turn on lights in every room before prospective buyers arrive. This also gives you an opportunity to select the lighting effects you want for each room. Be sure not to overlook areas like your attic and basement where light switches are often difficult to locate. No area of your home should be dark.
Music has a subliminal power. Why else would stores bother to pipe in soft background music if not to put customers in a comfortable, relaxed mood for what else - buying. Speaking of sound, every seller should know better than to leave a television blaring away when the home is being shown. This is rude and distracting.
Perhaps it’s unfair to lump children with pets, but that precious toddler can cause just as much inconvenience when you’re trying to sell a home. Keep pets away from buyers.
Once you’ve answered the door and welcomed the real estate agent and potential buyers, you should take a walk or visit your neighbors or go grocery shopping. The shrewd seller sets the scene so that buyers can walk onto the stage and immediately begin play-acting, pretend the home is already theirs.
If you’ve followed the previous tip, you won’t be around to chat with the buyers, but if you are at home, resist the urge to volunteer information about what you consider to be important sales features. It’s all too easy to develop seller’s foot-in-mouth disease.
In these times of rising energy costs, buyers will most certainly ask what your home heating and electrical costs are. If you are including any appliances in the sale price of your home, you should keep warranties and instruction booklets in this same file.
Why keep it a secret? Your neighbors across the street may have a friend who has been waiting to move into the neighborhood. Word of mouth is a strong selling aid. If each person you tell that your house is for sale tell two more people, and those people each tell two more people, word can spread quite rapidly.
The buyer for your home will be knocking soon!
JAY BURNHAM, VP
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
PREVIEWS International®
Property Specialist
54 Dodge Street
Beverly, MA 01915
978.233.2828
Designations Earned: CRB, CRS, GRI, RECS, SRES
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