Homes That Are Clean and Staged Sell Faster
I pre-viewed a FSBO (For Sale By Owner) recently.
The homeowner had done an impressive amount of work, but missed a something that will impact the price he can expect to receive for his property.
He nailed two of the three fundamental steps in getting his property ready to sell, but missing the third was a problem:
Does anyone want to see your stuff?
The Three Most Basic Tips for Getting Ready to Sell
The fundamental steps to get your home ready to sell are:
- Clean It
- Fix It
- Present It for the Local Market (aka Stage It)
Home Selling Tip Number One: Clean it
A clean house is (preferably) a professionally cleaned one.
Buyers will forgive a dated house before they’ll forgive a dirty one. It makes them think: what else is wrong with this place?
- Clear out all of the clutter first, and make the house look bigger and more inviting.
- Get deep down into the cracks and crevices where all the years of dust and dings have collected.
- Baseboards, corners, cobwebs should all be crispy clean!
- No ick!
- Make it smell good, too!
Home Selling Tip Number Two: Fix it
Fixing it means just that: fix what’s broken and finish the almost-done projects.
- Again, clear out debris, clutter and anything that isn’t in the best working order.
- If it makes you tired thinking about how much work that is, imagine how your potential buyers will feel about having these items on their to-do list for a property they just paid a lot of money for!
Two Out of Three Was a Good Start But The Last One Was a Killer
Yeah he's cute but do you see how messed up that door is?
The FSBO I visited had these two items done, and done well: the home was very neat, clean, and in good repair.
The owner had extensively replaced and/or repaired a long list of items, and had clearly taken a lot of care in the process. Even the driveway had fresh concrete!
Home Selling Tip Number Three: Present it For the Local Market
Presenting it for the local market, means understanding the local market.
That means knowing what has sold recently and what kind of condition those properties were in as well as what the typical local-area buyer is looking for.
As I looked around this property, I realized that the seller might not get the price he was hoping for, which he had primarily based on the selling price of the (very nicely updated) home next door, without a more detailed look at the local market.
What Mistakes Did the Seller Make That You Can Avoid?
The owner currently lived out of state and had just come back into town to get the home ready to sell.
- He selected finishes that may be typical for where he lives, but aren’t typical for where this house is.
- The new cabinets, carpet and flooring all looked dated, despite being brand new.
- He left in a seriously ugly, 1970s-style partial room divider between the family room and the eat-in kitchen when an open floor plan would have made the home seem more current.
The Impact of Not Knowing The Local Market
In an area where the typical buyer is younger and trendier, this house will probably sit for a while.
The premium price tag means a lot of buyers will skip it based on the amount of work they think it still needs.
I’ve seen the competition in the area, and have evaluated the characteristics of the properties that have sold quickly vs. the characteristics of the ones that haven’t.
Fit-and finish clearly matter if a seller wants top dollar.
Home Selling Tips: How to Save The Mistake
At this point, all of the new finishes were already selected and installed.
The best next course of action would be to:
- stage the home with furnishings and decor items that are in keeping with the much more urban and green homes nearby and
- complete the landscaping with fresh, clean and colorful plantings that would provide the requisite curb appeal to attract and (hopefully) catch buyers before they even walk in the front door!
Remember, you can’t fix a home’s location, but you can put it’s best foot forward:
Clean it, Fix it and Stage It, and sooner rather than later, someone new will be thrilled to call it HOME.
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