Getting Your Home for Sale Show Ready

Before the agent selling your house starts bringing in prospective buyers, you probably have some work to do to prepare your house for sale.  What exactly does getting your home ready to show entail? The job at hand depends largely on the age and condition of the house, your cleaning habits, and the budget you have to spruce the place up.   

The primary goals are to emphasize your home’s curb appeal and eliminate buyer objections. Don’t give prospective buyers reasons to dislike your home. Everything should be clean and inviting, no matter if your sales price is $100,000 or $1 million.

Issues that Turn Off Prospective Home Buyers

Some things that turn off prospective buyers are:

• Odors: Tame any bad smells, whether they come from the home itself, your pets, the garbage can or anything else. When prospective buyers are looking at several homes, they need easy reference points to distinguish homes. Don’t be the “house with the cat smell.” Use a deodorizer to give your home a pleasant atmosphere, but don’t make it too strong that it appears to be masking something.  Some natural room deodorizers include such fruits as green apples, lemons, limes and oranges.  Empty a bag of these fruits into a decorative bowl or glass vessel and let them go to work.

• Dogs and other excitable pets: Even people who like dogs or have their own dogs don’t want to deal with someone else’s curious (or unruly) pet when they are house-hunting. Other people are simply afraid of dogs. Don’t be the “house with the bad dog.” Arrange to have all pets - including cats) out of your home when prospective buyers visit.  As a last resort, put your pet in a crate (not just another room or the yard) during the visit.

• Dirty kitchens and bathrooms: These are the two most important rooms for many buyers. Make them sparkling clean and inviting. Clear the counters. Organize the drawers. Place fresh flowers or plants in these rooms to enhance the ambiance. Remember, we’re eliminating objections.

• Dim lighting: Dim rooms look smaller and can cause prospective buyers to wonder what you’re hiding. Open the curtains and shades and let the sunlight in.  Turn on all the interior lights for showings. (Make sure the corners and window sills are clean). 

• Eclectic interiors: Remove funky wallpaper and paint over the chartreuse dining room walls. Pack up your daughter’s insect collection and depersonalize other areas (you’ll be moving soon anyway). Pack knick-knacks and books, too. Don’t be the “house with the weird pictures” or “house with the crazy color scheme” or the “house with 1,000 Star Trek books.” Everyone may not share your tastes and your goal is to make your house as appealing as possible to maximize its sales price.  Don’t distract potential buyers from focusing on your home’s positive features.

• Junk: Sort through your belongings.  Toss items that are broken or worn.  Parse out clothing or items you haven’t worn or used for more than two years. Have a garage sale or yard sale.  Donate items to charity. Consider selling more valuable belongings on Ebay. If you must, rent a storage unit. By whatever means, reduce the amount of junk in your home (including the closets), garage and yard. Prospective buyers want to envision how their stuff will look in your home, and that is harder to do if your home is already jammed full of stuff.  If your home is overflowing with stuff, potential buyers will see this as a red flag that there is not adequate storage in the home.

• Bugs: Although it goes without saying, bugs are gross to most people. Certain climates and times of the year attract bugs. Prospective buyers should never see bugs inside your home, dead or alive. Hire an exterminator if necessary before you open your home for showings.

• Poor curb appeal: What does your home look like from the street? How does it stack up compared to the neighbors? Again, don’t give prospective buyers reasons to drive down the price. Trim the trees and bushes, mow the lawn regularly, weed the flower beds and touch up the paint if it needs it.  Store toys and bikes in the garage. A home with strong curb appeal attracts potential buyers who might drive-by, as well as those searching for new homes on the Internet.  Set the right impression from the street, and buyers will be drawn inside to see what else your home has to offer.  If potential buyers are turned off by poor curb appeal, you may never get them through the front door.

• Hovering sellers: You’re curious. You’re anxious. But resist the urge to hang around when prospective buyers arrive for a visit. Let your agent handle the showing. Buyers will feel more comfortable to consider your home’s potential if you’re not there.  The more comfortable potential buyers feel as they view your home, the longer they will spend inside and the greater the chance they’ll form an emotional attachment to it.  That’s a good thing.

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