Preparing your house for sale and getting it staged properly are the most important things you can do to help your home stand out in a crowded real estate market. After doing the basics of overall decluttering and depersonalizing, here are the next steps you should take to get and keep your house ready to sell.
It’s an absolute guarantee that prospective buyers will open every cabinet and every closet in your home! And although that thought may feel like an invasion of privacy at first blush, it really isn’t. A person who is seriously interested in buying a house wants to know exactly what he or she is getting and whether there is enough storage space for their things.
– Take a good hard look at your bedroom closets and imagine how they must look to an outsider. Bedroom closets should be kept looking absolutely tidy, absolutely clean, and absolutely uncrowded. Nothing will turn off a buyer like having sweaters or boxes falling off high shelves when a closet door is open.
Take this opportunity to box up or get rid of clothing that is out of season or that you seldom wear, keeping only the bare minimum hanging. Organize what’s left: put dresses together and shirts together, hanging in the same direction on matching hangers.
Shoes (even children’s) should be kept lined up neatly on the floor or, even better, invest in specially designed shoe shelves and get them off the floor altogether.
– Do you have favorite curtains that you want to keep or an expensive light fixture you’d like to take with you? Make sure they are stored away out of sight in a storage unit or some other place away from the site before your house begins to be shown. If a buyer really falls in love with those fancy dining room drapes, they will assume they are included in the price of the house. Trying to negotiate that misunderstanding later is not only awkward, it could turn off a buyer altogether.
– Invest in the services of a good all-purpose handyman. You will want to repair leaky plumbing and other obvious issues, of course, but some are more subtle. For instance, are your main stairway’s railing and posts unsteady? Do the edges and jambs of your doorways show evidence of paint chipping and scratches due to normal wear and tear?
Buyers will notice every detail like this that you may not even see anymore because you live there every day! Even the smallest cosmetic issues may lead a buyer to question the fundamental soundness of your house. A handyman with experience in staging homes will have an outsider’s eye and be able to counsel you on what should be repaired.
– Keep it spotless and shiny at all times! This is hard to do while there is still living going on in your home, but it’s absolutely essential. Most realtors give plenty of advance notice before a showing to allow you to get it clean and hang fresh new towels.
It’s essential in today’s crowded real estate marketplace to do everything possible to help in selling your wonderful home. It’s hard work, but well worth the effort!
If you are a resident of or plan to move to Arkansas, and want more information on beautiful Hot Springs Village real estate, visit the professionals at RE/MAX of Arkansas (http://www.remax-arkansas.com/hot-springs-village-real-estate.aspx). Art Gib is a freelance writer.
[tags]Hot Springs Village real estate[/tags]
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