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Additional Articles
Setting the
Stage Sells Your Home
The age-old observation that "you never get a second chance to make
a first impression" certainly applies when it comes to
attracting buyers to a for-sale home.
By Marcie
Geffner
Making a
good first impression can mean the difference between receiving
serious offers for your home or being subjected to months of
lookie-loos dropping by but never buying.
How can you
ensure that your home will make the best impression possible?
Here are six tips for savvy home sellers:
1. Focus
on curb appeal.
The outside of
your house can be the source of a very good first impression.
Keep the grass well-watered and mowed. Have your trees trimmed.
Cut back overgrowth. Plant some blooming flowers. Store toys,
bicycles, roller-skates, gardening equipment and the like out of
sight. Have at least the front of your house and the trim
painted, if necessary. Sweep the porch and the front walkway.
After dark, turn on your front porch light and any other
exterior lighting.
2. Clear
out the clutter.
Real estate
agents say buyers won't purchase a home they can't see. If your
home has too much furniture, overflowing closets, crowded
kitchen and bathroom countertops or lots of family photos or
collectibles on display, potential buyers won't be able to see
your home. Get rid of anything you don't need or use. Fill up
your garage or rent some off-site storage space if that's what
it takes to clear out your home.
3. Use
your nose.
Many people are
oblivious to scents, but others are extremely sensitive to
offensive odors. To eliminate bad smells, bathe your pets,
freshen the cat litter box frequently, shampoo your carpets, dry
clean your drapes, and empty trash cans, recycling bins and ash
trays. Place open boxes of baking soda in smell-prone areas, and
refrain from cooking fish or strong-smelling foods. Introduce
pleasing smells by placing flowers or potpourri in your home and
using air fresheners. Baking a fresh or frozen pie or some other
fragrant treat is another common tactic.
4. Make
all necessary repairs.
Buyers expect
everything in their new home to operate safely and properly.
Picky buyers definitely will notice-and likely magnify -- minor
maintenance problems you've ignored for months or even years.
Leaky faucets, burned-out light bulbs, painted-shut or broken
windows, inoperable appliances and the like should be fixed
before you put your home on the market. These repairs may seem
small, but left undone they can lead buyers to question whether
you've taken good care of your home.
5.
Introduce lifestyle accessories and make your home as
comfortable and attractive as possible
Set the dining
room table with your best dishes. Put out your only-for-company
towels. Make up the spare bed. Hang some fresh curtains. Put
some logs in the fireplace. Use your imagination.
6. Get a
buyer's-eye view.
Walk up to your
home and pretend you've never seen it before. What do you
notice? How do you feel about what you see? Does the home seem
inviting? Well-maintained? Would you want to buy this home? Your
answer should be an enthusiastic yes!
Copyright
© 2000 Marcie Geffner. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2008 Tomlinson Real
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