Improve your chances of a quick sale by making your house attractive to potential buyers. Studies show that we make up our minds within seconds so it stands to reason that prospective buyers are doing that with your house. Most buyers are making quick decisions about whether it is worth investigating in a home further or ready to move on to the next house. So make them want to see more of your house by giving a great first impression.
Focus On Curb Appeal
What is curb appeal, and why is it important? Curb appeal is what gives homebuyers their first impression of a property before they even step inside. The aesthetic look of a home’s exterior can tell what someone can expect to find on the other side of the front door. At the very least, the exterior will determine whether or not buyers even want to take a look inside. Therefore, if you want to maximize your property’s value, it is wise to focus on improving its curb appeal. Only once buyers are convinced the inside is worth seeing will they will inquire further.
Take Your Porch and Entrance Way Up a Notch
Once buyers cross the threshold, they need to see that your home is clean and tidy and has plenty of space. Store your coats, shoes, strollers and bikes out of sight. A console table with a pair of lamps and a large mirror in the entry is a classic way to present your home as spacious and attractive. Be wary of any unpleasant odors from pets, shoes, or cooking. Don’t try to mask smells with a spray air freshener. Instead, remove the source of the problem, clean thoroughly, air out the space, and use a room diffuser or scented candle to create a luxurious and welcoming scent for visitors.
Stage Your Home
Once you put your home on the market, it is time to detach yourself from the property. Ditch as much stuff as possible. Decluttering is your first priority. Clear out the junk and depersonalize the space. The main goal for potential buyers is to envision themselves in your home. You do not want the home to look sterile, you want to make it homey but not cluttered. The best option for storing your stuff when staging and selling a home is a storage unit. It gets everything completely off your property and you can pop by whenever you need something. When it’s time to move, it’s easy to drop by with the moving truck and pick everything up again to take it to the new place.
Start a To Do List
Fix all the broken stuff. Buyers will notice the slightest things. So tackle the minor issues.
- Paint trim and door frames.
- Wash down light switches and door handles.
- Straighten the pantry
- Check and repair loose door handles and cabinet hinges
- Caulk around tub and sink
- Replace lightbulbs that do not work
- Check for leaks
- Touch up any scuff marks
Should You Renovate Your House Before Selling?
Making changes you can enjoy for years to come is one thing, but spending money on alterations right before you move out is another. Before you jump in and get started with renovations, learn what buyers in your area are looking for. This is where the advice of a top real estate agent can come in. By completing a pre sale home inspection, you’ll be able to become aware of issues that may slow down the sale of your home. Completing necessary repairs such as installing a stair handrail, replacing a damaged roof, upgrading outdated outlets will allow you to continue with the sale of your home. The areas that get the best ROI (return on investment) are the kitchen, bathroom, and flooring. Giving your home a fresh look without spending much is possible.
Appeal To All 5 Senses
Sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing play an integral role in our emotional processing, learning and even buying behaviour. Whether we consciously realize it or not, we all make our purchases emotionally and justify them rationally. The bigger the purchase, the more we let our emotions guide us. Selling real estate is predominantly reliant on building an emotional connection and only marginally on the facts and figures.
- Sight – The psychology of colours, creating the buyers desired lifestyle, ensuring the lighting is adequate – they do everything they can to showcase the maximum potential of your home.
- Smell – Neutral smell with just a hint of scent is what you are aiming for. Maybe a slight scent of brewing coffee or baking cookies.
- Hearing – Sound is oftentimes the most overlooked characteristic. Play some soft music or have a nice water feature outside.
- Touch – Thought to be one of the first senses to develop, touch occurs across the whole body using a variety of receptors in our skin. Set the right temperature. If the prospect feels too cold or too hot they are likely to cut their visit short.
- Taste – Taste is probably the most difficult sense to engage when it comes to selling real estate. A bowl of Mentos and bottles of water is one of the most common additions to open homes. It’s refreshing, encourages interaction and is perceived as something a little extra.
Keep Your Home In Good Shape 24/7
This means keeping up all these changes you have implemented and not bringing out the toy bins, the dog beds and all the daily life items you are used to using every day. It is not easy keeping your house in pristine order for days on end. But remember the effort you put in now will pay off later. Every week, you might have a potential buyer traipsing through your home most times without much notice.
