Seller Showing Tips

You just listed your home for sale...now what? You've sold a home before...you should know how to do this, right? I never want to assume my seller knows what to do to get a home ready for showings because clearly they are attached to the home and its furnishings in some way so I don't want to insult them.

Here are just a few ideas:

1. Lighten up! Some people live in their home where the shades or blinds are always closed. While I realize in this heat it can keep the home cooler, when you have your home on the market, as a Realtor we don't always have time to open and close all your shades, flip on lights, and truly show your home in its best light...no pun intended! If you have enough advance notice of a showing, open things up, flip on the lights, and make it memorable for us!

2. Size up the competition. You are looking at homes now as well because you are moving. What things draw your eye? Go to a few model homes and get ideas of how the placement of furniture makes a difference. How does staging a home and removing all personal items help you see your furniture in this home? That's how we want to present your home to potential buyers. Now go home and spruce your home up!

3. Define the space. If the room is a dining room, it should be staged as a dining room. Renting or borrowing a table and chairs may just make the sale! Not everyone will use a secondary bedroom as a workout room with mirrors and padding so purchase an air mattress and fix it up to be seen as a bedroom.

4. Storage. Clearly a lot of us move because we have run out of space or have too much space. If you have accumulated too much stuff and have it setting on top of the fridge or dryer, it screams to the buyer that there isn't enough storage in this home. It doesn't matter that it's convenient to have the cereal box on the fridge, it just means that you don't have room for things.

5. Add simple curb appeal. Inexpensive plants can go along way to add color and make someone want to see what else you have that is fabulous. You may think that it's money you shouldn't have to spend, but it may just be the simple ticket to a sale! Every landscaping detail proves that you care inside as well as outside!