Selling Your Property
Introduction - Emotion vs.
Reason
When conversing with real estate agents, you will often
find that when they talk to you about buying real
estate, they will refer to your purchase as a "home."
Yet if you are selling property, they will often refer
to it as a "house." There is a reason for this. Buying
real estate is often an emotional decision, but when
selling real estate you need to remove emotion from the
equation.
You need to think of your house as a marketable
commodity. Property. Real estate. Your goal is to get
others to see it as their potential home, not yours. If
you do not consciously make this decision, you can
inadvertently create a situation where it takes longer
to sell your property.
The first step in getting your home ready to sell is
to "de-personalize" it.
De-personalize the House
The reason you want to "de-personalize" your home is
because you want buyers to view it as their potential
home. When a potential homebuyer sees your family photos
hanging on the wall, it puts your own brand on the home
and momentarily shatters their illusions about owning
the house. Therefore, put away family photos, sports
trophies, collectible items, knick-knacks, and
souvenirs. Put them in a box. Rent a storage area for a
few months and put the box in the storage unit.
Do not just put the box in the attic, basement,
garage or a closet. Part of preparing a house for sale
is to remove "clutter," and that is the next step in
preparing your house for sale.
Removing Clutter, Though You
May Not Think of it as Clutter
This is the hardest thing for most people to do because
they are emotionally attached to everything in the
house. After years of living in the same home, clutter
collects in such a way that may not be evident to the
homeowner. However, it does affect the way buyers see
the home, even if you do not realize it. Clutter
collects on shelves, counter tops, drawers, closets,
garages, attics, and basements.
Take a step back and pretend you are a buyer. Let a
friend help point out areas of clutter, as long as you
can accept their views without getting defensive. Let
your agent help you, too.
Kitchen Clutter: The kitchen is a good place to start
removing clutter, because it is an easy place to start.
First, get everything off the counters. Everything. Even
the toaster. Put the toaster in a cabinet and take it
out when you use it. Find a place where you can store
everything in cabinets and drawers. Of course, you may
notice that you do not have cabinet space to put
everything. Clean them out. The dishes, pots and pans
that rarely get used? Put them in a box and put that box
in storage, too.
You see, homebuyers will open all your cabinets and
drawers, especially in the kitchen. They want to be sure
there is enough room for their "stuff." If your kitchen
cabinets, pantries, and drawers look jammed full, it
sends a negative message to the buyer and does not
promote an image of plentiful storage space. The best
way to do that is to have as much "empty space" as
possible.
For that reason, if you have a "junk drawer," get rid
of the junk. If you have a rarely used crock pot, put it
in storage. Do this with every cabinet and drawer.
Create open space.
If you have a large amount of foodstuffs crammed into
the shelves or pantry, begin using them – especially
canned goods. Canned goods are heavy and you don’t want
to be lugging them to a new house, anyway – or paying a
mover to do so. Let what you have on the shelves
determine your menus and use up as much as you can.
Beneath the sink is very critical, too. Make sure the
area beneath the sink is as empty as possible, removing
all extra cleaning supplies. You should scrub the area
down as well, and determine if there are any tell-tale
signs of water leaks that may cause a homebuyer to
hesitate in buying your home.
Closet Clutter: Closets are great for accumulating
clutter, though you may not think of it as clutter. We
are talking about extra clothes and shoes – things you
rarely wear but cannot bear to be without. Do without
these items for a couple of months by putting them in a
box, because these items can make your closets look
"crammed full." Sometimes there are shoeboxes full of
"stuff" or other accumulated personal items, too.
Furniture Clutter: Many people have too much
furniture in certain rooms – not too much for your own
personal living needs – but too much to give the
illusion of space that a homebuyer would like to see.
You may want to tour some builders’ models to see how
they place furniture in the model homes. Observe how
they place furniture in the models so you get some ideas
on what to remove and what to leave in your house.
Storage Area Clutter: Basements, garages, attics, and
sheds accumulate not only clutter, but junk. These areas
should be as empty as possible so that buyers can
imagine what they would do with the space. Remove
anything that is not essential and take it to the
storage area.
Or have a garage sale.
Fixing Up the House Interior
Plumbing and Fixtures: All your sink fixtures should
look shiny and new. If this cannot be accomplished by
cleaning, buy new ones where needed. If you don’t buy
something fancy, this can be accomplished inexpensively
and they are fairly easy to install. Make sure all the
hot and cold water knobs are easy to turn and that the
faucets do not leak. If they do, replace the washers. It
is not difficult at all.
Check to make sure you have good water pressure and
that there are no stains on any of the porcelain. If you
have a difficult stain to remove, one trick is to hire a
cleaning crew to go through and clean your home on a
one-time basis. They seem to be wonderful at making
stains go away.
Ceilings, Walls and Painting: Check all the ceilings
for water stains. Sometimes old leaks leave stains, even
after you have repaired the leak. Of course, if you do
have a leak, you will have to get it repaired, whether
it is a plumbing problem or the roof leaks.
You should do the same for walls, looking for not
only stains, but also areas where dirt has accumulated
and you just may not have noticed. Plus, you may have an
outdated color scheme.
Painting can be your best investment when selling
your home. It is not a very expensive operation and
often you can do it yourself. Do not choose colors based
on your own preferences, but based on what would appeal
to the widest possible number of buyers. You should
almost always choose an off-white color because white
helps your rooms appear bright and spacious.
Carpet and Flooring: Unless your carpet appears old
and worn, or it is definitely an outdated style or
color, you probably should do nothing more than hire a
good carpet cleaner. If you do choose to replace it, do
so with something inexpensive in a fairly neutral color.
Repair or replace broken floor tiles, but do not
spend a lot of money on anything. Remember, you are not
fixing up the place for yourself. You want to move. Your
goal is simply to have as few negative impressions upon
those who may want to purchase your property.
Windows and Doors: Check all of your windows to make
sure they open and close easily. If not, a spray of WD40
often helps. Make sure there are no cracked or broken
windowpanes. If there are, replace them before you begin
showing your home.
Do the same things with the doors – make sure they
open and close properly, without creaking. If they do, a
shot of WD40 on the hinges usually makes the creak go
away. Be sure the doorknobs turn easily, and that they
are cleaned and polished to look sharp. As buyers go
from room to room, someone opens each door and you want
to do everything necessary to create a positive
impression.
Odor Control: For those who smoke, you might want to
minimize smoking indoors while trying to sell your home.
You could also purchase an ozone spray that helps to
remove odors without creating a masking odor.
Pets of all kinds create odors that you may have
become used to, but are immediately noticeable to those
with more finely tuned olfactory senses. For those with
cats, be sure to empty kitty litter boxes daily. There
are also products that you can sprinkle in a layer below
the kitty litter that helps to control odor. For those
with dogs, keep the dog outdoors as much as possible.
You might also try sprinkling carpet freshener on the
carpet on a periodic basis.
Costs of Repairs: Do not do anything expensive, such
as remodeling. If possible, use savings to pay for any
repairs and improvements – do not go charging up credit
cards or obtaining new loans. Remember that part of
selling a house is also preparing to buy your next home.
You do not want to do anything that will affect your
credit scores or hurt your ability to qualify for your
next mortgage.
Fixing Up Outside the House
Most real estate advice tells you to work on the outside
of the house first, but unless there is a major project
involved, we believe it is best to do it last. There are
two main reasons for this. First, the first steps in
preparing the interior of the house are easier. They
also help develop the proper mind set required for
selling - beginning to think of your "home" as a
marketable commodity. Second, the exterior is the most
important. A homebuyer’s first impression is based on
his or her view of the house from the real estate
agent’s car.
So take a walk across the street and take a good look
at your house. Look at nearby houses, too, and see how
yours compares.
Landscaping: Is your landscaping at least average for
the neighborhood? If it is not, buy a few bushes and
plant them. Do not put in trees. Mature trees are
expensive, and you will not get back your investment.
Also, immature trees do not really add much to the
appearance value of the home.
If you have an area for flowers, buy mature colorful
flowers and plant them. They add a splash of vibrancy
and color, creating a favorable first impression. Do not
buy bulbs or seeds and plant them. They will not mature
fast enough to create the desired effect and you
certainly don’t want a patch of brown earth for
homebuyers to view.
Your lawn should be evenly cut, freshly edged, well
watered, and free of brown spots. If there are problems
with your lawn, you should probably take care of them
before working on the inside of your home. This is
because certain areas may need re-soding, and you want
to give it a chance to grow so that re-sod areas are not
immediately apparent. Plus, you might want to give
fertilizer enough time to be effective.
Always rake up loose leaves and grass cuttings.
House Exterior: The big decision is whether to paint
or not to paint. When you look at your house from across
the street, does it look tired and faded? If so, a paint
job may be in order. It is often a very good investment
and really spruces up the appearance of a house, adding
dollars to offers from potential homebuyers.
When choosing a color, it should not be something
garish and unusual, but a color that fits well in your
neighborhood. Of course, the color also depends on the
style of your house, too. For some reason, different
shades of yellow seem to elicit the best response in
homebuyers, whether it is in the trim or the basic color
of the house.
As for the roof, if you know your house has an old
leaky roof, replace it. If you do not replace a leaky
roof, you are going to have to disclose it and the buyer
will want a new roof, anyway. Otherwise, wait and see
what the home inspector says. Why spend money
unnecessarily?
The Back Yard: The back yard should be tidy. If you
have a pool or spa, keep it freshly maintained and
constantly cleaned. For those that have dogs, be sure to
constantly keep the area clear of "debris." If you have
swing sets or anything elaborate for your kids, it
probably makes more sense to remove them than to leave
them in place. They take up room, and you want your back
yard to appear as spacious as possible, especially in
newer homes where the yards are not as large.
The Front Door & Entryway: The front door should be
especially sharp, since it is the entryway into the
house. Polish the door fixture so it gleams. If the door
needs refinishing or repainting, make sure to get that
done.
If you have a cute little plaque or shingle with your
family name on it, remove it. Even if it is just on the
mailbox. You can always put it up again once you move.
Get a new plush door mat, too. This is something else
you can take with you once you move.
Make sure the lock works easily and the key fits
properly. When a homebuyer comes to visit your home, the
agent uses the key from the lock box to unlock the door.
If there is trouble working the lock while everyone else
stands around twiddling their thumbs, this sends a
negative first impression to prospective homebuyers.
All articles © 2000
RealEstate ABC. No articles may be reprinted or
displayed without permission.
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