Welcome to my blog. I am new to this form of communication - but not new to helping homeowners transform their homes into beautiful spaces. What I want to share with everyone is some unique yet very simple ideas that you can use to make your home more marketable once you decide to put it up for sale.
I just heard some recent statistics for the New York/Long Island real estate market - for every day that your home remains on the market, you lose 1% of its value. That's an alarming number - and all the more reason to do everything you can to get your home in the best shape possible...so you can sell it more quickly.
Here are a few important things to consider when you are selling your home:
- Once you put your home up for sale, it is no longer your home...it's a product. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you will sell your home. Any product that appeals to the widest range of buyers has the best chance of selling. You may love your red painted walls - but not everyone loves that paint color. You may adore your teal colored carpet in your bedroom - but not everyone has furnishings that go with that color. You have to neutralize your color schemes so that they appeal to the most people.
- Make your home clutter free. The less stuff you have in a room - the more people can really "see" your home. For example - if you take the small appliances (toaster, canisters, coffee pot, dish drain etc) off your kitchen counter...potential buyers will be able to "see" that you have countertops. You want to sell your home - not your stuff.
- Improve your curb appeal: If your home doesn't look inviting on the outside - no one will want to come "inside"
- Make sure your home is Q Tip clean. From your front yard to your backyard...and from basement to the attic, make sure that every surface is spotless. Have a professional window cleaner make your windows shine.
- Make sure you have great photos of your home for flyers and for online marketing. Once you have de-cluttered, cleaned and painted, have your realtor take photographs (many real estate companies have photographers that they use) or, if you are selling the property yourself, have someone with a great digital camera take the photos - or consider hiring a professional. Important: 80% of today's buyers research real estate listing online first...before they even consider going to your open house. So - you must make sure that your home looks great online.
2 comments:
Dear Linda,
I love your websites:www.beautifulstagedhomes.com and www.studioofdecorativearts.com You are very talented! In today's competitive housing market, it's essential to make a great first impression! That's why I think Home Staging is so important! Home Staging not only helps the seller...it helps the buyer as well. When a home shows well, it helps the seller and realtor sell the home faster. They can be proud to show off their home to prospective buyers! The buyer can easily see themselves living in a well staged home because it is decluttered, clean and boasts it's assets.
Thank you very much for your kind comments! It's true - staging helps the buyer as much as the seller. If the home is staged properly, the buyer can see more clearly "how to live" in the home. Sometimes there are rooms in a home that do not have a clear purpose...sometimes there are redundancies in a home's layout - and it can confuse the buyer as to how to use the space. This is especially true of vacant properties. With proper furniture placement - even minimal - the buyer can "see" what the room's purpose is. Less confusion for the buyer translates into a sale for the seller and the realtor! Thanks again for commenting! Linda Leyble www.beautifulstagedhomes.com
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