Monday, February 16, 2009

I've Been Searching, and It Hasn't Been Pretty

Welcome?

We looked at ten houses yesterday. Some were staged very nicely. Some others? Not so much. As sellers, you absolutely have to remember that no part of "you" should be visible in the house. Of course, I don't mean you can't have a microwave, clothes in the closet or a cross stitched pillow on the couch. You need to live as comfortably as possible while you are engaged in the selling process. What I should NOT see and what you should NOT have in your house is anything that points to who you are as a person. Yesterday, we learned that one home owner has a mouse pad business, another is a Physician's Assistant and yet another is a big fan of huge, gas-powered model airplanes.

This third person actually carved a room out of half of the 2-car garage so that he could keep all his airplane stuff. Guess what? It's no longer a two-car garage, and any owner who wants to use it as such is looking at some serious demolition. Ridiculous.

Here are some other things we noted during our tours. First, the good:
  • Clean, uncluttered counter tops
  • Staged dining room tables
  • Freshly cleaned carpets
  • Mowed lawns
  • Open blinds; lights on
  • Beds were all made with extra pillows
  • Toys contained in "kid areas."
Now, the not-so-good:
  • Air freshener that was so potent we could barely breathe.
  • Liberal display of religious iconography
  • Odd paint color choices--mind-bending fuschia comes to mind
  • Over-staging: a child's tea party setup in the corner of a loft that could have been more effectively staged as a small reading area.
And last, the downright awful:
  • Dogs left inside in a downstairs room with a note saying not to go in there. There went 100sf we couldn't see.
  • Closets crammed with all kinds of stuff that needed to be in storage
  • Obviously dirty underwear on a shelf in a walk-in closet
  • Half-finished bottle of Sunny D on the front porch

Sometimes, it's better left alone. This tiny TV looks
silly in the large cabinet.

There are no words. Wait! There are four: Buy a laundry
bag.

If you see yourselves in anything in this post, please take the time to depersonalize your space. It truly could be the difference between selling and not selling. With the glut of houses on the market, you have to find a way to stand out from the crowd. The good news is, there are still plenty of folks who are doing it wrong, as we found out yesterday. Narrow the field and increase your odds by doing it right.

For more information, or to order a copy of my ebook I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market, please visit. I CAN Sell This House.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Following are the few tips that surely help you to sell your home fast: -
1. Remember you only get one chance to make a first impression: Studies show that buyers make up their minds in the first few seconds, approaching and entering a home. Walk across the street from your house, and then up the walk and into the front door. Look at your home from a buyer’s view. Tidy up landscaping, fix torn screens, paint the front door, and replace worn door hardware.
2. Paint gives you the “biggest bang for your buck.” An accent wall in a warm color or repainting the entryway can make a huge difference
3. Get advice on what repairs to make. Sometimes you need to make repairs to bring the condition of your home up to the level of your competition. Other times, it’s best to leave updating to the new owners.
Thanks.