Why does one house sell within
days and another linger for months on the market?
In today's real estate market, far too
many sellers watch prospective buyers troop through their
homes without making an offer. To avoid this kind of frustration,
you must learn the secrets of making your house more saleable.
More important, the longer a house is on
the market, the less likely the seller is to receive a
high offer. It's human nature to suspect the quality of
merchandise that has been "on the shelf" for
a long time. A slow-selling house makes prospective buyers
nervous.
Selling your home can be a painless and profitable experience
- if you follow the guidelines offered on the following
pages. And don't neglect to involve your family in this
project. It is a cooperative venture with one shared goal;
a timely sale of your home.
The Groundwork
Put yourself in the buyer's shoes! Remember,
they arrive at your front door waiting to fall in love
with your home. If you've done your homework and set the
stage, every room in your home will greet the customer
with a pleasant surprise.
What makes your home special?
First, settle down in your favorite easy
chair, close your eyes, and try to remember your feeling
the very first time YOU walked into your home. Now,
start listing your home's most positive features. Remember,
the more personal, the better. Ask your spouse and your
children to add their own special positive reactions.
Your teenage daughter may remember how she fell in love
with your home years ago because of a swing that hung
from the old oak tree in the backyard. Don't make the
mistake of ignoring children's special impressions.
Tour every room, the attic, basement, the garage, and
yard. Note at least one positive feature in each. Include
the items that attracted you and those desirable features
you have added.
Accentuate the Positive
A real estate agent will bring prospective buyers
to your door, but don't rely on him or her to do the
WHOLE job of selling your home. A saleable home has
each room sending out a unique message to the customer.
It is more effective to have the buyer's "discover"
your home's special features themselves (than to have
the owner or agent point them out like a tour guide.)
Draw attention to your home's best asset by a LITTLE
CREATIVITY : a cheerful glow of logs in the fireplace;
a spotlight beaming down; a pot of red geraniums...stimulates
the buyer's imagination by setting the scene!
Eliminate the Negative
You can eliminate many of your home's negative features
by transforming them into something visually pleasant.
Inexpensive and creative disguises will minimize those
drawbacks.
No Home is Perfect, Even Yours. List the negative features
you can find. Be "HONEST"!
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. MAKE THOSE MINOR REPAIRS.
All those tiny flaws in your otherwise beautifully
maintained home will add up to one thing to the observant
buyer: the dreaded O.N., otherwise known as OWNER NEGLECT.
All signs of OWNER NEGLECT must be eliminated.
2. REGARDLESS OF SEASON, TACKLE SPRING CLEANING.
Those hours spent thoroughly
cleaning your home will be hours well spent when the results
pay off in an early and profitable sale. Clean windows
are important! Pay particular attention to your kitchen
and bathrooms - they involve personal health and hygiene,
and are areas buyers scrutinize closely.
3. CREATE THE ILLUSION OF SPACIOUSNESS.
Make your living space APPEAR
larger by eliminating bulky, unnecessary furniture - rearrange
to give the illusion of spaciousness.
4. GIVE YOUR ROOMS A LIGHT, BRIGHT LOOK.
Most buyers want large, bright, cheerful
rooms.
5. USE COLOR AND LIGHTING TO DRAW ATTENTION TO YOUR
HOME'S BEST SELLING FEATURES.
Highlight the graceful bay window with
a colorful arrangement of flowers. Color has the power
to attract. Lighting should be used for emphasis.
6. DISGUISE UNSIGHTLY VIEWS.
Disguise that potentially offending view,
but always let light into your rooms. Replace heavy curtains
with sheer white panels. Above all, don't apologize for
a poor view.
7. ELIMINATE UNPLEASANT ODORS.
Remember that some people are more sensitive
to odors than others. Smokers rarely notice the odor of
tobacco that fills their homes, and pet owners may be
oblivious to objectional doggy odor. Use powered products
like "Love My Carpet" regularly. Mildew odors
are another no-no. Don't allow wet towels to accumulate
in hampers, or old laundry to pile up in closets.
8. AVOID ECCENTRICITIES
Smart sellers play down individualistic
touches that may express perfectly their taste and personality,
but, at the same time, appeal to a minority of home buyers.
In selling, play the odds. If your rooms are painted purple
and beaded curtains hang in every doorway, don't rely
on your real estate agent to find the perfect buyer whose
taste match yours. The average buyer will have a hard
time looking beyond purple walls and eccentric decor.
Two coats of white paint may be the best investment you
ever made. Other areas of possible offenses are those
two old bugaboos, politics and religion. Everyone is entitled
to his own beliefs in these areas, but if you are trying
to sell to the widest possible market, it is wise not
to make your living room look like campaign headquarters
or your dining room resemble a sacred temple.
9. RECOGNIZE THE FINE LINE BETWEEN CLUTTER AND STERILITY
Notice the small details that make the
rooms particularly attractive and appealing - a vase of
flowers, a basket of knitting yarns. Accessories can make
or break a room. But be on the lookout for distractive
clutter.
10. DISPLAY PHOTOGRAPHS THAT SHOW YOUR HOME DURING OTHER
SEASONS.
Go through your photo albums and select
pictures of your house and yard during all four seasons.
If hung at eye level in a well lighted area, the pictures
will speak for themselves and give you yet another selling
edge.
Front Door and Porch
No matter how lovely your home may be behind
that front door, a buyer will be turned off by crumbling
front steps, a doorbell that doesn't work, creaky hinges,
or chipping paint on porch columns. Give special attention
to your home's front entry. Remember, first impressions
are likely to color the remainder of the house tour.
11. CREATE A WELCOME SPOT OF COLOR.
There should be something special that
beckons him to your front door, something that sets your
home off from the other houses on the block. A bright
red milk can, a tub of geraniums, a pot of floppy petunias,
or a basket of nasturtiums. Invest in a new doormat that
says "welcome."
12. OPEN YOUR HOME TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
A buyer approaches a home with curiosity
aroused; he wants to have positive feelings. If all the
curtains are drawn and the front door is locked and bolted,
your home will seem like a forbidding fortress. If the
curtains are open, the windows sparkling clean, and the
front door open (in warm weather), your home will radiate
a welcome spirit and invite the buyer to enter.
13. CAPITALIZE ON A SPACIOUS FRONT PORCH/DECK.
Take advantage of the nostalgia it evokes.
Set the stage and stimulate imaginations.
Your Home's Entry Hall
14. CREATE A DRAMATIC FOCAL POINT
Study your entry hall and ask "what
kind of statement" it makes about your home. This
area should "greet" and say "Welcome, your
house hunting days are over." Dried flowers can make
a striking focal point on a hall table any time of the
year. Imagine cattails, a bunch of orange Chinese lanterns,
an arching spray of bittersweet, or wheat stalks in a
glowing copper planter.
15. ADD SPACIOUSNESS WITH A MIRROR.
Virtually any entry hall, will benefit
from a well placed mirror (enlarges the area). Clean regularly!
16. IMPROVE THE FLOOR'S APPEARANCE HERE, IF NOWHERE
ELSE.
Your entry hall flooring is observed
carefully buy the prospective buyer - give them a positive
attitude.
17. CLEAN OUT YOUR COAT CLOSET.
The entry hall closet is the first one
inspected - make it appear roomy. Add a few extra hangers.
Hang a bag of cedar chips or a potpourri ball to give
a pleasant, fresh scent. |
