How to Prepare Your House for Sale
Prepping and staging a house. Every seller wants his or
her home to sell fast and bring top dollar. Does that sound
good to you? Well, it’s not luck that makes that happen. It’s
careful planning and knowing how to professionally spruce
up your home that will send home buyers scurrying for
their checkbooks. Here is how to prep a house and turn it
into an irresistible and marketable home.
Here’s How:
-
Disassociate Yourself With Your Home.
- De-Personalize.
Pack up those personal photographs
and family heirlooms. Buyers can’t
see past personal artifacts, and you
don’t want them to be distracted. You
want buyers to imagine their own
photos on the walls, and they can’t
do that if yours are there! You don’t want to make any
buyer ask, “I wonder what kind of people live in this
home?” You want buyers to say, “I can see myself
living here.”
-
De-Clutter!
People collect an amazing quantity of junk. Consider
this: if you haven’t used it in over a year, you probably
don’t need it.
- If you don’t need it, why not donate it or throw it away?
- Remove all books from bookcases.
- Pack up those knickknacks.
- Clean off everything on kitchen counters.
- Put essential items used daily in a small box that
can be stored in a closet when not in use.
- Think of this process as a head-start on the packing
you will eventually need to do anyway.
-
Rearrange Bedroom Closets
and Kitchen Cabinets.
Buyers love to snoop and will open closet and cabinet
doors. Think of the message it sends if items fall out!
Now imagine what a buyer believes about you if she
sees everything organized. It says you probably take
good care of the rest of the house as well. This means:
- Alphabetize spice jars.
- Neatly stack dishes.
- Turn coffee cup handles facing the same way.
- Hang shirts together, buttoned and facing the
same direction.
- Line up shoes.
- Rent a Storage Unit.
Almost every home shows better with less furniture.
Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths
and walkways and put them in storage. Since your
bookcases are now empty, store them. Remove extra
leaves from your dining room table to make the room
appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room
to showcase the room’s purpose and plenty of room to
move around. You don’t want buyers scratching their
heads and saying, “What is this room used for?”
HOME CONSULTANT MAGAZINE™ is produced twice a year by RIVWOOD ENTERPRISES, LLC. Information obtained in this publication has been obtained
from sources believed to be reliable. HOME CONSULTANT MAGAZINE™ and RIVWOOD ENTERPRISES, LLC make no representation about the correctness of the information contained herein. All information contained herein is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute professional or legal advice. HOME CONSULTANT MAGAZINE™ and RIVWOOD ENTERPRISES, LLC do not imply an endorsement or recommendation of any advertiser included in this publication. © 2007 Compilation Copyright
RIVWOOD ENTERPRISES, LLC 200 Central Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, 301-910-2156; 301-910-2164 www.rivwood.com