Last night my daughters and I watched the ABC premier of “How to Get Away with Murder”. We enjoyed it quite a bit – not sure I like it well enough to stay up until 11:00 every Thursday night, but so far it seems to be a clever show.
I might not be able to get away with murder – and never do I plan to try…. but I do know that with your help, I can certainly get your house sold!! I often tell prospective sellers to start packing. Less is more, de-clutter and neutralize. A big thing to rember is that you are selling a house, not your home – you are selling it to a buyer who is looking for a house which they can envision as their home. You need to make it easy for them to do that.
Sharon Tara, a stager in NH wrote a great article for a real estate forum that I frequent. She says that when preparing your house for sale, you should consider the “Perfect Crime”. Today’s buyers are like the detectives in those old time movies: leave them the smallest amount of evidence and they will find a way to use it against you!
She suggests that successfully selling your house requires leaving no evidence at the scene. Remove the DNA – your family photos, diplomas and degrees. Clean up the fingerprints – medical equipment, medications, hobbies and collections. Allow a prospective buyer to walk through your house and imagine it as their home. I do not think you have to take away everything; it is important that your house be warm and inviting. But it should be presented in a way that is universally accepted as such: chocolate chip cookies or apple spices are much better aromas than last night’s garlic casserole!
Additionally, you should be prepared to flee the scene at a moment’s notice! It is virtually impossible to keep your house in show shape 24 hours a day – but, of course, that is what today’s detectives expect (oops, I meant buyers). I often tell people that we understand that people live here – and if you are feeding a toddler three meals a day it’s okay to leave the high chair in the kitchen. But it’s a good idea to keep a laundry basket or a plastic tote by the front door to hold the remnants of quick clean up so you can leave in a hurry if an agent calls to schedule a last minute showing.
The best way to ensure that your house will sell is to price it right and make sure it shows PERFECTLY.
