Great, you have done it, you have signed a contract with an amazing real estate professional!
Now the focus shifts to the home, time for the walkthrough. The definition of walkthrough in this case is to mosey around the home in order to identify items to be fixed. Sellers set price; Buyers set value. You never get a second chance at a first impression. If you’re not first you’re last. When a Buyer comes into a $900,000 home they expect it to be in pristine condition, the scrapes in the walls from moving should be fixed, the holes from the nail to hang pictures need to be patched and painted, scratches in doors should be addressed… you get the idea.
Empathy, see things from the Buyer’s point of view, would you purchase your home and be happy with it? This list can seem daunting at first, with motivation and some help the list can be done correctly and hopefully without much of an inconvenience to the Sellers.
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What about staging? Will the home be occupied or vacant?
For an occupied home take time to declutter everything! Tchotchkes removed, plants and pictures must be in a certain place, leaving the rooms and overall home to feel as open as possible. Removal of family pictures is difficult, though should be done to depersonalize the home. This allows a potential Buyer to visualize their family in the home, not yours.
Pet areas cleaned, including waste picked up in the yard. Childhood toys neatly stowed. Reducing the number of items in a closet, be it the coat closet or the master walk-in, removing items shows the volume of storage available. Clear sight lines to and through the windows of the home will allow buyers to see your home’s architecture and surroundings rather than your furniture.
A vacant home is a different animal, to stage or not to stage, this is the question. Is the home easily mapped? When a home has rooms that are boxes and clearly identifiable, eh, maybe staging is not necessary. If a home has curves, a sense of architecture and attitude, staging comes in to articulate how one might live in this home. Show the purpose of the space. Keep in mind, staged homes sell 73% faster on average.
Finally your home is ready, photos and potential Buyers await! Stay tuned for tip #3 in this series.
