You have 30 to 60 minutes to convince the average person to buy your house. That is all! You need to put your house in the best light possible so that the small amount of time they have gets people excited. There are three areas to focus on if you are planning to sell your house. These three things will make your house more attractive, more open, and more sell-able:
1. De-Clutter – Pick up and put away everything. Better yet, pack it up and get it ready to move. Have as little on the floor as possible. Have as little on cabinets, counter tops, and any surface as possible. The more open and spacious your house feels, the better.
2. De-Personalize – Put away all family pictures. Take down all non-generic art. What I mean by non-generic art is if you like art that is racy, taboo, or anything that you might not want to show your children, put it away. You want to make the space as clean as possible so that when people walk through your house, they see themselves in it. That is hard to do if they see your family’s faces everywhere they look.
3. Light and Bright – Turn on every light you can. Put in new bulbs if necessary. Open every curtain, shade, and blind. Let as much light into the house as possible. This again adds to the effect of making things look bigger and more spacious.
These simple steps will dramatically impact people’s first impression of your house. Here are a few bonuses that cost money:
4. Paint – I have never seen a fresh coat of paint make any house look worse. Unless you choose orange. Don’t choose orange.
5. New Carpet – I have had so many people ask me whether or not they should replace their carpet. My answer is almost always to do it. People have no imagination and will say no to a house they love because of stains on a carpet. People want a house that they can just move into, or they expect to pay less if they know that it is going to need work.
6. Power Wash the Exterior and/or Roof – Both of these things are much more cost effective than you might imagine, and can be incredibly powerful in changing people’s perception of your house.
These are just the beginning of tips that can make your house feel like home to a buyer. I am always happy to add value by coming out to your house and being honest with you about what is and isn’t a good use of your time and money for getting a house ready. You can reach me anytime. If you are thinking about buying a home, selling a home, or investing in real estate, get me on your team! You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com.
~Ryan Lynch
