When selling your home in the current market it has to be the best in it's price range in order to get it sold in a reasonable amount of time. In a world where everyone wants more for less, in order to get the best price possible for your home, it has to shine! As I was cleaning my own home I began to think of what my home would look like if it were on the market and what things I would need to do to prepare to sell. Looking around my kitchen I looked over at my fridge (top), covered in precious artwork done by my 2 little girls. While I love every single one of those masterpieces, if I were selling, I would take them down (bottom) for showings or during the duration of my listing as I'm sure it would be distracting for potential buyers to see the beautiful paintings, to-do lists, and calendars. The same goes for too many family photos. While you want to make your home look like a happy place to live you also want the buyers to look at your house, not your life. The only time I would recommend photos would be if you lived on a lake or in the country where you were able to capture pictures of the wildlife or big fish you caught on your lake!
If the thought of even getting to the place where you are ready to worry about these "little things" scares you, it may be time to hire a professional. Like I said in a previous post, cleaning, de-cluttering, doing small repairs and painting are the the most important and most cost effective ways to increase your home's value and decrease it's time on the market. In the busy world we live in where not everyone has time to get these projects done, a great place to turn would be a home stager. In the Bemidji area I would recommend checking out Kendra Fuller at Urban Essence Interiors on facebook or on the web at http://www.urbanessenceinteriors.com/ By hiring a stager/painter you can check off half of your to-do list while getting top notch advice. Not everyone has the same tastes in decorating so having gender and taste neutral style can help potential home buyers have a vision of what the home would look like if they were to live there. If you are a seller this is exactly what you want; people to "mentally move-in" to your home!
Statistics show that staged homes spend 50% less time on the market. Average days on market in the Bemidji area so far this year is 180 days. Cutting that in half could save you a lot of headaches. Also, a staged home can sell for up to 7% more than a non-staged home. The cost of staging your home now will be much less than a price reduction later. So whether you are a DIYer or you need a helping hand, taking the time to prepare your home for sale is a must! Don't forget you can always call or email me with questions or for a free consultation. Happy Selling!
No comments:
Post a Comment