Nashville Tennessee Living

When your house is being Shown - part 2

Yesterday I wrote When Your House is Being Shown. It got a lot of comments and, as often happens, many had additional suggestions that they added in their comments.

That's what ActiveRain is all about, us sharing information, ideas and opinions with each other. I responded to those suggestions with an explanation about why I didn't add them to my original list.

The suggestions were wonderful but... What if the Sellers misunderstand what you meant by these ideas? Would you like some examples?

Get some fresh flowers, they soften up the look of the room. I agree and they make you smile. Smiling Buyers is a good thing when they're looking at your house. I usually start with the outside and suggest a nice pot of seasonal flowers near the front door.

A couple of years ago my clients did exactly as I asked and placed a beautiful pot of Mums by the front door. There was no garage on this house so both husband and wife and a collage student sister walked in and out of the front door daily. Not one of them could put a cup of water on this poor Mum. Imagine my horror when I come to show the house and the mum is DEAD.

Nope, Dead flowers look much worse than no flowers. Thus, unless they think of it themselves and know how to take care of them and keep the vase CLEAN, we don't need flowers.

Candles... You probably see where I'm going here. Candles are lovely and can leave a very pleasant scent in the house. 

Some, however are so overbearing that Buyers with allergies will have to leave the house without looking at it! Sellers that don't know the difference need to just not have scent.

Same with sprays.

Too much of a good thing is just too much! That's why perfume is so expensive, you're only supposed to use a little drop!!

These are just my thoughts. I had both candles and flowers in my house when I sold it this year, but I was very careful to not overdo. There's a fine line sometimes.

I am always willing to help distinguish where the line is for any of my Sellers who are truly trying to do their best!

When your House is being Shown

There are several things to check before you leave for a showing. Things that give your house a little extra Umph when it's being shown.

When you leave for work check the following things:

Are all the rooms well lit? Open the Draperies and shades to let the most amount of light into the room. A well lit room will look larger. If you won't be home before dark, leave the porch lighting on.

Make sure you've picked up the paper, mail, and other things that naturally get dropped around the house when you come home. Tuck them neatly away so they're not distracting.

Is the Kitchen sink clear and clean? Are the counters nice and clean?

Get the kids in the habit of putting their toys in their closets or in a large toy bin. Outside toys should be stored away in the garage or at least as inconspicuous as possible.

Pets should be contained to an area that will not keep the Buyers from seeing the most important parts of the house. 

Each family member should have their own "basket of toiletries" in their bathroom. Each basket should have a neat place either under the sink or in a linen closet where the basket will stay when it's not in use. Bathrooms are very personal and the less of you the Buyer sees, the more that they can see themselves there. The Buyer wife doesn't want to see your husband brushing his teeth in what might be her future bathroom!

If you leave the radio or stereo on, keep it turned down low. These are the minimum things to do when you leave everyday so that the house is always in good showing condition.

If you are not headed out for the day, but have a showing, you can do a little extra and make sure that each room is very well lit.

Double check all bathroom mirrors and sinks.

Remember the most important thing is to look at your home the way that the Buyer will look at it. They need to see themselves living there. Not you.

The 5 Most Important things that Sell your home, Part 2 - Condition!

Earlier this week I posted the most important things that sell your home. They were:

     1. Location

     2. Price

     3. Terms

     4. Marketing

     5. Condition

Condition just couldn't be discussed in a short paragraph so we're dedicating this entire post to it. As Fred Carver commented in the remarks, condition can be discribed as Curb Appeal. Let's start there.

Curb Appeal - 1. Curb Appeal; The first impression your home makes on the arrival of any visitor. It's referred to as "curb appeal" in the Real Estate industry because many prospective buyers won't even get out of the car to look inside if they don't like your home from the curb or street.

You only get one chance to make a first impression. You want it to be a good one. So before you put the sign in the yard take a good inventory of the condition of the landscaping and the exterior of the house. Does the house, drive or walkway need to be pressure washed? Shrubs trimmed? Mulch. One of the best investments you can make.

Next stand at the front door. Count to 50 and look around. What do you see? Does the door need a coat of paint? Are there spider webs in the corners or in the outside lights? Make this area sparkle. If the weather permits, fill a large pot with seasonal hardy flowers. Plant something that's easy to take care of and will hold up in the climate temperatures.

Now it's time to clean the inside.

First start with general clutter. Rent a storage unit if you don't have anywhere to put things. Remember, you're moving. Start packing it up. Piles need to be removed. Floor space is a premium. Make sure you see  a lot of it. Clutter also occurs on the top of the furniture. Sometimes you have too many "trinkets" or things on your mantle or other furniture pieces. A good rule of thumb would be no more than 3 items per surface.

Next, get your duster and go to the highest point in the house. Upstairs or the room with the highest ceiling. Dust the corners of the walls/ceilings removing any/all dust bunnies. Look at the walls for dust and basically work your way down the house. Then go to the light fixtures. Do they sparkle? Do the bulbs sparkle?

Important inside Rooms -  Ideally the entire house is perfect. In lieu of perfect start on the Kitchen, Primary Living space, it may be a Living Room or Greatroom, and the Master Bedroom and Bath. These are your most important rooms. They should look, almost, like no one lives there.

In the Kitchen - clear as much counter space as possible. If you don't use it EVERY day, put it in a cabinet or on top of the refrigerator. The sink must be clean and all the sink "stuff" stored under the sink. Noone wants to look at your dirty sponge.

Keep the garbage emptied to eliminate any unfriendly odors.

Greatroom - See above paragraph about clutter and cleaning! The main living space needs to feel inviting. You want the Buyers to have a desire to plop down on your furniture and just stay! Make sure you don't have too much furniture in this room so that it looks crowded. If your furniture is tight, the Buyers will think that theirs won't fit either.

 Master Bedroom -This is where you really want to appeal to the female that may be buying this house. This is HER retreat. It's worth the time and to make sure that the bedroom and bath have that "model home" look and feel. If you don't have a matching bed set, now's the time to invest in one. It doesn't have to be top of the line, but we're looking for a look here.

There shouldn't be personal things all over the room. The closet needs to be neat and orderly with the clothes hanging loosely. If they're hanging tightly, it will make the closet look small.

Master Bathroom - Whether your bathroom is the delux 400 square foot model, or a simple tub/shower combo with a single sink, some things don't change. Bathrooms are very personal. Nothing turns a buyer off more than to look at all your personal toiletries and belongings. Hang a nice set of matching towels that you don't use. Hook the ones you're using behind the door.

Each person should have their own little basket that will fit neatly under the sink. All of that person's everyday things should be kept in the basket. This way, you ready yourself in the morning and then store away your things under the sink. The sink and mirror should be wiped down daily to eliminate spots and soap residue.

If you have a separate shower with glass door and/or surround, purchase a squidgy at the local bath store. These will usually hang inside the shower. That way it's always available after a shower to wipe down the glass. Believe me this is easier and almost as effective as windexing the glass everyday.

A good Realtor will know how to navigate all of these issues. It's important that you Hire A REALTOR. Interview several. It won't hurt. Then you can compare marketing plans and their philosophy on how to sell your home. Hire a Realtor.

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Connie Harveyis a local agent with Prudential Woodmont Realty, serving home buyers and sellers in Nashville, TN, Brentwood TN, and Franklin TN. Let her help you realize your Real Estate goals.

Connie can be reached at 615-661-7800 x 1300 or at HarveyC@realtracs.

Follow her Blog: Nashville Tennessee Living