
Follow us on Social Media :
Selling your house and selling it quickly and for top dollar is not an art, but a science. There are very specific things sellers should do when preparing their house for sale. The list below has 11 easy tips for transforming your house so that it gives buyers a good impression. While it is not an exhaustive list, and your house may have particulars, these general tips will help. For more specific advice and tips talk to your Realtor®. They should be able to customize a list of suggestions that will help you sell your house.
When buyers walk into a home they want to be able to see the house. When a house has too much clutter it detracts from the house. In order to properly declutter you must make the room look like it is not lived-in. While most of us sell our houses when we are living in them, during this time, it is important to make the house look like it is not being lived in. If you need help clearing the clutter, consider contacting a professional organizer to help you. I promise you it will be worth the money! And last but not least after a good decluttering, make sure to give the house a nice deep cleaning so it is ‘hotel clean’.
Once you have gotten rid or organized all the clutter you may need somewhere to put it all. If you have a garage or attic, you can store some of your boxes in there, as long as there are not too many most buyers will understand. But if you have an overwhelming amount of stuff consider renting a storage unit and taking it off site.
As mentioned in Tip #1 your house should be hotel clean when buyers come to visit it. Consider hiring professional cleaners to get the job done and to maintain it while the house is on the market. Once they have cleaned your house and made it impeccable, remember to make it smell nice. Lavender and lemon are two scents that are easy to find and make the house smell fresh and clean.
Never underestimate the power of curb appeal. I cannot even count how many times a buyer pulled up to a property with an unkempt appearance and said, “Never mind, let’s go to the next house”. The thinking is that if the property looks bad on the outside it is probably not that much better on the inside. However, if it looks great on the outside, chances are it will look great on the inside too. If landscaping is not your thing, hire a professional landscaper. Nice landscaping coupled with a decluttered and clean house is a recipe for getting lots of interested buyers.
Remove anything that personalizes the house. Pictures, collection of dolls, or anything that is specific to you personally. Buyers want to be able to imagine the house as their own. It is hard to do that with someone else’s stuff staring them in the face.
Ask your agent for marketing collaterals and help spread the word. The more people that see the house the greater chance you have to sell it. So market like you have never marketed before!
Buyers first impression of your house will most likely be based on online listing photos. So make sure your listing package includes professionally taken photos of your property. If buyers don’t like the pictures chances are they won’t ask for a showing.
Paint your house in neutral colors, change kitchen and bathroom hardware and update light switches and fixtures. These are all inexpensive changes that go a long way to make the house look better and more inviting to buyers.
While your fur babies may be part of your family not everyone loves animals or the smells they leave. So make sure during showings that the animals are not present and that their scents are neutralized. If a house doesn’t smell good it will turn off buyers. Remember lavender and lemon make a house smell fresh and clean.
If you have a den also known as a flex space you can add a closet to show buyers it has potential as an additional bedroom. You can also decorate it as an office/guest room in order to give buyers ideas of the flexibility of this space.
You know that broken doorknob or loose cabinet handle? Well it is time to start avoiding and time to start fixing. Avoid these little items popping up on an inspection. If the buyer feels the house is well taken care of, they will have more confidence in purchasing it.
EDITOR, PUBLISHER, WRITER, PHOTOGRAPHER, REALTOR®
Désirée Ávila has called Oakland Park her home for over 33 years. In addition to publishing LivingInOaklandPark.com, Désirée has been featured in print publications, locally and abroad. Désirée was an award winning teacher for 10 years and has a doctoral level education in Educational Technology. She is currently a licensed Florida Realtor® and is committed to a high-level of professionalism.
Désirée consistently professionally develops herself and has earned several different professional designations and certifications in real estate including the PSA, e-Pro, AHWD, SRS, ABR, and SFR. She was also awarded the C2EX, Commitment to Excellence award by the National Association for Realtors (NAR). This award is given to Realtors® that distinguish themselves for their commitment to excellence in the real estate industry.
She is esteemed by her real estate colleagues and has consistently received 5 star reviews from her clients. Her philosophy about real estate is that being a Realtor® is a way of teaching and helping people, and in the process a real estate transaction may occur, that is to say her foremost priority is and has always been about helping others.
She is dedicated to her hometown of Oakland Park and works consistently on building and fostering a strong community. She is passionate about photography and loves to read books about history ; the more detail the better! In addition to English, Désirée is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, French and Italian.
Check out her real estate websites:
DesireeAvila.com
OaklandParkRealEstateAgent.com
Search for New Construction Homes with Désirée : www.IWantToBuyNewConstruction.com
Visit her real estate blog at www.DesireeRealtor.com
© 2019 LivingInOaklandPark.com is published by The Pink Pineapple Creative Company LLC. The Pink Pineapple Creative Company LLC is owned by Desiree Avila, M.A., P.A. Realtor®, C2EX, PSA®, SRS®, SFR®, ABR®, GRI, e-Pro, and AHDWD. Desiree Avila is licensed Florida Realtor® with Charles Rutenberg Realty in Fort Lauderdale. For information about real estate in the area go to www.desireeavilarealtor.com
LivingInOaklandPark.com is an independent publication not affiliated with the City of Oakland Park.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE : Content may not be copied, reproduced, transmitted, distributed, downloaded or transferred in any form or by any means without LivingInOaklandPark.com’s prior written consent, and with express attribution to LivingInOaklandPark.com. Copyright infringement is a violation of federal law subject to criminal and civil penalties.
You must be logged in to post a comment.