Ready to Sell? It’s Showtime!

So you’ve hired the “right” agent,  done the necessary home prep and staging and now you are ready to show your home to the world. Making the best first impression, and creating that “WOW” factor that sends potential home buyers into “Gotta have it mode”, is now all up to you.

 Strategic and aggressive marketing can bring the buyers to your door, but if they leave without having that memorable experience while touring your home, they will quickly shuffle it to the bottom of their list. When buyers enter your home they want to visualize themselves living in your home. They are looking at your home with discerning eyes and will usually put a hefty price tag on any upgrades or repairs to be done.

From my experience I can tell you that the Kitchen is a huge selling point since it is the “heart” of the home and that you will be greatly rewarded for any upgrades you have done here. Of course you have de-cluttered and cleared up the kitchen counters of any knick knacks right? And of course you have straightened out cupboards (you know they’ll look in there!) and taken out the garbage and there are no dirty dishes in the sink!

Bathrooms are next in terms of upgrades and appearance and of course the main living areas.

Remember buyers see an average of 5-6 homes at once, so its important that they tour yours comfortably, safely and that they leave impressed.

Here’s the top 5 tips for showing your home:

 

• YOUR SHOULD NOT BE HOME! There is nothing worse than homeowners following and watching potential buyers while they tour their home. Let the showing agent do their job and answer any questions the buyer may have. You have the right to remain silent and anything you say can and may be used against you!
• LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON AND CURTAINS OPEN Buyers have limited time to tour your home and trying to figure that “tricky” light fixture or find that light switch behind the wall isn’t fun-plus, it’s distracting! There is rarely enough time to open curtains or blinds throughout. Buyers will leave remembering how dark your house was-so let the sunshine in!
• IT’S HARD TO SELL IT IF YOU CAN SMELL IT! No one wants to walk into a house and get a sudden whiff of “what died in here?” Fish, pet odours and other pungent smells are distracting, unpleasant and will raise questions about the overall care and maintenance of your home.
• SPARKY AND FLUFFY SHOULD NOT BE HOME! or at least confine your furry companion to an area during the showing. Unfortunately not everyone is a pet lover and a jumpy dog or cat can be distracting and even annoying for some. You want the Buyer to focus on the “features” of your home not your super cute pet!
•  CREATE A PLEASANT AMBIANCE Whenever possible leave soft music playing, set up air fresheners throughout and put out fresh flowers. Remember you want buyers to fall in love with your home…so knock their socks off!

Now you are ready for the Show! Remember that during the selling process your home is the stage and that everything is under the spotlight. Always ask yourself if you would “buy your own home” if you were currently looking for a house in today’s market.

Preparing your home for sale and showing it “at it’s best” are 2 out of the 3 key ingredients for MAXIMUM RESULTS. Do you know what the third ingredient is? What do you think is the most important thing when preparing for sale?