If
you’re thinking of selling your home over the next few months in ,
then you will need to make sure it’s ready. Although you can
put it up for sale at any time, it certainly pays – literally
– to take some time and do some work in it before you commit
to putting it on the market. A few hours and for a few dollars spent
here and there, will give you a healthy return on your investment
when it comes to selling.
This is part of our best in class series of real estate articles by Nick Santoro and Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers ( www.personalpropertymanagers.com ) who service Pennsylvania and New Jersey and specialize in real estate, home content downsizing, senior transition services, property management and estate sales. These tips and insights are especially important and true in the environment we are in today, with the global economy turned upside down, massive job losses, and the need for extreme social distancing due to the Corona Virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease. Additionally during this challenging time in the Corona Virus and COVID-19 era, we help families that are unable travel or tend to their property needs by providing a true one-stop resource. We are focused on making life just a little easier for families during often difficult times. With Personal Property Managers, one call does it all.
Joe Santoro, co-founder of Personal Property Managers lists 7 quick tips for getting your home ready to sell:
1. Clean Your Windows
Your house could be the cleanest, most lovely, most perfect house
in the world, and it could be a real bargain too, but if your windows
are dirty (inside or outside) then prospective buyers could be put
off before they even step through the door. It takes a lot to change
someone’s first impression of a property, which is why you want
to make sure it’s a good one for as many people as possible.
Consider having your windows professionally cleaned or you can simply
take a few hours to do it yourself. Make sure you don’t just
focus on the glass, but that you clean the sills and facias too. Not
only will washed windows look much nicer, but the effect inside your
home is better too, as more natural light can be let in, showing off
the rooms as they are meant to be.
2. Make the Outside Welcoming
There may be many elements to the outside of your home that you don’t
really notice anymore because you’re so used to them. It’s
time to step back, and go across the street if you can to appraise
what you can see. If you need to invest in new outdoor lighting, a
welcome mat, some flowers, or even a new front door itself (or just
paint and maintain the current one) then do it. Making the outside
of your house attractive will ensure that more people take a second
glance at the realtor’s brochures, or on the webpage your house
appears on.
3. Paint It Up
If you’ve lived in a house for a while, there will be signs
of life’s wear and tear. There might be scuff marks on the walls,
or greasy fingerprints. There could be marks where pictures were hanging,
and the sun has bleached around the frames. A freshly painted home
(not costing a lot of money) can restore your home’s beauty.
Fix everything up for you so that it looks well-kept. This can help
you score you points with today’s buyers, and add thousands
to the selling price of your property. It’s a job that needs
doing, and if you do it rather than the new owners, they will pay
for that thoughtfulness.
4. Lighting
When you’re showing prospective buyers around your home, lighting
can be key. Change your bright white bulbs for something that is much
softer and inviting. A more flattering wattage that gives your home
a cozy feel and welcomes people into each room will go a long way
to helping people make a decision.
5. Stage the Rooms
If you have rooms that aren’t really used for what they were
originally designed (a spare bedroom currently being used as a junk
room, a dining room being used as a study and so on), when you put
your house on the market, turn those rooms back into what they are
supposed to be. It’s easier for prospective buyers to see themselves
in a property if you dress it right. It may inconvenience you for
a short while as you try to sell, but if you make the house look great,
that sale shouldn’t be too long in coming. Dress that spare
bedroom as a bedroom – you can simply use a cheap bed frame
(or borrow from a friend) with an inflatable mattress on, but be sure
to dress it with complementing bed linens. Make your home have a dining
room by tidying up your paperwork and renting a dining set –
or, again, borrowing a table and chairs from someone. It will be worth
the effort.
6. Use Smells
We’ve all heard of the idea that baking bread or cookies, or
brewing up a pot of coffee before someone comes to view the property
as a sure way to promote how homely and cozy the place is. The thing
is, it’s not a myth. The sense of smell is the sense that is
most closely related to memory and feelings. If you can evoke the
feeling of comfort, a memory of childhood or happy times, then the
potential buyer will automatically feel right at home, which is exactly
the kind of thing that will lead them to buy it. If you’re not
a baker, don’t worry; using scented candles can do the same
trick.
7. Make the House Appear Bigger
You obviously can’t make your house bigger physically, but you
can make it feel that way. You can, for example, lay down a striped
rug, which will give the impression of a longer room. You can hang
floor to ceiling drapes, which will give the illusion of a room with
high ceilings. You can clear away clutter to show more floor space.
In the yard, make sure there are no huge toys such as trampolines
which take up a lot of space. These can be stored somewhere for the
duration of the sale, or just until you have secured an offer. Above
all…de-clutter your home. Clean out closets, basements, garages.
We know this can be a challenge, especially if you have lived in your
home for many years, but this is important, and we can help you with
any of your downsizing needs. Lastly, make sure you have a video virtual tour of your home to show perspective buyers who will want to preview your home online before venturing out to take a personal look at it.
More information can be found on who we are and look through the eyes of the buyer via these brief video links.
We offer 6 primary services to help families or executors. They are:
Additional info can be found on this brief 90 second video or a full array of great tips and insights and video by clicking on our resource page.
For more insights, tips and videos please visit our Resource
Page in the About us tab.
For more information on real estate or home downsizing please contact Nick Santoro or Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers at 215-485-9272 or 908-368-1909. Personal Property Managers specializes in helping home owners transition from their home of many years into a new community. Personal Property Managers services Pennsylvania and New Jersey and offers downsizing services, estate sales services, home staging, discount full service real estate services via its association with EveryHome Realty. Learn more about Personal Property Managers from our recent News Stories.
