Let your Home Shine

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Getting ready to sell? Here's an important point to remember: The manner in which you live in your home and the way you should present your home to buyers are two different things. Your odds for a successful sale will improve greatly when your home appeals to a large variety of people. One way you can improve your home's appeal is to remove some of your personality from it. Here are 3 tips that will help you accomplish this goal. Look at your home through a buyer's eyes Assess your home with an open mind. Enter your front door and analyze your space as if you are a prospective buyer. Prepare a "pro and con" list as you do your walk-through. Note your home's positive traits that will entice buyers; note the negative traits that will turn buyers away. A real estate stager can be a great ally in this task by bringing an objective view to determine the areas that need adjusting. Turn negatives into positives Next, determine what you can do to turn a negative into a positive. Think about what will make the greatest visual impact for the dollars spent. It's all about perception when buyers are viewing your space. For instance if you have extra storage units lining your kitchen walls, buyers will perceive that your kitchen cabinets do not offer enough storage. In this example the extra storage units should be removed and the items in the kitchen that are not used on a regular basis should be packed away. Restore the original identity of your rooms If you've lived in your home for awhile some of your rooms may have taken on new identities over time. For instance your dining room may now serve as your home office, or your living room may function as the children's playroom. If you have rooms whose identities have changed over time, it's important that they be returned to their original function. I have also encountered situations where home owners have turned their main floor bedrooms into hobby rooms or exercise rooms. Bedrooms are a strong selling point and therefore a bedroom needs to be staged as a bedroom. Many buyers visit a large number of homes, and it's important that they remember your home and the number of bedrooms it offers. You don't want to confuse your buyers. Make it clear through your staging how many bedrooms your home offers. Related articles Enhance your curb appeal Showing well and selling well This article is provided courtesy of Kathleen Quade and DaneCountyMarket.com. Please feel free to contact Kathleen at 608-692-4748 or kquade@msn.com. Email this article to a friend: Email To: Email From: Name of Sender: Optional Message: Please enter the numbers/characters in the picture for verification *  Back