Selling Your Home? Here Are The Things No One Wants To Tell You!

Since 1996, I've had the pleasure of assisting countless home sellers, and one of the perks I offer is a personalized walk through of their home.  Together, we'll brainstorm ways to showcase their home's best features for those all important listing photos!  Plus, I'll bring in a stager to provide additional expert advice, ensuring their home shines online and during in-person showings.  

So let's talk about the uncomfortable things that no-one wants to tell you about your house when it's for sale!

Your House Smells Bad!

This situation presents a challenge.  It's a fact that every household possesses it's own distinct odor, which is perfectly natural and acceptable.  However, issues arise when this scent becomes overpowering or unpleasant.  Such smells can significantly deter individuals from spending time in your home (which you definitely want the buyers to do) or even living in your home!  The bottom line is this:  you need to make sure your house smells clean, so do everything you can do to make sure that happens before you list!

Your Pets!

Another situation that presents a challenge!  I have dogs and cats and they are my family!  The chances are, if you have pets, they are also part of your family!  And the chances are that the buyers looking at your home also have pets that they consider part of their family!  But when it comes time to list your home, you want to keep this as subtle as you can.  Putting away the pet dishes, toys and beds will help.  Picking up any dog love letters in the back yard should be done daily!  If the carpet or flooring is damaged, you may need to replace the flooring before listing your home!  Buyers are going to know that you have pets, but it may be best to keep signs of pets to a minimum while your home is on the market for sale!

Clutter Is A Stressor For People!

Remember when you purchased your home?  Not only did all the specs match what you were looking for, but it was most likely an emotional purchase and a feeling that this was the right house for you!  Keep this in mind when you list your home for sale - you want buyers to have that same feeling when they are viewing your home!  You don't want clutter to obstruct the buyers from seeing what your home has to offer and you certainly don't want them to feel so overwhelmed by the clutter that they are ready to turn around and leave as soon as they get into the house!  So before listing your home for sale, go through each room and declutter it!  Clean it up, box it up, get rid of it, put it away, donate it!  Remember, you will have to do this when you sell your home and are ready to move, so why not get a headstart now!

Your Bathroom!

One of the best pieces I heard from a stager years ago was to imagine your bathrooms as hotel bathrooms!  No one wants to walk into the bathrooms in your home and see signs that someone has just used it - wet footprints on the mat, toothpaste in the sink, hair on the toilet seat!  Imagine if you walked into a hotel room and saw this!  That is the same way your buyers may react!  So when you are having a showing on your home, make sure that it has that "hotel bathroom" feel to it - no toothbrushes, no plungers, no personal care items, no magazines, no toilet brushes, no used towels.  Put away the garbage cans, no bath mats!  I even recommend buying some white towels and removing your current towels and putting out the white towels for each showing!  It is okay to leave out a few fresh white hand towels, and some small decor items - a small plant, wrapped bar soap, upscale hand soap pump!  

Messy Closets!

Remember when you purchased your house - did you open the closet doors to see how much room there was in them?  Buyers are going to do the same thing!  And if your closets are jammed full of clothes with no organization to them, buyers are going to think the closets are not large enough for their things, or they are going to think of you as super messy people - and if they think this about you when they look at your messy closets, they may think that you probably don't maintain the house either!  It doesn't take much for a buyer to get this feeling!  What buyers want is a closet that will hold "their" clothes!  You want buyers to be able to see their clothes in your closet!  So why not spend time before putting your home on the market removing as much as you can - you have to move them so why not do some early packing!  Pack away seasonal clothes you don't need now!  Line clothes up by color, keep shelves neat and clear the floor completely!

Messy Yards!

It shouldn't matter to buyers - but it does!  There are lots of things that happen that make keeping the yard neat and tidy hard - you have kids, you have a dog, there was lots of rain and you couldn't mow the lawn, there's snow on the ground, etc., etc!  But when buyers pull up in front of your house, they are going to make a judgment of your house before they have even opened the car door to get out!  There are some things you can do before a showing - making sure that there aren't kids toys laying all over the yard, that any pet messes have been cleaned up, the garbage has been taken out to the garbage can and the garbage cans are out of sight, the flower beds are weeded, the hoses put away, the grass mowed, snow has been shoveled!  

Kids Toys All Over The House!

I know that it is very hard to keep the house neat and tidy when you have kids!  But kids can have a lot of stuff and most of it can't be packed away before you list your home!  I have had clients who have resorted to bribing their kids to keep their rooms neat and tidy by saying that if they put their toys away each day they will treat them to something like a meal at McDonald's or an ice cream cone at their favorite ice cream parlor!  It can be done - and, it can help get your home under contract quickly!

Dirty Shoes and Dirty Laundry Are Big No's!

No one really wants to see your dirty laundry or dirty shoes!  It is very personal and may even smell!  This is easily taken care of by having some baskets with lids where you can put these things in and close the lid so it is not something a buyer has to look at!

The bottom line is that even in a market with low inventory like we have been having in Richmond, buyers are still very picky about the houses they are willing to pay top dollar for!  All they really want is a nice clean house that they can move into.  As a seller, your goal is to have people come to your home, stay awhile and feel great about it, fall in love with the house and imagine them living in it, and ultimately, make an offer to purchase your home!  Your competition may be doing these same things, so don't overlook these details so a potential buyer won't scratch your house off their list!

If you are thinking of selling your house and want a professional full time Realtor to walk through and help with some suggestions, feel free to contact me and let's chat!