| Why Buyers Love
Model Homes And How To Make Your House Show Like One One of the major factors in getting
your house to sell quickly is simply put; make it
attractive.
Most buyers select their
home based on emotion and then justify the decision with
facts, so it's important to make the house inviting and
pleasant.
Yours is not the only
property the prospective buyer will see. You are
competing with model homes, homes that have been
professionally decorated and homes that have no children, no pets and Mr. and Mrs. Perfection as owners.
Start with the outside.
Are shrubs overgrown? Oil
in the driveway? How does the grass look? Do the flower
beds need weeding and mulching? Try very hard to see your
grounds through an independent observer’s eyes. Trim
the shrubs or plant new ones if they are lacking. Houses
with no landscaping in the front lose thousands of
dollars of value in the mind of the buyer. Adding a few
well-placed blooming flowers also adds appeal.
If the grass in the front
yard is particularly non-existent, consider sodding. Do
some price shopping on this; sod is not cheap but there
are some good prices available. Let’s say it cost
$600 to sod the front yard, but your house payment is
$800 per month. If you save one month of selling time,
you are $200 ahead. (By the way, you can probably get
away without sodding the back yard.)
Kitty litter in the
driveway will absorb the oil and grease stains. (Then
remove the kitty litter.)
Next, go around and clean
up the yard. Remove any toys, tools and/or building
supplies. Here’s the acid test: if you don’t
see it in a model home yard, don’t have it in yours.
That goes for the bag of charcoal by the grill, too;
however, the (non-rusty) grill can stay. If your grill
has rusted, remove the rust spots by scrubbing with a
wire brush or with coarse steel wool dipped in kerosene.
After the rust is removed, clean the entire piece with
mineral spirits. When the grill is completely dry, paint
with a brush or spray paint.
Now look at the
exterior.
Is the paint fading or
chipping? Is the color outdated or too personal? Is
mildew or mold growing?
If the house needs
painting, choose a neutral color. White, cream (not
yellow) and light gray are good colors for appealing to
most people. If you want some ideas for paint
combinations, go look at 3 or 4 model home communities
that cost $20,000-$50,000 more than your neighborhood and
copy one of them.
One last note on painting:
always give the front door and door trim a fresh coat of
paint or stain even if you paint nothing else. Buyers
stand at the front door waiting to get in; give them a
good first impression.
Now let’s go
inside.
Go through room by room
and pack up 30% of the accessories. If you doubt the
wisdom of this, go back to those model homes and compare
their countertops with yours, their coffee tables and end
tables with yours. See what I mean?
The cardinal rule is this:
"The way you live in a home and the way you sell a
home are two different things." I know this will
take some time and may seem like a nuisance, but remember
you are in competition with other properties. He who wins
the Good Housekeeping Award probably sells his house
first... and for the highest dollar. Also look at it this
way, you are going to be moving anyway, so just consider
this advance packing. By the way, label the moving boxes
and stack them easily in the garage - floor to ceiling.
Specifically, pack any
collections and family photos you have displayed. Too
much of your personality in evidence does not allow for
the potential buyer to "mentally move in."
Pack everything from the
cabinets and all closets that you do not need on a
routine basis. You want to create the perception of
roominess. In the linen closet, remove everything but a
week’s worth of linens. Fold them neatly and color
coordinate them. I’m not kidding; this is the stuff
sales are made of.
In the clothes closets,
remove out-of-season clothes. Pack them away and put them
in the garage. Arrange your shoes neatly. Hang your
clothes by category: all blouses together, all shirts
together and so on.
Now take another walk
around the house. Are there rooms that are cluttered with
too much furniture? Remove extra chairs, side tables and
maybe even the 100" sofa which is really too big for
the room. (Notice how decorators use small pieces of
furniture.)
Minor redecorating is
recommended. If your carpet and vinyl are outdated colors
or style, change them. Off-white carpet and vinyl are
best; this makes the rooms look larger and cleaner. If
the existing carpet padding is 5/8" thick or more
and is not worn down, reuse it (unless the pets have done
a number of it). If replacing the pad, select a very
thick one and then install just a modest grade of
carpeting. The feel will be plush and expensive but
it’s not.
If carpeting is in good
condition and neutral in color, have it cleaned.
If your vinyl flooring is
worn or outdated, replace it with off-white vinyl. If the
vinyl is in good condition and light colored, scrub it
thoroughly paying special attention to buildup of dirt or
wax around the baseboards and in corners.
Off-white painted walls
are best.
If painting is required,
use flat latex except in kitchens and baths where you
will use semi-gloss latex. If walls are dirty, experiment
to see if scrubbing them is easier than painting.
If you have wallpaper,
make sure it is clean and up to date. If not, strip it.
(Hint: some wallpaper is easy to strip if first sprayed
with window cleaner.) After stripping it, either paint or
re-wallpaper, depending on the condition of the walls.
Sponge painting is also an easy, attractive alternative.
Repair badly cracked
plaster, loose door knobs and crooked light fixtures.
Correct faulty plumbing. Leaky faucets can discolor
porcelain and call attention to plumbing defects. To
remove mineral stains from such leaks, pour hydrogen
peroxide on the stain, then sprinkle with cream of
tartar. Leave this for 30 minutes before scrubbing. Bad
stains may require 2 or 3 applications.
Next, make your house
sparkle.
If you do not have time or the inclination, hire someone to thoroughly clean the
house. Clean windows inside and out. Clean with white
vinegar using newspaper. Clean mini-blinds, curtains and
drapes.
In the kitchen, clean
appliances inside and out. Remove grease and grime by
scrubbing with undiluted vinegar. Scrub the inside of the
refrigerator with baking soda; not only does it not
scratch, but it removes odors. Get rid of kitchen odors
by pouring hot salt water down the drain twice a week.
Grind citrus peelings or apple cores in the garbage
disposal. Leave a small uncovered container of vinegar in
the corner of your kitchen counter.
Have bathrooms scrubbed to
pass a white glove inspection. If tubs or sinks are
rusting, have them reglazed. Clean grouting of the tiles
with Tilex. Recaulk the tub and shower. Clean fixtures
with white vinegar. If you are at home, light a small
candle for atmosphere and pleasant (not overpowering)
aroma. Hang a set of designer bath towels on the most
prominent rack complete with verbal instructions to your
family not to use them! (Remember, you’re in show
biz now.)
Pets should be out of
sight and out of smell.
If you have pets, you need
to get rid of pet odors and it is recommended that the
pets themselves be kept out of the way and out of the
house during showings, if possible. Some people are
uneasy around animals and they may detract from the
prospect’s attention. Getting pets out of the way
is, unfortunately, much easier than getting pet odors out
of the way.
If flooring has been
repeatedly stained with animal urine, you’ll
probably have to replace it to get rid of the smell. And
that means the carpet, the pad, the carpet strips and the
baseboard trim, the sub flooring will need to be treated
to kill the odor. Put a small uncovered dish of vinegar
in the room where your pet sleeps; this will remove
"doggy" smells. Of course, put the dish off the
floor so the dog doesn’t drink the vinegar! To
absorb odors in the cat litter box, add a cup of baking
soda to the litter.
Food smells can work for
you or against you. Baking bread, cookies and pies all
smell good. Spaghetti sauce is a delicious smell. Frying
fish or liver and onions is objectionable. And of course,
now days the smell of cigarette smoke is offensive to
many. If your house has an unpleasant smell, use scented
candles or fragrant fresh flowers.
Finally, tackle that
thing called the garage.
This area is the catch-all
where everything goes that has no place to go, so it is
usually a mess. Therefore, if your storage area is neat,
one would surmise that you must really take good care of
the whole house. Now you are going to say I am becoming
extreme, but believe me, this works every time. Empty
everything out of your garage. Hose down the floor, if
there are stains
remaining, paint it porch gray. Paint the garage walls
off-white using a flat latex paint. If the hot water
heater is in the garage, wipe it down so it looks brand
new. Polish the copper pipes.
Now - after the paint is
dry - put everything back in the garage piece by piece.
Throw out what you will not be taking with you. Pack what
you can and add to the stack of neatly labeled boxes.
Then organize what’s left. If you have a storage
shed, organize it the same way and if it needs a coat of
paint or stain, do it. An open bag of charcoal will
absorb moisture in the storage shed.
If you have too much
"stuff" for the shed, rent a small storage
unit. Un-cluttering can make all the difference in the
world.
Lighting plays an
important part.
During the day have all
your curtains and blinds open. If the day is cloudy, turn
on all lamps as well.
At dusk, put blinds down
but leave them open. Leave drapes open. Turn on all lamps
and Overhead lights.
At night, use the same
lighting formula as above but close all the blinds,
curtains and drapes. Adding candlelight is very
effective.
Turn off the television
during all showings of your house as they are
distracting. Put on soft background music. Once you have
"set the stage", leave the house for the agent
to show it. Prospects can more easily look at the house
with no distractions. They will also feel more at ease to ask
questions of the agent. Finally, buyers can mentally move
in better without the current owners around.
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