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Help Clients Prep Their Home For Sale

By Janelle D. 2 min read | Selling, HomeStaging

The housing market can be tricky for a seller to navigate.  As a real estate agent, you know what it takes to strike a balance between getting the best price for a home and making the seller happy.  Because there are other homes on the market, and possibly in the same neighborhood as your client’s, it’s important to do everything possible to catch the attention of potential buyers.  Help your sellers prepare their house for the market by doing these things to attract the interest of buyers.

Curb Appeal

The outside of the home makes the first impression on a potential buyer.  Many buyers visit neighborhoods they want to live in but when they’re turned off by the curb appeal of a home, they move on without seeing the inside of the home.  Encourage your seller to do everything they can to create an inviting exterior.  Keep the grass trimmed and weeds at bay, touch up front porch paint, wash windows, and make any necessary repairs to screens, doors, and fences.  Trimming the shrubs and planting colorful long-blooming plants will catch the eye of a buyer, leaving a positive impression.

Home Inspection

Especially in older homes, recommend sellers hire a home inspector to identify potential problems for future homeowners, before putting their house on the market.  Remind your seller that by fixing issues now, they may increase the value of their home and reduce resistance from future buyers.

Reazo Home Selling Tips Infographic

A Blank Slate

There are many ways sellers can create a blank slate so that buyers can see themselves living in the home.  Consider the following suggestions when helping clients prepare the interior of their home:

  • De-personalize:  remove family photos, pet toys/beds/bowls
  • Neutral, fresh paint:  use light-colored, fresh paint on walls
  • Have carpets professionally cleaned
  • Purposeful décor:  only leave items and furniture in the house that serve a purpose
  • Curtains: replace heavy, dark draperies with light, airy versions

When potential buyers visit, it’s not only helpful to see a clean home but one with neutral wall colors and light and airy curtains.  There should only be enough furniture to give buyers an idea of the function of the room and how the space could be organized.  The fewer items in the house, the easier it will be for buyers to imagine themselves living there.  Ask your sellers to clean out their closets, leaving the bare minimum.  In the linen closet, for example, an extra set of sheets and enough towels for the family for a week will suffice.  When a potential buyer opens the closet and sees how neat and tidy it is, they will be able to envision plenty of space for their belongings -- a valuable selling point.  If the homeowners baulk at the idea of having to sort through bulging closets, remind them that tackling the clutter now will result in fewer items to move later.  Introducing them to a few minimalist videos might motivate them, or share stories of clients who have benefitted from paring down the belongings in their house.

Staging

Convincing your client to stage their home can go one of two ways.  They might wonder what’s wrong with their existing furniture, or they might wonder whether or not they can afford to stage their home.  Remind them that staging is designed to appeal to potential buyers, and many of those same buyers are expecting to see homes staged, like on HGTV.  When a buyer sees a well-staged room, they get a better feel for what it would be like to live there.  Remind sellers it can be difficult for buyers to see beyond personal items, including the homeowner’s furniture. The price of staging a home is worth it when it accelerates the sale of their home and possibly drives up the sales price.  

Conclusion

When you take the time to help your sellers prepare their home for the market, you’re increasing the chance of buyer interest and a quicker sale.  So encourage your clients to maintain the yard, get the paint brushes out, hire professional carpet cleaners, and pack up their personal belongings and knick knacks.  With your help, as their real estate agent, their house will appeal to more potential buyers and may soon be under contract.

Janelle D.

I've worked in the real estate sector for more than a decade and enjoy sharing my knowledge on the subject and researching the latest trends. In my free time I like to craft, spend time with my family and dog, participate in outdoor activities like hiking, and I'm passionate about photography.

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