Preparing Your Property for Sale (and maintenance!)
So you have decided to sell your property!
Preparing your property for sale is a multi-faceted response depending on the market, your capacity and goals.
In a cooler or even market, Every Effort Counts.
We are not in COVID days anymore, where sellers could easily throw up a sign and receive eight offers over asking price and several requests to get through the door before going to MLS with the hopes of bringing an attractive bully offer with no preparation.
In a market where buyers are more cautious and prudent with more options, making your home stand out is the goal. Let’s start with more basic responses to more comprehensive, big ticket items:
Professional Cleaning: Having a professional cleaner come through should always be step one on the Sellers’ To Do list. Buyers noticing dirt, grime, stains or smells can easily turn interest into stigma. A clean property can present thousands or more in value to buyers who don’t assume a home has not been maintained due to a lack of basic care, so call the professional cleaner! Nine times out of ten, they are addressing the surfaces, corners and cracks we were going to miss on our own, so pay the professional.
Painting: Painting can be as minimal as smoothing out patches, refreshing baseboards, to redoing entire rooms and even floor plans. Painting out darker, out of date colours to bring light and a contemporary feel to spaces will significantly change the impression of a space. Brighter, softer tones make rooms feel more spacious and invite greater imagination to the potential of a space, especially when layouts are awkward and hard to envision. Our stagers also offer professional advice regarding paint colours! If it’s in the budget, fresh paint is one of the best cost effective investments you can put into your property.
Remediation: If you can fix it, fix it. Damage and disrepair is stigmatizing. Often times sellers tell themselves it’s not worth it or it’s “minor” and the buyers won’t consider it when they will. Even subconsciously, the noticing of disrepair generally leads to a lack of enthusiasm. You want to excite buyers, not worry or disappoint them. If you can, ask your realtor for contacts, we have plenty!
There are times when the damage is too great for Sellers to address, in which case, get the professional quote. You don’t want a buyer coming in with their own inspector to find or sort through the cost of damage without having done your due diligence first. Be prepared with profesional reports regarding damage and the associated costs when you go to list. Not only does this protect you in the negotiating process, it also shows you have been proactive in listing your home and bodes better for the buyers’ confidence in moving forward while weeding out those who were going to walk on those issues anyway. Don’t hide problems that will come to light, professionally define and contain them ahead of the offer.
The Yard: In the warmer months, the potential of your lawn to the glamour of your landscaping are vital features. Mow, weed, trim and water consistently. A beautiful lawn pulls together a sale faster than a property with a neglected yard and for signifantly more value. In the winter, keeping your walkways and driveways plowed and accessible not only shows Buyer’s that you are properly listing your property, you are protecting yourself and others from falls! Shovel and salt.
Staging: Do it. We work with professional stagers who have carved out a booming industry for a very good reason. Your listing changes in assumed value by significant benchmarks depending on how buyers are perceiving your property in marketing. The right decor and furniture not only excites a space, but shows its utility and true measurements. Often times a space with no furniture or awkward furniture can make a space look smaller than it is and/or stigmatize your marketing. When motivation is in short supply and there is more to compare to on the market, professionally staged homes get more leads on the phone and through the door. Stagers know how to prepare a home for the largest audience available for your home as well, so it is important to lean on their direction than our own, even when we treasure our personal pieces and style, trust the expert working towards your optimized return. Our stagers offer package options as well, so there are options given what spaces would most benefit from highlighting, what furniture you have to work with to begin with, and your capacity. Our stagers also offer professional guidance in their initial consultation, so let us connect you ASAP. Did you know I cover staging consultations? Now you do ;)
Maintenance: DURING your listing, pop in and dust! You would be amazed what a regular swiffer and dusting will do! Your property, especially in a cooler market, is sitting longer, and in-between showings and open houses, dust collects and foot prints show up. A bi-weekly dusting and swiffer keeps your property looking fresh and clean for that next showing, and sometimes, that’s all it takes to lock in that right buyer once they show up!
Moral of the story, if it’s not being sold “as is” at a steal, every - effort - counts. Make as many as possible, from your professional presentation to your due diligence on paper, and make more than your competition. At every angle possible, wow them.
