Preparing Your Home
Store or organize items that make the yard look messy.
Make your front entry inviting. Decorate it. Paint the door or buy a new door. It’s the first look at your house, so make it a good one.
Keep the lawn and landscaping tidy, even if you have to hire someone to do it.
If you were a buyer, what would you think about the house?
What changes would make immediate improvements?
What are the home’s best features and how can you show them off?
How about a look that says “comfort” or a popular decorating theme such as the vintage casual look of Shabby Chic?
PREPARING YOUR HOME TO SELL QUICKLY AND FOR THE MOST MONEY
There are many popular television shows today that focus on home staging and audience members asking, “How can I stage my home for a faster sale?”. They all say the same thing: Do not even consider putting your house on the market until you have taken a close look at its condition. You only have one shot at impressing potential buyers, so take some time to prepare your home for showings.
- Family photos should be kept to a minimum. Buyers should be able to imagine their own possessions in the home, but too few items of style or décor can make the home feel sterile and uninviting. When home buyers start deciding how their furniture and personal things will fit into your rooms, you’re on your way to an offer.
- The bulk of large, personal collections, so buyers don’t get distracted and they forget to look at the house.
- Remove excess furniture to make rooms appear more spacious
- Store boxes in an out of the way location so you can declutter every part of the house.
Remove rugs if they’re covering up nice hardwood floors
Remove heavy drapes that keep out natural light, especially if there’s a great view out the windows
Living (not artificial) plants go hand-in-hand with nearly any home staging theme.
How about a coat of fresh paint? Do the walls need freshening up? Are the colors dated?
Use outdoor lighting. It does wonders in the evenings when many homebuyers drive by.
Take a moment to stand about 6 feet from your front door and look around in all directions for a full 60 seconds. This is what a buyer will focus on when waiting to enter the home and it is the first in-person impression you get.
Sweep the driveway: pressure wash the house or sidewalks if necessary.
Enhance the landscaping, but let’s talk about this in depth. Landscaping improves desirability, but not necessarily dollar value.
- PREPARING YOUR HOME TO SELL QUICKLY AND FOR THE MOST MONEY:You would be surprised how many home sellers neglect these things, but all of them on their own or combined, can mean the difference between a buyer selecting your home, or the one down the street.
Be sure to also pay special attention to your kitchen and bathrooms, as those are consistently considered important in the eyes of buyers. If these rooms show signs of age or severe wear and tear, again, your selling price WILL be affected.
You would be surprised how many home sellers neglect these things, but all of them on their own or combined, can mean the difference between a buyer selecting your home, or the one down the street.
Be sure to also pay special attention to your kitchen and bathrooms, as those are consistently considered important in the eyes of buyers. If these rooms show signs of age or severe wear and tear, again, your selling price WILL be affected.
Listing Services Provided
I will give you a specific list of things to do to prepare your home and then I will come in and photo-stage to ensure that the home’s best features are displayed when buyers browse the listing photos on their desktop or mobile device. Photo-staging can involve anything from rearranging furniture, to fluffing the pillows just before photos are taken.
When you have worked hard to prepare your home (link to preparing your home) to be listed, I like to give you the gift of a professional house cleaning provided by my housekeeper. This ensures it is ready for showings and shines in it’s best light, without you adding dusting and bathroom duty to your prep list.
Professional photography is an absolute must and of the utmost importance when marketing your property. Most buyers will see your home for the first time online. I believe all Sellers should receive equal opportunities no matter the size and detail of the home. I provide professional real estate photography as part of all listing services, and catered to the subject property.
Photography services may include Interior & Exterior Photos, Aerial Photos, Cinematic Video Tour and 3D Walk-Through.
Holding an Open House is serious business. While some agents simply put a sign in the yard and hope for the best, I, along with all of my teammates in the Patty Turner Group, do our best to drive traffic to your Open House.
- Open house sign with time and date ahead of the open house
- Social media advertisement targeting likely home buyers
- Social media event page
- Posting on high traffic consumer sites – realtor.com and Zillow.com
- Follow up with all attendees after the open house
Open houses can often attract buyers who may not otherwise have an opportunity to see the home for one reason or another. It can also bring neighbors who will share the listing with friends or family would like to move closer to them….and who doesn’t want to choose their new neighbors?
Pre-Marketing before your listing is active is permitted internally within the listing brokerage. With over 250 agents in our Rockwall office, we remain the largest brokerage in the area. Pre-marketing can boost interest and help to bring your buyer more quickly and efficiently.
Buyers today are more social than ever. All of my listings get double the marketing presence because both myself and PTG advertise on social media networks where your buyers spend time. Through these networks, we aim to connect with your likely buyer through paid strategic, targeted ads and not just a quick photo post.
We utilize not only our personal networks to promote your home, but also our networks’ networks to multiply your exposure.
Our dedicated marketing team watches the current online trends and adjusts ad targets accordingly.