Prepare To Sell

You can do a lot to increase the appeal of your home and create a lasting, positive impact on potential buyers. There are many no- or low-cost “tricks of the trade” to help a property show better, making it more inviting and allowing buyers to envision it as their home. As your agent, I provide a frank, thorough assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of your home based on my experience selling homes and, of course, based on the feedback I continually receive from my buyer clients when I show them homes for sale. I have learned what buyers will respond to positively and what receives negative responses in any home and I share that knowledge with you. I provide a detailed list of all recommended repairs and improvements, and cleaning, neutralizing and de-cluttering projects. I return again and again during the preparation process to assess progress and make further suggestions and provide assistance. When the repairs and cleaning are done, I then help you to "stage" your home. I call this phase of the selling process "Tough Love" since, while some of the constructive criticism may be difficult to hear, it is entirely for the purpose of achieving the best results from your sale. Click here to request my free guide to preparing your home for sale.

Curb Appeal. The exterior of your home is as important as the interior and potentially even more important since a buyer's first impression can be formed before setting foot inside your home. How does your home look in comparison to the neighbors? Is yours the only house on the block that needs a paint job? Have all your neighbors raked the fallen leaves, when your yard is still carpeted in them? If your house stands out in the neighborhood for negative reasons, it will surely adversely impact buyers' first impressions, so you must either improve the look of the exterior of your home or set your sales price to reflect its status. There are many high-impact, reasonably priced improvements that can be made to increase your home's curb appeal. Healthy landscaping, a freshly mowed and edged yard, fresh paint, especially on doors and trim, and brightly colored annuals all will help to create an immediate and positive impact on passers-by and potential buyers. It may seem like a lot of effort on the exterior of your home, but if the buyer doesn't even want to get out of the car when they pull up, it doesn't matter what is inside.

House Repairs. You know that shutter that's been hanging by one hinge for about a year? Or the kitchen drawer that sticks? Or the guest bathroom toilet that runs incessantly unless you jiggle the handle? These small defects can create a negative impression that may turn off a potential buyer. Don't think they are too minor to be noticed. Remember, buyers are making a huge investment in purchasing a home. They will look at the home very closely and open every door, cabinet, and drawer and even run the taps and flush the toilets. Even if the prospective buyer misses the minor defects, its likely their home inspector won't. Since home inspection contingency provisions often allow a buyer to cancel the deal if the inspection reveals defects, even minor ones, fix the problems before they end up in the report. On an individual basis, the problems may be minor, but taken cumulatively, they may seem daunting to a buyer and may signal that there are bigger issues looming or that there has been an overall neglect for home maintenance.

There are some homes that need a wider array of repairs. As your agent, I will help you to evaluate whether extensive repairs or improvements are worthwhile or whether the home, or certain elements of the home, can be sold in "as is" condition. If selling in "as is" condition, it might be helpful to buyers have estimates from reputable, licensed contractors of what certain repairs may costs, so that the buyer can quantify the amount of additional investment that may be required in the home. Of course, a home requiring extensive repairs should be priced to reflect that fact. Also remember, selling a home “as is” does not remove or limit your disclosure obligations concerning the home's condition.

Cleanliness, De-Cluttering, and Staging. Keep your home uncluttered, sweet-smelling and well-lit from top to bottom. Pay attention to details: put away the kitty litter, place a vase of fresh flowers in the hall, pop a batch of cinnamon rolls in the oven, have your carpets cleaned, all of which contribute to making your home more inviting. Here are some additional specific suggestions:

• Cleanliness: Your home should be spotlessly clean when receiving visits from potential buyers. I'm not talking about simply dusting surfaces, washing the dishes, and vacuuming. I am talking about a deep-down, behind-the-sofa, under-the-sink, and around-the-base-of-the-toilet kind of cleaning. You might think that buyers will excuse stacks of old newspaper, an unwashed dish, or piles of laundry, but the fact is that many buyers will unconsciously (or consciously) equate a messy or dirty home with neglect for home maintenance. Also, a messy and dirty home is simply not inviting and buyers will not likely be impressed. Your mess may distract the buyer from appreciating your home's best features.
   
• De-Cluttering: Every home buyer wants more space, be it in the rooms, closets, counter tops, wherever. You cannot realistically create more space, but you can create the perception of more space. Your collection of beer bottles lining every window sill, kitchen counter, and fireplace mantle may be art to you, but its clutter to a buyer. Your walls that are covered with a collage of family photos is wall clutter, plus it over-personalizes the home to the seller so that a buyer may have difficulty seeing the home as theirs. Your closets overflowing their capacity can signal there's not enough closet space. Some buyers won't be able to articulate why they feel the home is crowded, cramped, or uncomfortable, but chances are its because there are simply too many things in the home. Buyers may not be able to see beyond your possessions or to appreciate the copious amounts of space your home actually offers if all available space is filled. Sometimes the clutter prevents them from envisioning your house as their potential home. Remove as much clutter as possible, thin out and re-organize closets and clear off all counter-tops. Your agent should be able to help you assess what clutter is and where it needs to combated.
   
• Odors: It is not enough for your home to look its best, it must smell its best as well. If there is an unpleasant scent in your home, no amount of furniture rearranging or de-cluttering will overcome the adverse impression that will cause. Over time, you may become oblivious to the odors in your environment, so it is recommended that you ask someone who doesn't live with you for their honest feedback. Your goal is to have a home that is devoid of unpleasant odors. It should be obvious that you don't want your home to smell like cigarette or cigar smoke, the cat box, or rotting garbage. But, overly perfumed homes can be equally as off-putting (especially perfume sprayed to hide another unpleasant aroma). Ideally, your home will smell clean and fresh or have no discernible scent at all.
   
• Neutralizing: The goal is to make your home appealing to the broadest audience possible and this can be done by creating a more neutral environment. This includes toning down overly bright or overly dark colors with neutral, warm tones. This does not necessarily require removing all color on the walls or eliminating all of your art selections, but rather it is about striking a balance and avoiding extremes. Recognize that you've probably lost perspective on your home. Your comfort and familiarity with your home prevents you from seeing it as others might. Ask your agent for help in identifying where your home needs to be neutralized.
   
• Staging: Once you've cleared the clutter, repaired defects, landscaped the yard, painted, and scrubbed the house clean, you are ready to stage your home for sale. Staging might include rearranging furniture into space-enhancing configurations or sprucing up a room with a fresh paint job. But do a neat job. The effort and impact of fresh paint may be lost if the painting job is sloppy, unprofessional or incomplete. Depending on the season, a clean-burning fire in the fireplace and cookies in the oven creates a warm, cozy atmosphere. As your agent, I will assist you in staging your home to make it its most inviting. Selling a vacant home? Some buyers have difficulty visualizing how an empty room might be utilized or how to place furniture. Empty rooms can also look smaller. Your agent may suggest a professional staging company that, for a fee, will decorate the rooms of the empty house (or a least a few) to make the rooms inviting and help buyers envision how they might live there.

Disclosures? As a seller of a home, you have certain legal obligations to disclose information you know about your home, especially information that may not be easily learned by a buyer or even the buyer's inspector on visual inspection. Does your basement fill with water when it rains? Does the roof leak? When in doubt: DISCLOSE! DISCLOSE! DISCLOSE! The surest route to a lawsuit is if a home seller knew of material defects in the home and failed to disclose them to the buyer. Claiming ignorance to a condition where you should have known is not a great defense - a judge would expect you to have noticed the leaks in the roof or the water in the basement. If you have a condition that requires disclosure, it would be preferable if the issue could be resolved before the sale - you still have to disclose it, but at least you can say the problem has been fixed. I am very familiar with the disclosure requirements in each of the 3 area jurisdictions (Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia). I can explain your obligations and the listing forms and answer any questions you may have.

Ready to Show your Home. Once all preparations are complete, your home is ready to be listed in the Multiple Listing Service and to be shown to agents and potential buyers. Your job as the seller is to ensure that your home is ready to be shown at any time (within the bounds of the showing instructions). You must maintain your home in showing condition until your contract is rock solid.

When the buyers come, I recommend that the seller not be present in the home. Buyers will feel uncomfortable if the seller is present. Buyers want to be free to discuss their views on the home with one another and their agent, as well as to ask any questions, make criticisms, poke around in closets, etc. If the seller is at home, or worse yet, following the buyers through their tour, the buyers will feel constrained and as if they are intruding, and they will likely leave the home quickly without giving it full consideration. I recommend to my sellers that they vacate the home during open houses. I will be there as their proxy representing their interests, answering questions, gathering feedback and ensuring all goes smoothly. Outside of open houses, if the seller is at home when an agent brings a potential buyer for a viewing, I recommend the seller step out - take the dog for a walk or run an errand for the 20 or 30 minutes of a viewing. It is inconvenient, but preferable to losing a potentially interested buyer.

For more information and for any additional questions, please feel free to contact me at any time.

© Nadia Nejaime, 2006