For most people, spring means longer days and nicer weather. For REALTORS®, it means busy season is here. This is when more buyers start to look and more sellers start to list their homes. As a seller, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to help sell the competition. The question is how can you make sure your home stands out from all the others?
Curb Appeal The first thing a buyer will notice about your home is the curb appeal. Usually, in MLS (multiple listing services) REALTORS® set the first photo to a photo of the front. This means potential buyers will see this photo first, which sets the tone for how they’ll feel about the home. You want to make sure you are sending the right message about your home. Spring is a great time to plant flowers or any type of greenery. Greenery brightens up the front and is inviting for the buyer. It’s important to make sure your yard is well-maintained. Many buyers will rule out a home if the front looks messy or unkept. Curb appeal is a mostly easy step and very important to selling your home.
Neutral Paint When a buyer walks in your home, one of the first things they will notice is the paint colors. Buyers will be turned off by bright colors most of the time. Gray paint has been one of the most in-trend neutral colors and continues to be. However, you want to make sure the neutral color you pick goes nicely with the overall color palette of the home. If your countertops, backsplash, and other more permanent features have hues of brown, then you should go with a soft neutral in the brown family. More buyers are having trouble seeing past colorful rooms because they see it as work. If anything, try to at least have your main living areas a neutral shade.
Declutter Having big furniture pieces or too many knick knacks can make a room feel smaller. As a seller, you can truly make your home feel bigger just by removing items. A beautiful home can be ruined by too many items in it. Think about removing bulky pieces that make the room feel heavy. These days most buyers lean towards minimalism. Also, it’s important to take down personal items that scream it’s your home. Take down as many personal pictures as possible. This helps the buyer envision themselves at this home rather than connecting it with you, the seller.
Staging Staging can be beneficial for homes that are vacant, but also homes that are occupied. When a home is vacant, so
metimes buyers have trouble knowing how they would set up the room with their furniture or if the room can fit their furniture. On the other hand, if the home is occupied and has big pieces or too many pieces, it can make the home feel smaller. A staging professional can help you furnish your home or rearrange your furniture to make it look inviting. They will help you see it from a buyer’s perspective.
Professional Cleaning Many sellers are asked to get their home professionally cleaned before closing, but it’s important to have it as clean as possible when listing it as well. I can’t tell you how many times I walked in a home with a buyer and they walked right out because of how dirty it was. People do not want to be in other’s filth. Try to get a professional cleaning and then each week try to do a light cleaning to keep it up. Your home doesn’t have to be spotless, but it needs to feel and smell clean. Also, it’s easier for buyers to look past an “organized mess” than just a plain “mess” with items not having a home.
The most important part is hiring a good REALTOR®. We go through this every spring and truly know what we’re doing. We will help you through the process while taking the stress away. These tips should at least help you get started to listing your home in the spring and help you stand out. Happy listing!
