There’s no denying that no one loves your home like you do. The way you have your furniture arranged for maximum livability, favorite photos, and sentimental items displayed, as well as the practical and functional use of all manner of appliances and gadgets is what makes your home uniquely yours.
When it comes to potential buyers seeing your home in person or via photo or video tour, it pays to consider how your house is presented with a buyer specifically in mind. There is a fine line between striping a home of all of its personality for the sake of staging and focusing on your home’s best features that might just help it sell quickly.
Below are five tips for showcasing your home’s best side.
Make a List
Before you ever start to move things around, first sit down and make an actual list of what you consider to be your home’s very best selling points. Ask yourself, what are the things you will miss about the house? What makes it unique or sets it apart from the others in your neighborhood or community. For example, is your porch area screened in making it useful year-round? Did you opt for the upgraded finishes in your kitchens or bathrooms? Have you converted that attic storage space into an awesome home office with sheetrocked walls and heating and air?
Makeover Time
Now that you have made some notes on the special features of your home, it’s time to consider giving these spaces and special features a little makeover. Start by decluttering the area. If you are moving soon, use this as an opportunity to get a jump start on your purging! Get rid of superfluous items that crowd or distract in the space. A little elbow grease and deep cleaning go a long way. Could the space use a refresh with a new coat of paint? If there are serious repairs or updates needed, consider contacting a professional to make sure the job is done right.
Put Your Phone to Work
Take photos. Even if you aren’t a professional photographer, a picture is still worth a thousand words. Photograph your beautiful wood built-ins in the den, or your gorgeous mantle, or that custom workbench or shelving in your garage. Seeing your space in a photograph is a completely different vantage point than seeing in person. Study and examine the photos. After all, this may be a potential buyer’s first impression. Do the books or photos on the den shelves need to be minimized? Does the mantle scream for a larger scale mirror or artwork? Could the garage storage system use some uniformity or tidying? If so, consider this round two of making over these wonderful features.
Ask a Friend
Get feedback. With your home’s best areas now having undergone a little extra TLC, think about asking a trusted friend with a good eye or a family member who may be due for a visit to give you an honest evaluation of your space. Ask them to look at the space through the lens of a potential buyer. What stands out? What needs to be moved or added? What might they offer by way of input in order for these awesome features of your home to look their very best?
Leave the Rest to the Pros
Finally, once it’s time to list your home with a real estate professional, be sure to communicate with them how special these areas of your home are. When it comes time to professional listing photos or write up for the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), he or she can be sure to highlight and focus their marketing efforts on these features as well. You’ll have already done the hard part. They can take it from here to help ensure a great first impression of your beloved home and get you multiple offers for a quick sale.