Spring has arrived and the real estate market in Murfreesboro is in full spring. What was once a sluggish market is now off and running in full force and houses are becoming a hot commodity! If you are thinking of selling your home, then I would strongly advise you to consider putting it on the market...NOW! Spring has always been the best time to sell your home, and the market this year appears to be no different. But, before you make the initial step of selling your home, take a few moments to depersonalize it first.
Notice that I always referred to your current dwelling place as your "home." We all use this word when describing where we live. But if you are selling your home, you need to take a few minutes and shift gears. You need to focus on selling a house and not your home to potential buyers. It has long been said that buyers will buy on emotion. However, they buy based on their emotions and not the seller's! If you are a seller, you need to at least try to remove the emotion from the transaction and let the buyers view your home as a blank canvas.
The ultimate goal is to have a buyer walk into your "house" and immediately envision it as their "home." But, when your fail to depersonalize, buyer's will walk into your "home" and see pictures of your children, your decor, your furniture, and yes, your dirt and clutter. They just can't see their family utilizing the space for their needs. Your showing is considered unsuccessful because the buyer failed to see your house as a "home" for their family ~ the emotional connection was not made with the buyer. One of my favorite shows is HGTVs Sell This House. It clearly shows how depersonalizing a home can turn a dud house that no one wants to buy, into a show home that is wanted by usually more than one buyer.
Depersonalizing your home is actually very simple but it does take a small committment on the part of the seller. I would recommend:
- Remove your family photographs; especially those hanging on the walls.
- Pack away your collectibles and knick-knacks and put them in storage for your next home.
- Paint over dramatic or dated paint colors with warm neutral tones.
- Declutter, declutter, declutter. Have you ever noticed how sparsely decorated model homes are? You want your home to feel open and spacous.
- Clean from top to bottom. A clean house sparkles and shows pride of ownership. Be detailed! Look for cobwebs in the corner, clean windows and mirrors, wash baseboards and trim, clean carpet, polish wood floors. Make that house SHINE! If you hate to clean, then it is well worth the money to hire someone to clean your home and keep it clean while selling. Yes, cleaning is a form of depersonalization.
- Use a storage unit to store all your extra boxes, furnitures, and clothes. Don't just stick everything in your garage or unused junk room! You want your entire home, garage and closets included, to feel big and spacious.
- Remove as many "odors" as you possibly can! Make sure your home smells fresh and clean. A home that has a lot of "your" smells will be a huge turn off to buyers. Offensive, or personal odors, could be smoke, pets, and even strong smelling foods that you frequently eat. Think neutral in smells just like decor.
The more work you do up front to depersonalize and prepare your home for sale, the less time it will take to actually sell once it hits the market. A little work now will save a lot of time tomorrow. If you would like more information on selling your home, please visit my website, www.SherriWellborn.com, www.SoldonTN.com, or just give me a call at 615-566-3789. I would love to stop by and help you get your home staged and ready to sell!
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