A seller’s home will only have one chance to make a first impression on a buyer, and that first impression must count. Therefore, market preparation is vital.
Most staging experts will tell you that sellers must do three things to prepare their home for the market:
De-clutter (and clean)
De-personalize
Accessorize
There’s often a fourth: repair. If any repairs are needed (e.g., broken windows, broken steps, doors that don’t close properly), these should be taken care of right away.
De-Clutter
To de-clutter, a little playacting is in order.
Enter your home as if you were the buyer seeing it for the first time. What stands out as “too much,” dirty, or distracting? These are clues as to where changes should be made. Remember that unwanted items will be something you won’t have to pack later. If the task of de-cluttering seems overwhelming to you, my advise is to take one room at a time, and not to bring anything new into that room while working on the next room. I would recommend labeling three boxes:
Give away
Throw away
Stow away
When a box gets full, it should be moved to a staging area. The “give away” box can go into the trunk of a car for a trip to a charity or a friend’s. The “throw away” box can go in the trash, and the “stow away” box can wait until the room is de-cluttered, and then each item should be moved into the appropriate space.
De-Personalize
Most sellers hate to de-personalize, but it’s an important step. Your bowling trophies and family photos need to be stored for their new home. Prospective buyers want to be able to visualize themselves in the home, not the sellers. The more a home can look like a “model home,” the better. According to a recent survey by the National Association of REALTORS®, 90% of buyers have trouble visualizing themselves in a home. So, the easier you can make this for the buyer, the better chance that the buyer will be in the mood to write an offer.
Kitchens are easy to depersonalize because of their utilitarian nature, but be sure to remove refrigerator magnets, the children’s drawings and photos, and any handmade décor items. Embroidered toaster cozy? No. And if possible, store the toaster in a cupboard, leaving counters clear. Bathrooms need to lose half of their “products” (at least) and get down to bare essentials, new towels and a soap dispenser instead of a bar. Would want to see a stranger’s loofah or razor while previewing a home? Neither will prospective buyers. These should also be stowed away out of sight. Home offices should be de-cluttered and de-personalized: no diplomas, trophies, photos, etc. Just a model of stylish efficiency.
Stowing and Staging
The most important personal items to stow away are guns and prescription medication! Make certain that you lock these up or keep them off site. Unscrupulous individuals often “cruise” open houses specifically looking for these items. Other valuables, such as expensive artwork or jewelry, should be removed, as well.
Staging may be required and can be minimal or major. Some clients hire stagers who move in furniture. Others make a trip to the department store and return with fresh linens, artwork, clean new trash bins, etc. Setting a place setting (for two, even if it’s a family home) with stylish table linens and quality china and glassware can help buyers imagine how stylish they’ll be when they live there. It’s all smoke and mirrors, of course. A month in their new place, and the buyers will have their own clutter issues, and the idea of living like a page from Architectural Digest will be a wistful memory. But for now, for the sale, it’s important to keep the dream alive.
Smells
Animals that smells—a dog with significant dander odor or a cat litter box that emits a pong—it may be best to have the animals removed from the home during the listing period. This has the added benefit of making showings easier. Also, it is safety and comfort of the pet, and minimizes liability for you the seller. While there are many products that remove animal odor, one simple solution is to open up a bag of charcoal briquettes lengthwise for several days. The charcoal absorbs the odor and, provided the animals have been removed, the odor should not return.
Lighting
Lights, windows, and curb appeal are important considerations. You’ll never hear a buyer say, “I really like homes with a lot of dark.” Or, “I wish this home had fewer windows.” Buyers like lots of light, which should be pouring in from the windows and from the light fixtures. The highest wattage bulbs that are safe for the fixtures should be used, and no lights should flicker or buzz (that literally is a buzz kill—one that will have buyers anxious to flee). Windows should be professionally cleaned inside and out. Buyers want to see the view, and a dirty window is a turn off. Not only that, it will make buyers think of how much work it will be to maintain the house. The house should look effortlessly chic, stylish, and sparkling clean.
Curb Appeal
Curb appeal is crucial. Walkways should be cleaned, trash bins should be stowed away, and the lawn should be mowed, edged, and weed-free. A wreath on the front door or a flower box at the entry can provide a welcome first impression. The front door should be free of marks; the lock and latch should work efficiently and be free from paint and scratches. The porch light should work. Even the mailbox matters. It should be or look new: no dents, no scuffs.
Showings
Now that the house is ready (or while it’s getting there), let's talk about the realities of showing your home. A few things can happen while your home is on the market. Events such as:
Last-minute showings
No shows
Late shows
You should be aware that same-day and even last-minute requests for showings are common, so with a 24-hour notice to show stipulation often cuts out a good chunk of the buying market. It’s fine to ask for two hours, especially if a seller works from home. That will give you time to do a last-minute spritz up and turn on all lights before leaving. The only significant notice that should be necessary is when the seller must give ample notice to a tenant.
Most agents try to arrive within the scheduled showing time, but sometimes it isn’t possible. They may get stuck in traffic, or the house they saw prior to theirs may take longer than expected. It is recommended that you to stay away from home a little longer than you think is necessary, just to make sure you don’t interrupt a showing.
Some sellers want to be present for showings. This is nearly always a bad idea. Sellers think agents and buyers won’t be able to find everything, that they must be there to point out important features. You should be aware that, at the very least, buyers feel uncomfortable when they are present, and at the worst, that it can actually kill a sale. Buyers often won’t even open closet doors when the seller is home, and when they can’t view a house comfortably, they will hurry up and move on to the next one.
If you must be home during a showing, go outside or stay put in one location, do not hover around with the agent and buyers.