You work hard to make your house look and feel just the way you like it, but that doesn’t mean potential buyers will be impressed. Here are several ways to prevent repelling buyers.
Don’t get too personal. Think “neutral” as a way to appeal to a majority of buyers. This means “de-personalizing”, so get rid of all of the crazy knick-knacks and pictures of Uncle Bob. This also means using rooms for their intended purpose. If you are using a bedroom for some funky weird purpose, convert it back to a bedroom while your house is in the market. Help the buyers visualize themselves living in your house.
Don’t use dark or bold colors. Once again, think neutral. Colors should be warm beige or gray tones, or light blue or pale greens at most. This is a relatively inexpensive fix that will do wonders for house. Buyers also have an amazing ability not be able to visualize the house in colors they prefer, or to view fixing the problem as too expensive to overcome. Make it easy on them and stick to neutral colors.
Use Natural Light. If you are blocking any sources of natural light, such as by using curtains or furniture, remove them and let the light in. People like this, especially if you have some great views out the windows.
Less is more. Scale down your furniture, knick-knacks, and other belongings in the house. When experts stage homes, furniture is only used as a way to define the purpose of the room, so keep that in mind. Also make sure that any hallways or other passage ways are free and clear.
Remove your pets. There should be no traces of animals in the house, especially during any actual showings when potential buyers are inside your house. This is an obvious turn-off for a lot of people, and it’s best to avoid it altogether. Be sure to repair any obvious pet damage you have in your house as well.
Don’t forget about curb appeal. The outside of your house provides that curb appeal which is the buyer’s first impression. Make sure you lawn and landscaping is perfect, and consider adding some colorful flowers or other plants. And removing all traces of your pets includes picking up in the yard! Any other obvious repairs should be done, particularly fixing any rotten wood and applying a new coat of paint. If your roof shows obvious signs of wear, you may also consider putting a new roof on. Buyers are always concerned with the age of the roof, as well as the heating & air units, as these represent big-ticket items that they don’t want to get stuck with in the near future.
Stage all the rooms in your house. People are looking to buy your entire house, not just the kitchen and bedrooms. Don’t forgot to have the garage spiffed up, any utility rooms, any bonus or storage areas, and any other nook and cranny in the house.
Check the lights! Make sure all light fixtures and light bulbs are working in the house, and make sure they have similar bulbs as far as light color and intensity. You want to draw attention to the features of your house, not create distractions by having missing light bulbs or strange colors.
Once you have your house staged perfectly, remember that it is an ongoing process. You will need to keep it up the entire time the house is in the market in order to make an equally good first impression for each potential buyer that looks at it.
If you need to sell your house and do not want to put up with the hassles involved in selling to homeowners, call us at 205-390-1050. We Buy Houses in Birmingham Alabama. We buy as-is, so you don’t have to make any repairs or even clean up. You can also submit your house information at www.WeBuyBham.com.