Everything that I am about to say in this post comes from my own personal experiences as a realtor over the last eight years. I am not HGTV or Jeff Lewis of Interior Therapy but I am certain these are important things you should know when selling your home. Proper pricing is the number one factor which affects home sales in the market currently and after that everything else on my list comes as a close second, in no particular order.
Mistake #1: Truly believing that your home is the best one in the neighborhood. Once you have adopted this mentality you are in a dangerous place. Every home has its pros and cons, and there are trade offs at every price point. If you begin with an attitude of humility toward the sales process and toward your home, then your experience will be much more successful and healthy for you, your family and your eventual buyers.
Mistake #2: Not putting half of your belongings in storage. This includes making all closets, cabinets, pantries, basements, attics and crawl spaces look half empty. People are out to purchase the idea that they will be more perfect, more together, more clutter free and organized if they buy your home. Let’s help keep them in dream world.
Support a new local business in town, Fifth Room Storage! And then resort to one of these guys depending on your needs.
Mistake #3: Not staging your home. (Insert shameless plug for Hannah Parker Home Staging here) Another person’s unbiased eyes on your home are exactly what it needs. See #1 again as well because when you think your home is the best, you also tend to think there is nothing that needs fixing or changing and that people should just love it for what it is. False.
Basement Before Staging
Basement After Staging- (and not spending any money)
Mistake #4: Assuming what colors or styles your prospective buyer may like and making adjustments accordingly. Unless they are neutral changes, for the most part it is better to let them choose after they purchase. Once again, this is where a home stager may be helpful. If things are not clean or are very outdated, then it may be appropriate to make new selections. For paint colors – Bejamin Moore’s Clay Beige and Gray Owl or Pratt & Lambert’s Seed Pearl, a very nice white – are all fairly fool proof.
Clay Beige walls
Gray Owl stripes
Mistake #5: Staying home for showings, lurking at your neighbor’s house or in your neighbor’s driveway during showings, doing a drive by while the buyers are taking their tour or checking out the prospects in any way while they are in your home, none of these are good ideas and most of the time the buyer and agent can tell exactly what you’re up to so don’t make this mistake when selling your home.
Mistake #6: Hiding or covering up deferred maintenance items or anything else you don’t want the buyers or agent to discover. Recently I was in a home where they covered up water damage on the hardwood floors with a rug in an odd place. Another time I opened an oven and it was full of kids’ school papers and backpacks – they used it for storage since it was broken. All this does is undermine your credibility as a seller and put the buyer on alert that you may be dishonest.
Mistake #7: Having themed rooms (OR the cousin to this one would be displaying any massive/unusual collections of any kind). I’m so sorry but in either case these things distract the buyer and when they leave the home all they can remember is that theme or collection and will have no other memory of the home. Even after they close on another they will refer to yours as the UGA, Auburn, Tech, Bama or Ghostbusters’ home. Once I showed a home that was completely themed in Harry Potter and there were labeled potions all around the kitchen in glass apothecary jars. Yikes.
Mistake #8: Using scented plug-ins, especially near the front door. This is a complete turn off from the very start. Everyone knows the smell of clean, fresh air versus the smell of fake scents and some people can’t even walk through a house at all that is heavily scented. It’s better to just let your home be what it is rather than tipping off the buyer that you are covering up something. If you really want to make your home smell better you can purchase a tasteful candle from a boutique (some examples are below) and if you’re not sure it’s a good one, let price be your guide. $30-40 at minimum in order to have a pleasant and subtle scent. A $5 Cherry Pie candle from Walmart? No ma’am.
Mistake #9: Having a bare yard. This is so important! First impressions are everything and many people who do a great job on the interior of their homes end up making the yard an afterthought. Even if you don’t have a budget for your yard, you can always purchase tons of PINE STRAW. It’s your best friend. It’s affordable and you can use it as ground cover, in your flower beds and really anywhere that grass will not grow. It does have to be replenished fairly often when it rains heavily but the cost will still be minimal during the time your home is on the market.
Mistake #10: Making rooms something that they are not. Remember that I mentioned buyers are easily distracted while they are in your house because of your no-no collections? Well, they will also leave thinking you don’t have a dining room, or a breakfast area, or a bedroom if you do not show them. Many people I know find it best to use their formal living or dining spaces for other things in everyday life. This is super practical but when it is time to sell, please put it back the way it was designed to be.
At the end of the day, if you can present your home the way you would want another person to present theirs to you, then you will be on the right track – humbly, honestly and making it the very best it can be with the time and resources that you have.
Happy selling, friends!
-HP