Preparing Your Charlotte Home for a Quick Sale
Yes, even in this market, a quick sale can be procured—if you do it right! For homeowners who are getting ready to put their Charlotte home on the market, here are a few surprisingly simple tips to help get your home sold faster and possibly for even more money.
Bear in mind that your prospective buyers will most likely be viewing several Charlotte homes on the same day as your showing. The emotional and sensory elements that you provide will have a profound impact on their memory, and will make your home standout when they review what they’ve seen with their agents at day’s end.
Preparing your home for the perfect showing is essential and is comprised of three basic elements that will make your home simply sparkle.
Set the Scene
- Soft classical or jazz music
- Simmering potpourri (NOT over-bearing!)
- Bake an apple pie in the oven. Or, if you have a bread machine, bake bread.
- Well-lit rooms and inviting indirect lighting
- Air conditioning or heating set at a comfortable temperature (This is a big one this summer—I’ve actually received ‘thank yous’ from buyers who have left 150-degree homes and come to one of our listings that is 70-degrees. The buyers and their agents remember the comfortable one in a more positive light.)
Simple Decor
- A garden-fresh bouquet of flowers near the entrance or on the kitchen table is a must!
- Fresh neutral-colored paint and freshly cleaned or new carpet
- Remove family photos or personal items (this allows buyer to imagine it is their home)
Mr. (& Mrs.) CLEAN
- Meticulously spotless kitchen and bath are essentials
- Clean walls and spackled/patched areas as needed
- No clutter whatsoever (remember, uncluttered rooms look larger)
- No pets – kennel them if needed (The buyer may be allergic and because you live in your home, you don’t notice any pet odors but, others certainly do.)
- Clean closets (Yes, potential buyers will peek in your closets!)
Remember it’s the little things in life that matter, and the same is absolutely true when it comes to a buyer looking for a place to call home-sweet-home.
For more ideas on how to sell fast and make the most from the sale of your Charlotte home, call me or email me today.
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Debe, excellent post, mind if I reblog to different groups? I personally use the baked bread thing, have done that for years, it works....have a great day
Debe,
All great advice that is spot on.....and you are right....leave the A/C going for heaven's sake!!!!
Great suggestions...only thing left out was the glass of wine and a small gift! Just kidding about the wine and gift unless it is a multi million dollar property and open house!
Debe You certainly demonstrate thorough knowledge of and professionalism in marketing your community
Hi Debe ~ Totally agree with you and Lori - A/C is a really big one. It gets hot driving round with clients looking at homes. If you want them to stop and really look around, cool works. The closed up, vacant ones where they can't breathe get left in a hurry!
It's better to be careful with the smells though. Bread and baking is good, but anything else is dodgy. I've had clients assume sellers are trying to hide something with the merest hint of a "cover up" smell. Spotlessly clean trumps every time.
Denise
Hi Gary! I didn't recognize you! Great now shot!
Yes, the wine and cheese is for the million dollar homes--or the second or third showings! I didn't mention price here because I think we've beaten it to death but, of course, that is one VERY important strategy involved in the quick sales!
Hi Lori! Thanks and I cannot believe the ones that are truly over 100-degrees. Do they really think the buyers are going to remember these homes in a positive light? No! They bolt out as quickly as they walked through the door--headed for the A/C in the car!
Hi Gerry! You can re-blog my stuff anytime! I'm honored when you do! Thanks and have a wonderful day...
The air conditioning is a big one. I can imagine how the house would stand out in people's mind as "that cool one."
Debe - Very well written in detail indeed. I might want to add to clean up the entrance, first impression. Homeowners like myself, go through the garage and use the front door sparingly - sellers do forget about it.
Debe- exellent advice to sellers how quickly and nicely create a buying environment. I have been to open houses and showings where the music is turned up so loud that I could not hear myself nor the clients and sadly we ran out quickly eventhough it would have been a great home for my clients. Some times it is the small things which make a difference.
Debe
Thanks for sharing your tips, they are right on target.
Good luck and success.
Lou Ludwig
I never tried the apple pie before. I like that one.
Debe, great advice here - even if you're a bunch of miles away from Charlotte!
Do they still make bread machines?? Haven't seen one in years. Great tips as always, Debe. Especially like the point about air conditioning and clean closets.
Great points that sellers should keep in mind to get their home sold amid the competition for buyers.
Debe, great tips. Having a clean home is critical and it surprises me what some people's idea of "clean" is, and that's not usually good. Having the home at the right temperature is often overlooked by many sellers but is important.