What Do Buyers Like To See? 10 Things to Make Your Home More Appealing
Its always a good idea to have a nice neat and tidy home, but the biggest turn off for a buyer is a home that cannot be seen because of the amount of clutter on every surface and across every room. Get rid of clutter and allow people to enjoy your space. Take out bulky furniture and put it in storage. We want your home to look inviting and we have one chance to do that!
2. Repair / Replace - We don't want Buyers to be distracted
If something is visibly broken or damaged, repair or replace the item. When buyers see something broken, they often wonder what else is broken that they cannot see and it does tend to influence their value of your home. Make sure that the light bulbs all work, the curtain rails or blinds are hanging correctly and that the shower rails are perfect. Check the door knobs, cabinet handles, draw runners all function correctly and are not broken or disfigured. Make your home look its best!
3. Smarten the Outdoors - First impressions count
The first impression of your home begins with the drive by. If your home looks appealing from the street, then there is a good chance that the buyer will consider making that appointment to see your home. Keep the front of the property cleared of debris, the front door clean and welcoming and the light bulbs on the porch working, a few pot plants and hanging baskets and the front painted and fresh.
4. Staging - If it looks good, its exciting!
If buyers can walk into a home and see a beautiful place its so much easier than having to imagine how their furniture can look. They will consider how lovely your home is and their lifestyle can entertwine with the perfect staging.
5. Odors - Keep it fresh!
When you walk into a doggie home, you can smell it. When there is a smoker in the house, what a turnoff it can be for a non-smoker. The trusth is, very often, the owners of a home don't realize that there home does not smell clean and fresh. Maybe its a good idea, while you are marketing your home, to have your pets in boarding. Clean the house, have the carpets and curtains cleaned, the sofa's and cushions washed, freshen the space with possibly orange essence, rose water or similar and make your home fresh.
6. Kitchens - The Heart of the Home
If your kitchen is older and you don't want to replace it, then update it a bit. Perhaps go down to your local paint shop and select cabinet door paint and give your cabinets a facelift. You could hire someone to do that for you if you are not confident to do it yourself. Maybe you could change the tiling or add some color. Possibly swap out the cabinet handles? You do not need to spend a fortune to add a new dimension to a tired kitchen.
7. Bathrooms - Put a lid on it!
Bathrooms can be a complete turnoff. Often the caulking in tired and the bathroom looks less than desirable. Lime scale build up is awful and the shower curtains tainted with mildew. Redo the caulking, redo the grouting, wash the shower curtain, clean up the basin, add a box of kleenex, a bottle of hand pump soap and a hand cream onto the counter surface. Put new "for show" bath towels out and your bathroom will look stunning! Try and keep the toilet lid down while your home is on the market.
8. Lighten the home - Who doesn't like sunshine?
Add a little sunshine by opening or lifting the blinds, cheer up the paintwork and and add some colorful matching scatter cushion to your furniture. Cut back trees and shrubs that are taking away the natural light from your home and where there is a dark corner, add an indoor plant to bring life to the area. If a room is particularly dark, make sure the paintwork is light and welcoming.
9. Beat the Morning Rush Tidy Up
Make sure that your home always looks good. You never know what buyer may be coming in to view it. Get into a habit of tidying quickly before you go to bed at night. Pack the dishwasher and wipe the counter tops. See that the laundry is in hidden behind closed doors or packed away. It will make the morning rush around making beds and checking bathrooms a breeze.
10. Just a Reminder! What do buyers want?
Buyers want to find a home that is clean, relatively maintenance free and one that is fresh, clean and appealing. So just a reminder to keep the garden manicured and pleasant. Sweep the porch and pack away toys and bikes that are in the yard. Dead head the flowers in the garden as it encourages new growth and potentially pretty new flowers. When the buyer drives bye, we want them to book the appointment. Make that an easy decision for them!
I'm Karen Browder. I pride myself in customer service. Most of my clients are repeat or referrals. I'd love to add you to my list of forever clients. Please give me a call 704-534-9334 or email Karen@KarenBrowder.com I look forward to being of assistance to you.
