Home Staging Prepare Your House For Sale

Seeing With Buyers’ Eyes

The sense of security and comfort your house has provided will have skewed your vision and you will think everyone will love your house as much as you do. You’ve gotten used to living with little defects such as creaky doors, dings in walls, and broken light fixtures. But buyers will notice these problems because that’s what they will be looking for. As much as looking for the perfect house to buy, prospective buyers are just as quick in crossing off houses that don’t immediately appeal to them.

You need to think like home buyers. You must learn to see with buyers’ eyes:

  • Start by scouting open houses in your area. Take note of your feelings from the curb– what is it about the house that attracts or repels you. Do you feel welcome the moment you enter the house? Does it smell? Tour the house. Would you buy this house, and why not?
  • Visit show-homes. Bring along a pen, a notepad and a camera. Ask permission before taking pictures. Note furniture arrangements, decorations, paint colours, and the placement of accessories like plants and lamps. How does it feel to walk into a spotless home? Observe quietly how other buyers go about their touring. What do they inspect, touch and talk about?

Now take a digital camera and walk across the street, or far enough so you get a full view of your house. Snap some photos and display them on your home computer. If you have a film camera then use a local 1-hour photo finishing service. Photos let you see your house through the buyers’ eyes.

You can tell a lot from these photos. For example:

  • Overgrown trees and bushes
  • Interesting exterior colour scheme
  • Trailer, boat or, worse, a rusty old truck, occupying the driveway
  • Non-existent landscaping or an unkempt jungle at the far end of the yard
  • Peeling paint and stained driveway
  • Garbage or junk scattered around the house

Do you want buyers to see your house in its current condition? Now imagine the same photos are shown on the internet on the MLS or other listing services. Not just the outside, but also the inside of your house. Potential buyers are ignoring your house en mass without you knowing it. Yikes!

We encourage you to take photos of both the exterior and the interior of your house. These are your before photos. Compare them with the after pictures once you’ve decluttered, repaired, cleaned and revitalized your house. The transformation will shock you.

More tips from 'Prepare Your House For Sale'

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Feel guilty about throwing things away? Consider donating them to your friends and families, charitable organizations, or advertise in the free section of the classified ads in your local newspaper.
Fasten hardware pulls, handles, knobs and hinges. Nothing should rattle or wobble.
Buyers gauge your house against your competitors by its cleanliness. They want to know your house has been well cared for and has not been left neglected. If you don’t have the time to clean then you should hire a professional. It’s a smart investment.
Kitchen: cover the kitchen table with a white tablecloth and arrange a basket of fruit or flowers to add a bit of colour.
Every room should have a clutter bin. This is where you stow away your everyday-use items. You can purchase these plastic containers just about anywhere. Encourage your family to use the bins as much as possible. Put them away in a convenient place (underneath the bed, in the pantry, etc.) before a showing. Buyers are curious people but they won’t open containers.
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