Home Staging Prepare Your House For Sale

Common Mistakes

1. Comparing your house with other sold houses and assuming that yours is worth just as much. This is dangerous because it will reinforce the belief that you don’t have to do much in preparation. If you relax, you lose!

2. Catering your house to a specific group (ethnicity, religion, age, taste, etc). To sell your house for the best price and more quickly, it must appeal to all segments. There’s the right buyer out there, you just don’t know which one.

3. Believing that you have excellent taste and that everyone sees your house the way you do. Wrong! We all see things differently. De-personalize, neutralize paint colours, and display tamed artworks that appeal to a wider audience.

4. Focusing too much on expensive remodeling as opposed to making small improvements to help sell your house. You can save thousands of dollars by focusing on the little things.

5. Expecting the buyers to use their imaginations to see past your clutter. That’s a no-no. When a house is overflowing with everyday stuff it looks small and cramped. Remember, people buy space in real estate and there does not appear to be a lot of space in a cluttered house.

6. Hoping the buyers will not notice defects or shoddy repairs. They will. Most will walk away. The remaining few will offer you a low-ball price.

7. Downplaying the importance of cleaning. Buyers are about to spend a lot of money to buy a house. They deserve a clean house. We think they’re right.

8. Not recognizing your house odors. You may be immune to the smell of pets, tobacco, mildew and cooking, but not your buyers. You must neutralize the smells even if it means replacing the carpets and painting the walls.

9. Not paying attention to your house’s curb appeal. You’ve been living inside the box. Go outside and observe your house critically. When the exterior paint is peeling or the yard is left unkempt your buyers will develop a bad after-taste. Once you’ve made a bad impression, it’s hard to recover.

10. Refusing to prepare your house for sale because you’re selling into a hot market where demand exceeds supply. That may be true, but your house will worth even more if you follow our four-step plan.

More tips from 'Prepare Your House For Sale'

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If you’re a collector, then pack away your collectibles and valuables.
Bathrooms: replace worn toileat seats. Consider buying a new toilet if it has seen better days or if it is a color other than white or crème.
Exterior: wipe your patio furniture clean and spread it nicely. It promotes relaxation and carefree living. On the other hand, if there are tears or signs of wear then toss or put away the items.
Lighting: consider a new decorative glass insert for your main door. Glass inserts are economical and easy to install. You’re guaranteed to buy lots of light for your foyer.
Pets: one option is to find someone to pet-sit them during a showing. Otherwise, keep them in a kennel and let the buyers know you have pets. Keep your fingers crossed that the buyers won’t mind.
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