Getting a haircut before you go on a date is the equivalent of saying should I paint my house before I sell. The answer is "well, when was the last time you got a haircut/paint job?"
All in jest but actually you'd be surprised at how similar these two topics can be! I like to compare it to dating because it's easy to see the similarities. I frequently get the question when my clients are thinking of selling: “What should I do to my home to get top dollar?” Depending on what you’re willing to do to get that “hot date/hot offer” with a buyer, renovating, and or staging can make your home more attractive to the largest pool of buyers and can help you get the price you deserve. It all depends of how much money and effort you have or want to spend before you sell. Some want to just get whatever they can because they believe their perfect buyer is someone who want to renovate or even tear down the existing house. There is always a pool of buyers who want to renovate as well.
Then there is the school of thought that the “higher the heels” the more people you’ll attract. In other words staging and renovating is worth the pain (like high heels) and the cost to do so before putting the house on the market to get the most money.
If you’re on the fence and not sure if you want to put in thousands of dollars in renovating and staging there is the minimum I would advise anyone to do. Putting a little effort into the appearance of your home before it's listed is very much like changing out of your sweat pants before leaving the house.
I’m sure you’d want to make a good impression before a date – and your home is no different. Your home should look it’s best to attract buyers who are excited to make an offer that you’d accept.
Picture yourself newly on the (dating) market. Would you say “Accept me as I am!” Then putting your house on the market 'as is' is the way to go.
Would you get your hair done, go to the tanning salon, get your teeth cleaned, buy a new outfit etc.? Then a full renovation and staging might be your jam.
If you don’t have the money and don’t know how much all the improvements will bring at the end of all the effort, then this wo
uld be the situation the time to declutter, clean up and make the home look it’s best with a little time and effort. The minimum you want to do is clean every square inch, declutter, pre-pack and take care of that 'honey do' list, like oil the squeaky doors, replace the burnt out light bulbs, take care of the scuffs on the wood floors etc.
Here are a few ideas from a dating perspective to get your home looking spiffy before you sell.
I like your smile! The first thing that people find attractive is the brightness of someone’s smile. You can compare this to your home’s curb appeal. The front of your home should be warm and inviting. Like having a nice smile, having a clean safe porch, a welcome mat and some colour will make people feel that if the out
side is cared for, then so must the inside. (I’ve had clients walk away and not even go inside the home because of poor exterior maintenance.)
Overdoing the makeup?
Just like a beauty regimen, we should have one for our homes. Regardless of selling, you should always have a maintenance routine so that when it’s time to sell you’re not rushing around covering things up. Just like wearing too much makeup, people will know a quick “spackle job” versus a professionally done repair.
Got some “Junk in the Trunk”?
Keeping clutter in your garage or basement might be detrimental to your home being sold. It makes people wonder, “What if they don’t take all their junk with them? How long will all this take to move?”
Having a little extra “junk in your trunk” might be acceptable when it comes to your *ahem* booty – but when it comes to clutter in your home, it’s best to clear all of that extra junk out before selling.
Accentuate the positive, distract from the negative!
Using a stager to set up your homes best features and taking excellent photos and video will make it sell faster and for top dollar. Even though buyers aren’t buying your furniture and accessories, it’s a proven fact that people like to see clean modern décor and neutral paint colours to help imagine themselves living the beautiful lifestyle that this image evokes.
The 5 senses
Like looking and smelling good for that hot date, what else can you do to attract that handsome buyer? Helping you when you list with me means I will prep your home to not just look it’s best but to tingle all the senses of each potential buyer. I take care of all the things a home should be like look good, smell good, sound good, feel good and even have tasty treats to entice your potential buyers!
All in all, when you’re ready to list your home, I’ll be your matchmaker. I will find the perfect buyer to love your home and offer top dollar no matter the conditions of the market.