| Staging and Presentation |
| When you open your home to potential buyers, you need to make a good first impression. You do not have to hire contractors and complete major renovations before selling you house, but it is wise to do the "little things" to spruce up both the exterior and interior. Here are some guidelines for "Staging" your home: INSIDE 1. Clear all unecessary objects from furniture throughout the house. Keep decorative objects on furniture to groups of 1,3, or 5 items. 2. Clear all unecessary objects from your kitchen countertops. If it hasn't been used in three months, put it away! Clear refrigerator fronts of all messages, magnets, pictures, etc. A sparse kitchen helps the potential buyer mentally place their own items into your kitchen. 3. In the bathroom, remove any unecessary items from countertops, tubs, shower stalls, and commode tops. Keep only your most needed cosmetics, brushes, perfumes, etc., in one small group on the counter. Coordinate towels to one or two colors only. 4. Rearrange and perhaps even remove some furniture. As homeowners we tend to have too many pieces in each room. While this makes it comfortable for ourselves and adds to our personal enjoyment, when it comes to selling we need to "thin out" the furniture as much as possible so that the rooms appear larger. 5. Take down, or rearrange paintings and pictures on walls. Patch and Paint if necessary. 6. Review the house room by room and a) Paint any room needing paint b) Clean carpets and drapes where needed. c) Clean windows. 7. If you need to store extra possesions, use the garage or rent a storage unit. 8. During showings, turn all the lights on and open the blinds, shades, and drapes to let in the sunshine. If the home will be shown in your absence, leave certain lights on all day. 9. During showings, play soft background music (an "FM LITE" or classical radio station is best). 10. If you have a working fireplace, light one of those "instant" logs before showings if possible - and certainly during an open house. |
| OUTSIDE 1. Go around the perimeter of the house and move all garbage cans, discarded woods scraps or building materials into the garage. 2. Check your gutters. If you can see leaves and debris sticking out of them they must be cleaned. 3. Look at all plants. Prune bushes and trees. Keep bushes from blocking windows. The old adage is true: "You can't sell a house if you can't see it." 4. Weed and mulch all planting areas. Keep the lawn freshly cut. Remove all dead plants and shrubs. 5. Clear patios of all small items such as small planters, flower pots, charcoal, barbeques, toys, etc. Put them in the garage or a storage unit. 6. Check paint condition of the house, especially the front door and trim. Curb appeal is important! |
| Extra Credit Reading: Selling a Vacant Home |
| Terry Woods is a Licensed Realtor with Prudential Douglas Elliman Contact him at 516/650-1131 or email: Terry @ TerryWoods.com |