Sell your house fast: 13 tips to stage your house as if it was going on a date

     Are you planning to put your house on the market any time soon? If so, I bet you are hoping to sell your home as quickly as possible and for the most money as possible. A secret weapon that the best Realtors use and recommend to their clients, and my personal favorite tactic to selling a house fast, is proper Staging. Set yourself up for success in selling your house fast with these 10 tips for properly staging your house!

In real estate, there IS such thing as love on first sight, so focus on curb appeal.

     There is a reason why this is the first thing the Pros recommend to focus on. Did you know that the majority of buyers make up their mind about a house within the first 10 seconds they approach the home? Yeah.. CRUCIAL! Many buyers will chose to drive by their prospect list of homes and then decide whether to even go inside the home, depending on curb appeal! So make sure the outside of your home is in peak condition.

• Power wash the exterior of the house

• Make sure the house numbers are easy to read

• Work on a little gardening

• Hire a mowing company/ plant sod if necessary!

• Clean windows!

• Clean or Repaint decks/porches depending on their condition!

• Place a welcoming floor mat

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Make sure your home is spotless!

     This is the simplest (well... certainly the cheapest) way to make your home make a good first impression. From crystal clear windows and Cinderella clean floors to spotless counter tops and scrubbed grout, every square of your home should be clean enough to eat out of! You may want to considering hiring a cleaning company to do some of the really dirty stuff, especially if you are trying to sell a large home. Don't skip this step, this is vital!

a clean home will sell faster! 

Get rid of any clutter.

     If you are serious selling your house fast, all clutter must go, end of story. I know It's not easy, and it could involve you seeking for a storage (or a nice relative's garage ;) ) but it is 100% worth it. Spotless surfaces, cupboards and counters equal a better use of space for potential buyers, so get rid of everything that doesn't serve a practical purpose.

That being said, look for a balance between neat and "home sweet home".

     Yes, I know I just told you get rid of all your crap (High five if you did it!), but make sure you leave a few things that will actually make your home look more like, well.. a home! Thing like some vases for flowers, a bowl/basket of fresh fruit on the kitchen counter are a huge plus!

Make sure the house has a pleasant odor.

     This is a huge one! Unpleasant odors can scare away the most motivated buyers, so make sure your house doesn't stink!

• If you have pets, steam clean all carpets and pay extra attention when vacuuming and washing certain places. Be sure to keep an dog toys hidden when showings are schedule.
• If your teenager son's dirty clothes hamper stunk up the whole house, febreze away the entire house!
• The smell of fresh cookies is very popular, but a vanilla candle will do the trick.
• Also, make sure you don't cook anything with strong spice on days when you have showings!

Rearrange your furniture to maximize space.

     Symmetrical arrangements usually work well in living areas. I advise my clients to pull furniture off the walls and use pairs (of sofas, chairs, lamps) to show an inviting living area.

Use "bonus" rooms intelligently.

     If you have been mistaking your bonus room for “Pile up the crap that I will never use again” room, think again. Every room in your house should have a defined purpose, so put yourself in the buyer's shoes, what would you like to use this space for? An office? A media room? A man cave? Tip: buy ,rent or borrow some inexpensive furnishings to use in this room, an actual room with a purpose is worth the trouble.

Use neutral colors.

     When selling your house try not to experiment with that electric blue or hot pink wall paint. You don't have to go all white but rich sophisticated neutrals like java and "grayge" create a cool backdrop that makes everything come together.

Open up those closets!

     Buyers WILL want to see inside your closets. Closet space could be a deal breaker for some buyers, so make sure yours meet their full expectations by getting rid of excess. This is of high priority, so even if you have to move some shoe boxes elsewhere, it's worth it. As a rule of thumb, leave 20% to 30% of open space in closets to give the impression of “plenty of room.”

Make the buyers want to explore the whole house.

     Place something that catches the eye in hallways, corners and on top of stairs. You can incite curiosity and keep motivated buyers interested through the whole tour.

Use painted accent walls, Art works, a vase of flowers, a cool light fixture or even a small, tasteful rug to drag attention interest in other rooms.

Show off awkward spaces.

     If you have an awkward room beneath the stairs, or anywhere in your home, try to figure out a way to show it off. By setting up a workshop, a home head quarters with a family board, your awkward room could even become another selling point! 

Appeal to the lifestyle your buyers are looking for 

     Usually, you want to try to stick to the lifestyle your home is most likely to attract. BAIT THE HOOK TO SUIT THE FISH!  Have a house in the suburbia?  bench swing on your porch could be the perfect touch Beach front property? A hammock would be an excellent feature! 

Bait the hook that suits the fish! 

 Backyards matter! 

      Even if your home has only a tiny backyard, dress it up with a cute coffee table and some chairs chairs, and even a little vase of flowers. When buyers look at this space, they won't be seeing "small," they will be seeing, "What a nice place to have lunch!"

Don't forget about the back yard! 

Conclusion

     As you can tell by now, selling a house is a lot like dating. Actually... it is exactly like online dating! Think about it... Your broker submits your property information to the website much like match.com or eharmony (In this case the MLS, zillow, realtor.com, etc.) where buyers search using a criteria they previously submitted to the site. Then, like a blind date you have to dress your home to the nines and expect that motivated buyer to be interested within the first sight! Ohhhh.. the love of real estate is in the air!

     I'd love to hear more about how you guys dress up your homes for real estate success, so comment below with suggestions!  

Sell Your House Fast: 10 Things Every Seller Needs To Know

     The process to sell your house can be fast and painless, but selling your home is much more than just contracting a Realtor. Even though the job of a real estate agent is to facilitate the transaction, there is as many responsibilities and sources of stress to you as a seller. At the end of the day, the longer you home takes to sell, the longer you will have to wait until you can move to a new home, the longer you will have to wait to see your check for a profit, and in the case of a landlord, the longer your place sits vacant, the longer you will be stuck paying for a mortgage and taxes without it creating any profit for you. Even though some problems are inevitable when selling a home, there is a lot that can be prevented when one is educated on the subject.

     From finding the right Realtor to represent you, to surviving showings and open houses. There's a lot of things you should know and consider when it comes the time to sell your home. Here's a list of 10 things every seller should know before listing their house on the market.

#1 Avoid the urge to overprice your home.

     Sure, we understand you want to get the most you can for your home, but always look at your home objectively, dirt stains and all, and price accordingly. If the home is overpriced from the get go, it could sit on the market for months and start to “stale.”

     The truth is that buyers will notice the home has been sitting on the market for a while without selling, assume there is something wrong with it and cross it off their list.

     On the other hand, pricing at, or slightly below market value will generate vital attention from buyers during the first couple of weeks after listing, which is usually when sellers see the most activity. The right listing price will make your home move faster, simple as that. As a rule of thumb, if the home is properly priced, a seller should be receiving an offer within the first 10 showings.

#2 Make sure you and your agent are on the same page when it comes to the worth of your house and how it will be marketed.

     You and your agent should be in agreement on the price the home will be listed at, so if the range she/he suggests doesn’t match the one in your head, don’t be hesitate about asking for an explanation.

     As important, of course, is how she/he will promote your home. Figure out if professional pictures will be taken, what places the ads will be placed and if your agent will hold open houses and advice other agents to bring in some buyers.

     Asking the right questions will not tell you the resources the agent is willing to use, it will also give you an idea on how they work and how excited/committed they are about your home.

#3 Yes, you have to keep your house clean, all the time.

     On top of the scheduled open houses, there will be (If the house was price right) frequent calls from agents who want to show your home to prospective buyers, frequently on short notice. And every single time, your place has to be looking its best. For you this means that, until you sell your home, you are responsible for keeping it spotless 24/7.

     No leaving mail out or leaving your shoes out. You have to think about all those little things and fix them when you come home. And on weekends, if someone wants to come over for a showing, you must be ready to just get up and leave.

#4 Buyers are every nitpicky.

     Even if you think your house is perfect and it has been good enough for you all these years, buyers may think otherwise, and they are not shy about letting you know!

     Perhaps they didn’t like the paint color in the master bedroom or the tile in the kitchen. Maybe they are bitching about the house not having two full bathrooms. They always have something to say.

#5 Selling your house could take a while.

     Of course, you want to unload your house as quickly as possible, but hold your horses in. The truth is, most of the time, the process is sell your house fast, is not so fast. It may take a while before offers come in and even longer before anything is negotiated. And THEN there's the closing. If the buyer is getting a mortgage, it could take them up to 45 days after contracts are signed to secure a mortgage commitment from the bank!

     Multiply that timeline by 8641088 if your home is a short sale. You may have to list it at one price, wait three months, then list it another price. Then wait until you have an offer to THEN wait for the bank to get back with an approval. By the time you close it'll be like a year.

#6 Having pets makes everything harder.

     If you have a dog or cat, you will have to take extra steps to ensure it doesn’t go running out the the door during open houses or showings (It happens more often than you would think.) That means telling every agent who will show the house that you have a pet and that it’s not allowed out, a warning that can get annoying after a while. Also, don't forget to stay on top of cleaning your pet's shit before showings, please.

#7 Expect a lot of tire kickers.

     Open houses are great to bring potential buyers, without a doubt, but they also bring many curious people who aren’t even interested in a new home. Nosy Neighbors, passersbyers, teenagers interested in the snacks... It’s hard not to be excited about a filled guest book after an open house, but keep in mind that not everyone on the list is serious!

#8 Give yourself some time to get your home “Market ready”.

     Before thinking on putting your house on the market, take a moment to walk the home and try to see it through a possible buyer’s eyes. Then give yourself at least a month to paint over any unappealing colored walls, do a deep clean of the entire house, get rid of clutter and personal objects and make any necessary improvements that could upgrade curb appeal and ultimately affect the asking price.

     Depending on how much were talking about, you may want to consider getting rid of as many things that don't serve a vital purpose for open houses and showings. A neat, organized space is always welcoming for buyers, since it facilitates for them to envision themselves in your home. Also, staging your home could increase the value of your home tremendously!

     Renting a storage unit to store furniture and personal belongings is something that would make any seller's life a lot easier!

#9 Don't base your decisions on word of mouth.

     Referrals are very handy, yes, and we in the industry LOVE THEM, but let's be honest, they’re not the only way to come up with a potential Realtors. Look up brokerage websites and reviews on their agents. Look for anyone that stands out to you, then give them a call

     Visiting open houses is another great way you could meet agents who represent sellers with similar homes as yours, this also gives you the opportunity to talk directly with various agents and get a feel for them.

#10 Try not to hire your friend as a Realtor.

     Now this can go both ways, it really all depends on who you are dealing with, some times it can work great, some times it may not. You see, selling your house can be a long, and annoying process, and you should feel comfortable to speak up without having to worry about putting your relationship in jeopardy.

Conclusion:

     Whether you chose you sell your house to a cash buyer investor, or through working with a Realtor, these are some of the things you might want to keep in mind next time you are planning to take the big leap of selling your real estate! The process to sell your house can be a fast, and pleasant experience, but in some cases it can go south, specially when there is nobody there to advice you. There's a lot of ways to make things easier when it comes to selling your house, this is just some tips I have learned through my experience in the industry and as a seller myself. 

What are some things you absolutely wish you knew before selling your house?