How do You Get Your House Ready to Sell While Social Distancing
www.LAexclusiveProperty.com
March 26, 2020
As I write this, I realize the rain has ended here in Santa Monica, the birds are chirping again and that “other” silence is deafening. As I sit in isolation due to Covid-19, it occured to me my Sellers might appeciate a new post. If you were thinking of marketing your home for sale before coronavirus (COVID-19) swept over our great state, you will pleased to know, you still can! In fact, I am seeing more and more creative ways to get buyers in the door, er, rather the virtual door for now. See my post on Virtual Tours Here. As buyers shift their viewing behavior, you, the Seller, can do these things to get ready to sell even while social distancing.
1. Organize and beautify the chaos and clutter
First, do this, walk into your yard and them make your way to the street, and then re-enter your compound or normal size yard (whatever you have :))…BUT, do this as a prospect. Do it as a Homebuyer. What can you remove or improve? Do what you can to bring out the beauty in each area or room.
Don’t force the buyer to envision the space!
As my dear friend Diana says “Ain’t nobody got time for that.” At this point, you want to maximize the number of people seeing your home online or in person, AND make sure they see the value in your home so you can get multiple bids and get the highest price in this market. Again, this is why I did my “Maximum Home Audit” do you don’t have any surprises. So, do this:
Lose oversized and excess furniture. Make each room appear as large as possible with a change in funiture. Which pieces of furniture highlight the room and which pieces don’t. Sell it, donate it or store it. You are planning on moving, so use this time to pack your belongings. Start with your closets and storage and then move to individual rooms. Get rid of all that stuff that fills you home from wall to wall.
2. Get it Cleaned Professionally
A Homebuyer wants to walk into a home that is immaculate.
Expertly cleaned and presentable, so for the love of real estate, deep clean your home. Besides the typical cleaning you may do on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, also consider these often overlooked areas:
-Wash windows inside and out
-Clean all mirrors
-Clean drapes, curtains, and blinds
-Open every window to let fresh spring air in
-Clean the grout in your bathrooms and the tile in your Kitchen
3. Make those repairs and do some small upgrades
Do a pre-inspection on your home before you list it.
Make all the repairs that are called out. If you don’t want someone in you home right now, do what you can on your own.
Easy upgrades:
Repaint your rooms in neutral colors
Upgrade the hardware in your kitchen
Replace doorknobs for a more contemporary feel
Update your outlet and light switch plates
Paint your front door
Add floating shelves for more storage
Upgrade sink fixtures and indoor lighting
4. Focus on curb appeal…enthusiastically
As another one of my buddies says, “Ya gotta give it EyeBall” lol. Meaning curb appeal. First impressions only happen once.
Try these tips:
Pressure wash your driveway and your windows.
Get some new plants outdoors.Use potted plants to add character to your entrance
Upgrade the outdoor lighting
Get a new welcome mat
Upgrade your mailbox
Add new mulch/bark to your shrubs and flowers
5. Stage that home-Virtually
If you haven’t sold or bought a home recently, you may not understand how common “staging” a home is now.
What does this mean? You will want to hire a company that “dresses” your home with new furniture, painting, props, rugs etc. The point is to make it easier for the Homebuyer to envision how they would live here. Do a video chat with some stagers to find the right one. Or use Virtual Stagers like MatterPort 3D Staging or BoxBrownie
Start here:
Remove family photos
Make towels, throws, and pillows light colors to brighten rooms
Put some fresh flowers around
Create an outside seating area
Make sure all your lighting indoors and outdoors is the same or similar color temperature
Less is more with items on shelves and counters
6. Put your Pets away
Homebuyers do not want to meet your pets. They just don’t. Take them on a long walk or to Day Care. Trust me. (you don’t have to work about social distancing with our four-legged family member)
How do You Get Your House Ready to Sell While Social Distancing
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