12 April 2008
Listing Tip #3
Posted by Ryan Coffey under: selling .
This one like so many others is simple, yet often overlooked. It’s about SPACE and CLUTTER.
Usually, when I enter a home that is for sale, the owners have done a good job of keeping it clean and moving everything out of the way to maximize the sense of space in the home. But I think that some people are so used to seeing the same place everyday, that they aren’t able to see the clutter.
You’ll want to make sure that everything has been organized, cleaned, and put away in the most out of the way fashion possible. Dishes should be cleaned and put away, windows and all surfaces should be wiped clean, and while you’re at it, you could add a couple of details like the following:
- Fresh Flowers.
- Candles (scented ones are great as long as the smell is subtle. Strongly scented ones or those Plug ins tend to be overpowering and downright stinky to some people. Plus it may be perceived that you’re trying to cover something up.)t
- Warm Music. This can mean all sorts of music, but what it does not mean is putting on your favourite kind of music, it means choosing music that gives that warm fuzzy homey feeling. Examples that stick out in my mind are Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Dave Brubeck and this one Carpenters song I once heard at a listing called “Sing”.
- A Welcome note perhaps accompanied by some home baked goods on the kitchen counter.
- Leave the lights on and the curtains open.
- The old standard of having cooked some bread, cookies or Cooking Mad Scientist, Alton Brown’s suggestion of Cinnamon Buns.
I could go on, but if you even do half of these tips on the list, you’ll be ahead of the majority of your competition.