Today’s real estate market is booming hot with high demand for not only primary homes but for secondary vacation homes as well. If you are going to be putting your home on the market, try your best to make it appealing to all different types of buyers. Let’s talk about some things you can try to do to get your home sold quickly in this fast moving market.
Making a positive first impression is crucial- this starts with the curbside of your home. Try and remove all dead and distressed plants and make sure yard is in tip top shape. If you have a lot of yard art or knickknacks around the perimeter of the house, it is best to remove all of it. While you are getting your yard prepared, this might also be a good time to start clearing out the garage if you have one. It can be helpful to buyers to leave any extra repair items such as flooring, labeled paint or any other items that would be useful if they purchased the home.
Next, move to focusing on the inside the home, the best strategy is to remove all clutter and bulky furniture. One way to remove and organize the clutter is to rent a storage unit(s) to keep organized off the premise. Buyers do not want to see storage Pods around the house or in driveways. If you need a 10x 20 size, it might be easier to rent 2 10×10’s so its easier to arrange and separate items for future move. Also, remember you can put items that need climate-controlled storage in one storage unit and garage items in a non-climate storage unit. Buying plastic tubs is probably going to be your best investment getting your house ready to put on the market. These clear plastic tubs are ideal so you can locate items easier. If you decide to purchase non-transparent ones, just make sure and label so its not a nightmare later on in your move when you finally locate and unpack items.
Try and remove all items from counters and if you have a lot of pictures and just leave a couple out – no family pictures or portraits. I have family members and friends recently put their home on the market and listened to their real estate agents on decluttering and the home did not stay on the market long at all. Their key phrase was “Remember the buyers want to envision their items in the home, not yours”.
As far as secondary and vacation homes, staging might be an option. Many people in the market for a beach home want a beach feel, so making it a beach or coastal theme helps set the mood when buyers are looking. Some buyers are also looking for investment return and you want to show the homes potential. Show all rental records and show why people come to rent and list all amenities offered. For example, if the home has a game or sitting area, put a chess board out to show how the room can be used.
Who knows how long this seller’s market will last, but if you remember one thing with this article, make sure you make yours stand out and get it sold!
