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Sell Your Home

Sell Your Home Faster With These 10 Expert-Approved Home Showing Tips

Selling your house? Make sure you woo potential buyers when you show them your property.

The decision to buy a house is often based more on feelings rather than reason. Showing a house must thus appeal to potential buyers’ 5 senses.

This involves staging your house to help buyers imagine themselves in your home. It must show off all the good features while hiding the flaws. This creates a mood and also makes your house look much better in photos.

On average, staging a house before selling helps it sell 73% faster. It can also help sell your home for a higher price. A 2017 NAR report says that 58% of sellers believe buyers offered more money for staged homes.

If your house is in good shape, staging it doesn’t have to be costly and time-consuming. Read on because here are 10 tips for showing a house.

1. Clean and Declutter

The first thing on your house showing checklist should be to clean and clear your home. Hiring a cleaning company can make this easier so you can focus on the staging. Yet it can be cheaper to do it yourself.

You’ll first need to clear the clutter. Check out this guide on how to purge your house.

Piles of paper and other items shouldn’t be the first things to greet your buyers when they come in. Clear away flat surfaces like tabletops and counters or have them styled with something like a vase of flowers.

Your buyers will notice any dirt or prints on walls so wash them if necessary. Likewise, clean cobwebs and dust that’s collected on ceiling fans or in corners. Check for dead bugs in light fixtures.

As for your floors, make sure to leave them sparkly clean. When vacuuming the carpets, do so in one direction as neat vacuum lines signal good care. Steam clean carpets to get rid of caked dirt or odors.

2. Work on Your Curb Appeal

Showing a house isn’t only about the interior. Curb appeal—how your house looks from the sidewalk—will be an important first impression. Your house should already be enticing from the outside.

Trim trees and shrubs so buyers will have a better view of the house. Mow and edge the lawn. Clear the gutters of leaves and tigs and make sure the roof is free of mold and algae.

Use a pressure washer to clean walkways, driveways as well as dirty siding and decks. Remember to put away your kid’s toys and bikes. Remove any religious decor or lawn ornaments as well.

Try adding some colorful potted plants, hanging planters, or window boxes. They’re quick and cheap ways to make your home’s exterior look positive and inviting.

3. Hide Away the Personal

You might’ve spent time and money personalizing your home, yet your goal now is to sell it. Everyone has different tastes, so keep this in mind when it comes to potential buyers.

Depersonalizing a home helps to increase its appeal. It helps potential buyers see the amount of available space while also imagining themselves in the home. This is one of the important tips for showing a house.

Remove personal effects from public points of interest, like fireplace mantles, along with other personal items. This includes evidence of personal hobbies like sports memorabilia or trophies. Put away religious ornaments or items too.

Besides these, you should also hide personal toiletries like toothbrushes. Don’t forget to stash the kids’ toys.

Put away pets and signs of their presence like cages, bowls, and hairs. Repair any pet-related damages like scratches on doors or floors.

4. Visual Touch Ups

A fresh coat of paint is one of the quick and least expensive ways to transform the feel of a room. It can brighten and make it look bigger. It also lends the impression of a well-kept home.

Consider painting overly dark or light walls with more subdued and neutral colors. Softer-colored walls make it easier for potential buyers to visualize themselves owning the place.

Accessories also make a big difference in the overall feel. Add in colorful throw pillows and matching throw blankets to give a well-balanced look. Try placing a coffee table book with a candle or other distinct decorative item.

Mirrors add style to a room or area. They can also help make a room more open and bright even if it’s small.

5. Focus on Important Areas or Rooms

Remember to give extra attention to important areas or rooms in the house that buyers will see first. Aside from your curb appeal, these areas and rooms will influence the tone of the rest of the house. These will likely be the entryway, kitchen, dining room, and some primary bedrooms.

For the entryway, keep it clutter-free and put away items like an old coat rack or piles of mail. Brighten up the area by adding a new light fixture. Try hanging a piece of art or a mirror to make it seem larger.

The dining room will look larger without a rug so put it away if you have one. Make sure the table’s size fits the room right.

Set a primary bedroom and make it feel warm and welcoming. If the room is spacious, arrange furnishings to show how one can use the space.

6. Lighting

If you’re showing a house, you must have good lighting so buyers can see all the features. Turn on every light in the house. If it’s already dark, have the porch lights on as well as solar lights along the walkway if you have one.

If your showing during the day, open the curtains and raise the blinds to let sunlight in. This makes the house look more inviting. Open doors as well and leave closet doors ajar so buyers can peek and check the storage space.

Brighten dark rooms with strategic lamp placement. Turn off the TV as it can be distracting.

7. Consider the Temperature

Part of creating a welcoming atmosphere is setting a comfortable temperature. A stuffy house on a warm day or a cold house on a cold day won’t help you sell.

Mind the weather on a scheduled house showing. If it’s cold enough to need a sweater, then heat up the house. Meanwhile, if the weather is hot, turn up the air conditioning.

8. Consider Scent

Making a sniff test should be another thing on your house showing checklist. Since you’re used to the smell of your home, have a friend give an honest assessment of how it smells. Sometimes all you need is a good scrubbing to ensure your house smells fresh.

Spray a deodorizer or enzyme cleaner on pillows, rugs, and upholstery to neutralize odors. You can also have a professional clean your carpets and fabrics.

If you’re going to use scent, use it sparingly. Potential buyers might be sensitive or even allergic to artificial scents. Keep them simple and clean.

If the weather allows it, use fresh air by opening windows to let the breeze in. This helps keep stale smells away.

9. Welcome Buyers with Grace

To help you sell your house, you must also have impeccable house-showing etiquette. This will be somewhat different from entertaining guests.

While it’s true that buyers are guests, you also want them to imagine that they own the house. Make sure that you and your home are as welcoming as possible. Don’t make the buyers feel like intruders.

Allow the buyers to keep their shoes on. Don’t expect them to take their shoes off at the entryway. That is unless they need to do so for religious or cultural reasons.

Give the buyers all the time they need to survey the house. Don’t pressure or hurry them. Remember that they’re a potential sale so be extra flexible on your part.

While it’s tempting to follow the buyers around, don’t do it. You can talk about the house in one area and leave them to explore some areas on their own. Remember that buyers won’t talk about what they think in front of you or if you’re standing by the door.

Consider having food at the ready too. Finger foods, cookies, drinks, and bottled water will do.

10. Other Ways to Create Mood

Showing a house is about creating a mood and there are plenty of other small things you can do to set the atmosphere.

Set the fireplace on, even if it’s summer. Have a bottle of champagne nearby with two clean glasses. Turn on some soft music that’s unobtrusive and suits a general audience.

If you have fountains, turn them on. The sound of water helps cover traffic noises or a loud neighbor.

Encourage touching by hanging sensuous fabrics like velvet wraps. Place sild throws over sofa backs and chair arms.

Succeed in Showing a House Today

When you’re showing a house, you want to make sure to impress potential buyers. This will increase the likelihood of making a sale.

Make sure your house is clean and clutter-free. Put personal items away. Add visual touch-ups to set a mood and highlight your home’s features. Want to know more tips about house showing? Check out our other guides here.

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