Where to Begin when Selling your Home
So you’re ready to sell? Maybe the house is too small, large or just not what you want. The problem is not with your home, but it just doesn’t fit your family anymore. Something attracted you to it initially, and that something could be just what another family is looking for. But you need to look at your home new as if you were buying it all over again.
Sprucing up the house will leave a great impression on potential buyers. You need to grab attention and create excitement about finding a house that looks and feels well-cared for. Buyers know they’ll encounter fewer problems if they buy a cared for home, which will make it more appealing and stand out from the rest of the market. Preparing your home correctly will save you time on the market!
Looks are not the only thing that will draw potential buyers, but a good first impression makes an impact on a number of levels. A buyer considers how a home feels and smells, how their friends and family will react and how they imagine it would be to live there.
Simple improvements through your house can grab the attention of potential buyers. We’ll help you show them why your house is right for them.
Preparing your Home for Sale
First impressions make all the difference on a buyer’s decision-making process!
Home Styling or Staging is not about decorating, but turning your home into a model to de-emphasize its flaws and appeal to the broadest range of prospective buyers. When your home is on the market it becomes a product. You need to highlight the positives and make people feel like they could live there. The best way is to “neutralize” the surroundings.
REALTOR® Magazine Online has provided these helpful styling tips in their article “Setting the Stage” comprised of the best kept secrets from real estate pros and stagers for things you can do at little to no expense to put a home in prime showing shape.
- Clear out closets and clutter—sellers can give away or pack up toys, linens, and small kitchen appliances to store offsite. Buyers are also forgiving of storage boxes neatly tucked away in a garage or basement.
- Focus most on the most visible areas—the foyer, kitchen, living room, master bedroom, and family room.
- De-personalize the home by removing photos, mementos, and dated items.
- Use plants in colorful pots or inexpensive wicker baskets to fill in empty spaces.
- Look to home catalogs for little details on beautifying the home. For instance, group books, pictures, and objects d’art appealingly on bookcases.
- Try angling one or two pieces of furniture slightly and move furniture 4 inches to 6 inches from the wall to create more interesting room spaces.
- Put away large collections— porcelains, plates, and so on.
- Remove valuables, prescription medicine, collectibles, and breakables.
- Trim trees, prune shrubs, and make sure the lawn is mowed and watered regularly.
- In summer, turn on the sprinklers for five minutes, 30 minutes before the open house. It makes the lawn and driveway sparkle.
- Refrain from cooking anything that leaves a distinctive odor, such as fish, garlic, or cabbage.
- Hire a professional service to clean the home, including the carpets and the windows.
- Set the dining room table with attractive linens, dishes, and stemware.
- Arrange fresh or silk flowers throughout the home.
- Light a fire in the fireplace in fall and winter.
- A mirror in a pretty frame can make a small room feel more open.
- Use as much natural light as possible. Add extra lamps in dark rooms or corners.
- Make functional repairs—fix dripping faucets, sticking doors, and broken fences.
- Bring in another pair of eyes—even if it’s not a professional stylist. The person may see problems you and have missed.
To talk about your real estate goals, call or email us today!
helen@helenoliveri.com
847.967.0022
Testimonials
My experience working with Helen Oliveri and The Helen Oliveri Team was excellent. My property was marketed excellent!
Helen and her team are the epitome of professionalism, organization, and efficiency. In the current market, having 35 showings in 10 days and going under contract after 18 days speaks for itself. I have told everyone in the area what a great job they all did and what a pleasure it was working with them. I could not have asked for better service!
Helen was very helpful and honest when listing our house, telling us not what we wanted to hear but she knew would sell our house. She was informative and great with helping us stage our house and get the best from selling it. We were very pleased with Helen Oliveri and her real estate team. They helped sell our house in a matter of months and were always on top of things and were there to answer any questions we had. We would refer anyone to Helen and her team.
Helen marketed my property quite well in that she sold my house in 30 days. Unlike other agents I spoke with or have dealt with in the past Helen focused on the positive aspects of my house and marketed to those strengths instead of dwelling on all the things I had to do to make my house more marketable. Obviously that paid off for me. I would strongly recommend the Helen Oliveri team to anyone wishing to sell their house.
Helen was great during the whole sale process. Every time I would call she would pick up ready to talk about anything. I have never experienced this level of service from a real estate agent. Helen is also very honest, she knows what needs to get done to sell a home. Our home was sold after 8 days of being on the market, even with being an interior town home unit which are not in high demand right now. Want your home SOLD? Talk to Helen. Thanks Helen!
We have just listed our home with Helen. She is very honest and upfront about the listing and selling procedures, very aggressive with getting the house marketed and has a wonderful staff working with her to get things going! My husband and I are very happy with our decision to list with her.
We would whole heartedly nominate you for “Realtor of the Year”. We are convinced that it was your superior skills as a realtor that enabled you to sell our townhouse so quickly in this extremely difficult market. Hiring you as our agent was really ‘our best move’. Thank you very much.
Helen’s knowledge of houses in the Countryside area was invaluable when obtaining statistics for my Mom’s house and the eventual sale in Glenview. My overall experience was excellent. They were great to work with and always had my best interests at heart. I was very impressed by how they all had a very positive attitude, in spite of the economy. I would definitely recommend The Helen Oliveri Team to anyone who would be interested in selling their house!
From beginning to end, Helen not only set the expectation for success but then followed through on her promise. Helen sets the bar very high for herself and still manages to go above and beyond. Even several months later, our respect and appreciation for Helen and her team’s efforts on our behalf cannot be adequately expressed. If you’re considering a move (either buying or selling), Helen truly is your best move!
5 stars across the board. If your looking for a realistate agent that would walk through fire to sell or find your next house The Helen Oliveri Team is the place for you! And they’ll let you use there moving truck for FREE!