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
The property that Helen listed and sold for us was our 6th home we have sold. Our experience was amazing. Helen is an outstanding broker, and knows her business better than any other realtor we have ever worked with. She is a top producer for a reason. I very highly recommend using Helen Olivieri as your broker/realtor when selling a home. She is outstanding at what she does.
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.
Thank you for your professional and speedy sale of our home in Hawthorn Woods . We tell all are friends to use you when they put their homes in the market. Have a great year.
Helen and her team are simply the best real estate team I have ever known. Helen is always personally available and made me feel like her closest friend and confidant and she fought for me unlike anyone I know. I am so confident in Helen and her team and I would recommend them without hesitation. I will always use Helen for any and all future real estate transactions. Thank you for selling my home in such a tough market. Helen you are the BEST!!
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.
They were professional, competent…with a personal touch! Helen and her team have perfected the art of selling a home. From the moment she introduced herself and her marketing plan, we felt confident Helen would sell our townhouse, and she did not disappoint. We received an offer after the second showing. Thank you, Helen and team. We’re grateful to have been guided by your expertise.
Helen came into our house after we had it listed with other brokers for over a year. She was honest, sincere and very direct to the point on what needed to be done to our home sold in this market. Also, I can’t believe the amount of marketing they do. I can honestly say that she really surpassed our expectations of what a realtor should be. Getting sold in this market for 96% of asking in 33 days speaks for itself. We are very grateful we called Helen and thanks to all of you for a job well done…
Helen and her team operates in a very professional and courteous manner. Everything was handled well from the beginning through the closing process. Would gladly recommend her services to anyone.
Helen is the consummate professional, working tirelessly for her customers, offering objective advice, available 24/7, and with an extensive knowledge of the real estate market. We received two offers in 2 days–need I say more? Helen is “the best of the best”, combining outstanding knowledge of the real estate market, fantastic instincts about negotiation strategy, and an ever-present professional demeanor. Helen has our highest recommendations!
Helen is a marketing genius. I never expected the response I received on my house. She also answered all my questions and made a stressful experience easy. Working with Helen was great and I really felt I was kept informed and given good advice. All I can say is I am glad Helen and her team were the ones selling my house. I have had nothing but good things to say whenever I am asked about my experience. The results speaks for itself.