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
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Testimonials
Everyone on Helen’s team works well together and with the client to accomplish the objective – sell houses! I feel my home was marketed excellent and the property sold so quickly. I rate my experience with Helen Oliveri and The Helen Oliveri Team just outstanding. At the end of the day, our house had been on the market for a year with a different agent and had not been sold. The house sold in 28 days after I listed it with Helen and that is what it is all about.
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…
I cannot recommend Helen and her team enough! They were extremely professional, organized and aggressive in marketing my home and very responsive to all of my inquiries and needs from day one to closing. Well done Helen. You have a great team!
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!
Helen, I should have responded sooner but my feet haven’t touched the ground since the good news on the sale of my house. You lived up to all and more than my expectations with the way you’ve handled everything. I appreciate the double emails to Sally and me. My friends celebrated with me at Maggiano’s on Friday and we were all amazed at the quick sale and at the listing price! I thank you as does my family.
Wow! What a whirlwind 5 weeks! I just want to take a moment and thank you both for all the hard work you have put in over the past several weeks. Your professionalism is to be commended. Tim and I both feel, if we had listed with you last summer, our home would have been sold then. I also want to thank you for the special gift, it was very thoughtful and I look forward to enjoying it! This house was Tim’s favorite home, so he was most thankful. We truly appreciate your thoughtfulness. …
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!
My experience in working with Helen Oliveri was good. She provided very thorough marketing and good advise. It was great on how I was made aware of the process of my home sale. Also, my property was marketed excellently! My overall experience with Helen and her team was excellent. My house was difficult to sell and Helen helped it happen quickly.
Helen did a very good job. She was professional throughout the entire experience and always available with an immediate response turnaround time. I felt they had great marketing! It was a pleasure working with you Helen! Thank you for all of your assistance during our home purchase and our rental of our townhome.
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.