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
We want to thank you for a job well done! In deciding who would list the house, we were very impressed with your knowledge, professional presentation, but most of all, your enthusiasm. We are Real Estate Brokers who relied on a broker familiar with the area and expected a high level of professionalism. You exceeded every expectation. We will recommend you at every opportunity.
Helen, thanks too, for all your help selling the condo. You were always there to answer our questions and guide us through some difficult issues. All was much appreciated. Hope to see you soon.
Helen was very knowledgeable, professional and a joy to work with on my home sale. They were available to answer questions and I was never asked to wait on hold. Great response time. Furthermore, they marketed my property immediately and we had showings immediately. I was sent the links to the online marketing. Very strong marketing skills on behalf of Helen and her team. We are very happy with the results we received. We will use Helen Oliveri next time!
Responsive, caring…just a great team! Helen was there for us every step of the way. With the market and appraised value, our home was priced accordingly and sold. We put our entire trust in your team and we were impressed with the entire process. The entire team was warm, compassionate to our needs, and always available for us. May the entire team continue to have great success and blessings. Much love, Nick and Irene Makropoulos and family.
I feel the weight off my shoulders since this afternoon.It obviously was the right time to leave our home as we have no regrets, only fond memories. You and your team were fabulous and helped me through a challenging time. I would be more than happy to give a referral by phone to prospective clients. Thank you for everything and I wish you continued success as you certainly deserve it.
I must tell you, your staff is the kindest, most courtesy, helpful people I have ever run across. It is a pleasure to work with them. Thank you again for your prompt assistance.
Helen knows the real estate marketplace for our area and priced our home at a competitive price for the home to sell quickly. Any questions that I had during the sales process were answered in a timely manner. We had a number of showings on the property due to signs, and the internet postings that Helen provided. From start to completion of the sale of the home, all of the guesswork was handled by Helen and her team, making the process very easy.
We rate our overall experience with Helen Oliveri and the Helen Oliveri Team as excellent. The team was especially patient and understanding during a time that was emotionally tense for us. Thanks for your help! Everyone from Helen to all the office people were very prompt in helping us with whatever we needed. Thanks!
We were so very pleased to have Helen as our selling agent. We were especially impressed by her personal touch and concern for our interest, market in-puts and follow-up, quick turnaround time, and knowledge of the field. You should be proud of what you do as you definitely stand out as a highly qualified real estate agent. We never felt you ever let us down and were always looking out for our best interest.
My house had been on the market off and on for over two years with two different agents of one of the big area firms. I finally fired them and hired Helen.So, I was surprised that my house sold so quickly. I had to scramble a bit to find a new place. No problem; Helen’s team found me a great place in a great neighborhood for a great price. I moved out of my old place on a Thursday and into my new place on Friday. Thanks to Helen and her team.