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
I really did not know Helen and her team too well, because Helen sold my house in a week! The first thing that Helen impressed me is her punctuality. Before I selected Helen as my realtor, I interviewed several others. One of them was 30 minutes late and did not even bother to call me. Helen’s follow-up is excellent. She kept me informed during the whole process and always returned my calls promptly. I would absolutely refer anyone to Helen for her real estate service.
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, 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.
We felt that Helen and her team did a terrific job for us. We were very pleased to be able to sell the property so quickly. And appreciate all of Helen’s direction in getting the house staged. Thanks for all your support and help during the selling process.
Our experience with Helen was excellent. She was always available to answer questions and provide assistance and her marketing approach is by far the best. Helen and her team are amazing. We were in constant communication regarding showings, feedback, and open house preparation. We were motivated sellers and we certainly had a motivated realtor. Simply stated, Helen showed she cared and helped us to achieve a great outcome.
Helen was great! Communication is key for me, especially following a bad experience with another realtor several years ago. This was not an issue for Helen and her team, as I was continually informed on the status of our listing with detailed email and telephone updates. The marketing materials did a fantastic job of showcasing the property. We definitely made the right decision to use Helen and her team to sell our home, for all the reasons mentioned above and more.
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.
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.
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.
We had made the mistake of first signing with another team…..their claims being much the same as yours. What we learned was claims are one thing, but living up to them is another thing altogether. That experience made us even more “gun shy” of your claims of service and attention. You lived up to and went beyond every claim. Your work ethics and attention to detail inspired us to ask if we could put this letter together.