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
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 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, 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.
Thank you so much for all your help in selling our home. We have had a fantastic experience with you! We are still in shock that you sold our home before the sign was put in the yard!!What a pleasure it has been to receive “play by play” communication. We felt secure & well-informed each step of the way. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Helen Oliveri and her team represent the highest professional level of expertise and customer service skills. Helen’s knowledge of the current market helped us sell our house in a very short period of time. She not only knew the specific requirements of the market, but also handled the transaction with attention to detail to fulfill the needs of her clients. We will recommend Helen and her team to anyone looking for a qualified agent to sell their home.
Helen is easy to work with and instills confidence that she can get the job done. All of The Helen Oliveri Team I dealt with were very professional and friendly. In particular, I found Alison to be very efficient and customer-service oriented. My home was marketed quite well in that Helen 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 thing…
Helen has a great business model. She does what she knows best, and her team does what they know best. Communication with the office was great, and we always felt that Helen was just a phone call or email away. I would highly recommend Helen for the selling of your home.
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…
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.
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!