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
My experience working with Helen Oliveri and The Helen Oliveri Team was excellent. My property was marketed excellent!
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.
We had our house up for sale six months with a limited service realtor, only to be constantly disappointed. You turned things around for us in six weeks! And for a selling price we were happy with. Our only regret is that we didn’t sign up with you in the first place. You people are serious – and it’s so obvious that you love what you do. Bottom line, we’ll recommend you to anyone who wants to experience real professionalism and real action! You’re the best Helen!
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.
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.
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.
I felt as though I had a trusted friend by my side each and every step of the way while buying my very first home. Helen is honest and genuine, an invaluable trait in a friend, so you can imagine how pleased I was to find it in an agent! She answered all of my questions and explained the things I didn’t understand without making me feel silly or inferior. When the time comes, I won’t hesitate to entrust the sale of my home to Helen. Working with her was truly a pleasure!
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 and the team are a selling machine!! If you looking for someone with a high level of integrity, who provides an honest assessment of how to get your house sold then look no further. High energy coupled with superior professionalism and great service. What more could you ask for? We went with a different realtor to start. After 90 days of little or no activity we switched to Helen. Our house sold in a couple days!! Thanks very much to Helen and her team!
My experience working with Helen was excellent. She is the pit bull of real estate! Not only knowledgeable and professional but very aggressive when it comes to selling your home. I would highly recommend them if you need to sell your home fast! Despite having so many listings she was always easy to get a hold of. Her knowledge of our local market was exceptional! I would highly recommend using Helen for all your real estate needs.