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
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.
Helen was very personable and passionate about wanting to work with us. We were exceedingly happy that our home sold so quickly when all other houses in our neighborhood (NOT being offered by Helen!) have been on the market for months, some for well over a year. Helen and her team are real “go-getters” and seemed to want the house to sell as much as we did. THANK YOU for making this such a pleasant experience for us, especially in this poor market.
Selling your home is stressful but not with Helen. She will guide you completely through the process. Also, working with the team was excellent. The team will keep you updated and help you with any questions or concerns along the way. I felt my home was marketed excellent. Honest and effective marketing. We were interested in selling our home not just listing it.
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!
We were very pleased to have Helen and her team market our home and find a buyer so quickly in a very difficult sales environment. Our experience was excellent with great follow through and we were sold in two weeks. Working with Helen was excellent, she was very responsive. She and her team are true professionals!
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…
I am beyond grateful that it was Helen and her team who carried us through the roller coaster known as our house sale. Without her I am more than sure we would not have sold it and potentially ended up in foreclosure. Helen is exactly what I needed during negotiations. She never made me feel stupid about the process nor did she do anything but lend an ear during a time of strife. Without question, I would recommend and use her services again.
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!
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 and her team operates in a very professional and courteous manner. Everything was handled well from the beginning through the closing process. Would gladly recommend her services to anyone.