– Drew Grossklaus, Sales Director/BIC East Cooper
October can be a scary month as it is full of Halloween festivities like haunted houses, creepy decorations, and terrifying costumes. In real estate, sometimes we see scary things in homes that are for sale. When you put your home on the market, homeowners need to ensure they’re not giving potential buyers a fright. It is imperative to highlight the best features of your home and important take care of any clutter or maintenance issues. Follow these tips and with a little planning, you can avoid a showing nightmare and put your home’s best foot forward.
Tidy Your Space. Keep the cobwebs and dust balls to the haunted houses. It may seem obvious, but having your home clean for showings is essential. A clean home gives a great first impression to the buyer, showing that you take care of your home and that it has been well maintained. You also want the buyer to feel comfortable from the start as they walk through the property, and not have to worry about the cleanliness of the places they can’t see if the places they can see are dirty.
Remove Clutter. Everyone hates feeling confined in a coffin, so don’t let your clutter make the buyer feel confined in your home. Removing clutter makes spaces feel larger and allows the buyer to envision their own belongings in each room. An important tip to remember is to put away family photos for showings. Family pictures are great, but when rooms are filled with them it can distract the buyer from the home’s features. They know you love your little ghouls and goblins, but don’t let that be the focus of the showing.
Address Maintenance Issues. You don’t want buyers to feel that maintenance issues could be haunting their new home. Before putting the home on the market, sellers should look at the exterior and interior of the home from a buyer’s perspective. Homeowners get used to slight imperfections that they plan on fixing later on. Those items could include scuffed walls, rusted vents, past water stains, exterior rot, burned-out light bulbs and dripping sinks. While homeowners see these items as easy to fix, buyers will see neglect and wonder if there are larger problems not being addressed. A pre-listing inspection is a great way to help homeowners see items that may need attention before showings start.
Leave the Home for Showings. Don’t let buyers hear voices in their head or worry about a ghost looking over their shoulder. Homeowners should not be home during a showing as it makes the buyers instantly put their guard up. Buyers want to feel free to look over everything and comment at will, so give them the space to do so.
William Means agents are professionals at making sure home showings don’t give buyers a scare. If you are thinking of selling your home, our agents can answer questions, share access to resources, and make sure your home is at its most inviting for potential buyers. Have a Happy Halloween!
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