Sell it Yourself by PJV - HTML preview

Chapter 5 THE FIRST IMPRESSION

In the last section you looked at what makes you home different from others - the positive selling points you can use in your advertising. Now the task is to enhance all of the property features in a way that they will be most attractive to buyers.

Even though you have done the repairs that the appraiser and home inspector highlighted, there are several other tasks you need to do to create the all-important first impression. The most important one is to detach yourself emotionally from your home. It is important to begin to think of your home in the same way buyers will: as a house.

After a few weeks of house hunting, most homebuyers will look at your property the same way they look at cars for sale. As you work through the process of preparing to sell your home, look to what the future has in store in your new home and say goodbye to each room in the house you are selling.

This is important because it will help you to be more objective about the condition and appearance of your house. The faster you disassociate yourself from the property, the easier it will be to begin the process of moving to your new residence.

When you begin to advertise your property, a buyer may drive by the property before they call for an appointment to see the house. This is where they will get their first impression of your house, and it can be the turning point that decides if they make the appointment or begin searching for another property.

A prospective buyer will see your house a lot differently than you do after years of living there. Over time, once you settle into the routine of a home, it is easy to overlook the details that stand out like a sore thumb under the microscope of the buyers’ eyes.

The process of selling a home has been compared to a job interview. Just as you would not go to your dream job screening in jeans and dirty sneakers, you have to prepare your home for its buyer "interview" to create the best impression. That impression begins with how your house looks from the curb; the "curb appeal" of your property sets the tone for how receptive the buyer will be to seeing the rest of the property.

While buyers may haggle over price, a large part of the decision of which house to buy comes from the emotional response to the house. The goal is to make the house warm, inviting and easy to love, so you want to make it as appealing as possible both inside and outside.

TAKE OFF YOUR ROSE COLORED GLASSES AND GET REAL
Buyers are looking for their next home

While some of your prospects may be first time buyers, you will probably have several that are looking to buy their second home and will judge your property from the perspective of a homeowner and maybe even an individual looking for an investment property. Regardless of what category your prospective buyer belongs to, it is crucial to the sale of your property to give it the best presentation possible.

Now that you have said goodbye to your emotional attachment to the house, it will be easier to see it through the eyes of a buyer. It's a good idea to go across the street from your home and see your home in relation to the others on your block. How does your property rate against the houses on either side of it? Does it need painting? Are shingles missing on the roof?

If that is your view of your property, that will be what a prospective buyers will see when they drive by your home; the street conditions, neighboring houses and your home, which includes everything about the exterior of your property.

If your house fails to spark a buyer's interest from the curb, your house may stay on the market for a long time. Homebuyers are savvy about the real estate market for the most part and many times if they see a house with peeling paint or lawn that has not seen a lawn mower for a year, they simply drive away to their next house on the list.

Your lawn and all of the land around your home should be free of obstacles to seeing the house and the exterior of the home should be neat and clean. Depending on the material of the exterior of your home, you have the option to paint or pressure-wash the exterior. If you have sagging doors or windows get them realigned as soon as possible. Everything about the exterior of your home should be evaluated for curb appeal.

Now you are at the front door, when you enter your home, what is the first thing you see? Again remember you are standing in the shoes of a buyer. Their tastes in decor may be different from yours, but even if they are the same, the house no longer belongs to you, so your personal tastes must be put aside.

Brightly colored walls are a big no-no because they are distracting and make it difficult for the buyer to focus on how they would live there. You want the buyer to be able to visualize the room in their favorite color with their furniture and personal items. A fresh coat of paint in white or off white makes the room look immaculate and more spacious. In addition, it leaves a fresh, clean smell to the house, which makes a great impression. Let's take a look at some of the other things you should consider.

TAKE A WHIFF
What's That Smell?

Walking into a house from the outdoors makes house odors easier to detect and this tops the list as one of the things homebuyers do not want to encounter. Odors from cigarette smoke; cooking, pets and mildew can be offensive to many people and will hurt your chances for a quick and profitable sale.

Painting will eliminate some of this problem but you should also place air fresheners in closets and a subtle blend of potpourri in each room can help as well. Remember the point is to eliminate, not cover up odors.

Pets

If you own a dog or cat, remember that some people are frightened of these animals. It doesn't make any difference how much you tell a buyer that they are harmless, their mere presence is enough to send some prospects backing out of your driveway faster than they drove in. The last thing you want to do is make a prospective buyer uncomfortable; remember there are plenty of houses on the market.

Placing pets in any area that you need to show buyers is a bad idea because if they cannot see everything they will be hesitant about buying the house-no one wants to buy a house that they cannot investigate fully.

The best remedy is to ask your neighbor or friend to board your pet when you are showing your house. As an alternative you can contain your pet in a carrier, if there is no one who can board your pet. This way the buyer will not feel threatened.

The Problem with Basements

If you home has a basement you should be aware that odors of a feeling of dampness in the basement of a house will scare off most buyers for fear of foundation cracks. Make sure that your gutter downspout is pointed away from your foundation to avoid this problem. Other causes of this problem could be a clogged underground drain.

LOOK AROUND
Grimy Bathrooms and Kitchens

The kitchen and bathroom are the two rooms that buyers will inspect the most closely and if either of these rooms are dirty, you will most certainly lose the buyers interest. Keep in mind that most buyers are looking for a ready-to-move-in house. There are a few hardy individuals that will take on the task of fixing up a house, but then the seller must lower the price.

Even if it means that you hire a professional service to do the job, do whatever you have to do to make the whole house, and especially these two rooms spotless. Get out the elbow grease and scrub until everything, fixtures and appliances shine.

The Dark Room

No we are not talking about a photographer’s studio. Dark rooms in a home that you want to sell, is another thing that can drive away prospects. Homebuyers like to see houses flooded with light so that they can see every detail. Natural light is best, but where additional light is required make sure that the wattage of the bulb is high enough to illuminate the area brightly.

Make sure that every area of your house has lighting installed and that the fixtures are in good working order. Areas that are many times overlooked include closets, stairwells to the basement, the laundry room and the area where the circuit breaker or fuse box is located.

To allow the most natural light into the house remove dark colored curtains, drapes or window coverings. In addition make sure that tree limbs do not cast shadows in the room. Replace these with the minimum window treatment that will afford privacy.

Make sure to clean all your windows from the outside as well as inside to make the most of your view. If you find and chips or broken windows, don't take half measures to repair them with glue or tape, have the panes replaced. For the house that has double pane glass windows, check all of the seal and replace these as well.

Wall Coverings

Stenciling, murals and especially wallpaper can turn off buyers because it is a much more personal decorating choice than painting. You want your house to appeal to the largest group of buyers’ possible, so strip off the wallpaper, don't simply paint over it. Very few house hunters would welcome the tedious task of stripping wallpaper, one that they should not have to do in their new home.

In fact, if most buyers had to choose between wallpaper and a paint color they don't like, most would deal with the paint job which is much easier than removing wallpaper.

 

Neglected Gutters

If you want a buyer to bring you a serious offer, you have to present them with a serious opportunity. Some homeowners fix the shingles on their roofs and leave their gutters full of debris. This is one of the major conditions that cause problems with water drainage.

Hovering Home Sellers

That means you. After you have welcomed your buyers into your home and given them a tour, give them the freedom to explore your house on their own. Let them know where you will be if they have questions and then leave. Again the point here is to make your prospects feel at home, if you hover around them, they may feel inhibited to open closets or walking around the outside of the house. In addition, if there is more than one buyer, they may want to discuss their findings and thoughts about the house in private.

Lack of Information

It will help your buyers if you prepare a fact sheet about your property that lists all of the features, your contact information and the purchase price to give them in addition to the required disclosures about the property.

Take the facts from your appraisal report and be prepared to answer all the questions your buyers may have which can range from wanting to know the age of the roof to questions about the neighbors or community features.

There are times when you will show your house to a buyer and they make an offer right on the spot. If this happens make sure you have all of the required documentation in a folder and be ready to negotiate your deal.

IF IT’S UGLY IT’S UGLY

Finally, there may be things that you cannot do anything about; if the neighbor's yard is a mess, all you can do is speak to them about it. Your main area of focus has to be to make your property the star, and it is very possible that once your neighbor see how great your property looks as a result of your efforts that they will follow your example on their own.

In the next section we will look at the specific steps you may need to take to have your home ready for buyers to see.