Have you ever went on a date with somebody attractive yet you could not get over their dirty shoes, old cloths, or bad breath?
Whatever the buzzkill – that unfortunate person was left on the metaphorical dating market.
The buyers you show your home to are no different.They are looking to be wow’ed, dazzled, and romanced by your home.
You mind the small stuff on a date. Those nose hairs, clean cloths, hygiene, and more to make a good impression.
These small details are just as important when showing your home to buyers. Impressions make the difference between getting a full price offer, a low ball offer, or worst of all no offer at all.
Your first buyer preview
It’s your first big date with a buyer… Actually take a deep breath. Your agent will be meeting with you first preview. They will be taking photos of your property and will have advice to share with you on showing your home.
Here’s what you need to do before your home is shown.
Touch up cleaning
Prior to this point your home should have had a very thorough cleaning. Given so, you’ll only need to do a quick spruce up the place.
- Pickup any debris, dirty dishes, cloths, towels, toothpaste / brushes, etc.
- Turn on scented wax warmer. Use vanilla or cinnamon scent.
- Clean floors in traffic areas
- ELIMINATE pet fur or smells
Must do
- Put all toilet seats down
- Remove window screens & solar shades
- Put away, pack up, personal effects & pictures
- Don’t leave valuables on display
- HVAC to comfortable setting
- Table and chairs to write offers at
- Open all window shades
You also really need to remove your pets from the property. Many people tend to be uneasy when previewing with pets in the house.
Time permitting
- Air out your home
- Create pleasing background sounds with light classical or jazz music
- Turn on all lights inside and out
- Set out bottles of water
- Set out prepackaged snacks
Place pictures of staged home on counter top or in a video frame. Especially if you home is empty. Buyers will question where furniture goes. This can lead to objections. Leaving the pictures out quickly addresses that uncertainty.
Accommodate buyer previews
You need to make this as convenient as possible for the buyer. It’s best to move out of your home prior to putting it on the market.
Vacant homes are very easy for buyers to preview as they can preview any time is convenient for them. That is why vacant homes sell for 2% more on average.
Moving out prior to listing your home is seldom possible. Years ago we had a listing where the owner wanted a days notice for buyers to preview. We explained they would likely get no showings. After a month of no showings they decided to show with 1 hour notice. A few days later they got their buyer.
The more convenient you are for buyers the better you will sell. We advise no more than one hours notice to preview. The shorter notice the better.
Leave the house
It’s vital buyers spend as much time as possible previewing your home. The longer they spend the more likely they are to purchase your home. My shortest previews are always those where the owner stays during the preview.
You want the buyer to be comfortable in your home. You want them to picture themselves living there. They instead picture you living in the house if you decide to stay during the preview.
Leave the property. Let the buyer take their time previewing. Most importantly let them imagine themselves not you living in the home.