Wishing moms all the love and smiles you so deserve! Hope it is a special time for you. This will be my first Mother’s Day without my mom. For those of you who have lost your mom, even though we won’t be able to spend Mother’s Day with them, they will always be in our heart. – John
Many of the houses I sell need some work before they are ready to list. I work with most of my sellers to complete some inexpensive projects that make a significant impact on the sale price. By avoiding simple mistakes, my average listing for the past two years has sold for more than $60,000 above list price. Here are some of the common issues with possible solutions:
- Mistake: Clutter and disorganization. Solution: Minimize the mess. Declutter. Invest in stylish storage solutions to hide the clutter or keep unnecessary items in an off-site storage unit until the house sells.
- Mistake: Not enough light. Solution: Lighting is critical these days. Add table lamps, overhead lighting and floor lamps to ensure rooms like the kitchen, bathroom and living room have plenty of illumination.
- Mistake: Too many colors and patterns. Solution. Too much can look busy and distracting. Choose a fun pattern for a wall or bold color for a piece of furniture, but keep other pieces solid to avoid being overwhelming. I tend to use neutral colors on most walls, such as Navajo White, which allows buyers to more easily visualize what they can do with the space.
- Mistake: No live houseplants or flowers. Solution: A little green is good for the air. No plants creates a sterile looking environment. Fake plants can often look nice, but don’t bring your house to life like live flowers and plants, which look and smell better. A small investment can make a big difference.
- Mistake: Too many photos. Solution: Remove or keep only a few personal photos on display. Try to group them in one small area. The goal is for the buyers to be able to picture themselves in the house, and your personal photos don’t help with that goal.
- Mistake: House isn’t clean. Solution: Keep countertops clean with minimal small appliances on them. Clean up and store items as soon as you are done using them. Dirt and disorganization negatively impact the look and feel of a house.
- Mistake: Visible clusters of wires and cables. Solution: Use cords that match your wall color. Neatly tie excess cables with a rubber band or zip tie. Store extra cables in storage containers or inside cabinets.
- Mistake: Windows are bare or have worn window treatments. Solution: After paint, window treatments are the easiest and least expensive way to change the look of a house. An inexpensive blind or shade can dress up a window and give a much cleaner and fresher look to the room.
More questions about staging? Thinking of selling or just want to talk about the current market, please reach out to John by phone, text or email: 562.940.5440 or John@Rudy.Properties .