Preparing your Home for Sale

Presenting a Desirable Lifestyle

Over the last few years in the Central Ohio real estate market, it has become customary for the listing agent to hire a professional photographer to capture your home in its best light. These photos are used in print advertising and have a never-ending life on-line and on social media sites. These photos allow the buyer to preview your home on-line and leads to a personal tour with their Realtor. To prepare for these magazine quality photos, most sellers hire the design and leasing services of a professional stager to remove oversized furniture and personal accessories and replace with fresh and on-trend clean-lined furniture, accents and artwork.

I’m not an advocate for turning your home into a minimalist’s sanctuary, instead, I recommend keeping the items you plan to move to your next home while accentuating the functionality and storage capacity of your current home. After all, you’re selling a fully functional, desirable lifestyle.

Your potential buyer needs to be able to imagine themselves and all their possessions in your home. They need to see where they will drop their keys as they enter the doorway from work. As the seller, you need to help them with this vision. Whether you choose to hire a professional stager, or stage the home yourself, there are several elements to a successful presentation of a home to create that “desirable” lifestyle for your buyer. 

First, the kitchen. Remember, you are competing against homes with never used appliances and customized cupboards with storage for pans, spices, dry goods and canned goods. While your kitchen may not be totally up to date, having organized cabinetry, spotless appliances inside and out, a well-organi zed panty or cupboard for food, and a morning coffee/breakfast station will make a major difference in a buyer’s perception regarding the functionality of your kitchen.

Second, the garage. Garages are often used as the storage for everything other than a vehicle. It is critical that the garage be clean, organized, have a car in it and only garden tools/work bench and lawn mower present. If you have too many possessions to create the space, then you should consider storing these items offsite at a storage unit. Again, buyers need to be able to think about your current space as their future space. They want to be confident that the space will be sufficient to meet their needs and will function efficiently.

Next, the basement. Like the garage, basements tend to be used as a catch-all for furniture, seasonal items and the like. A well-functioning basement from a buyer’s perspective would have shelving for seasonal items that are organized in totes and labeled. There would be a secondary over-stock pantry for extra items from the most recent big box run. The laundry area should be freshly painted and organized in a crisp functional way. And even if the basement is unfinished, try to carve out another “room” such as a workout space, media viewing space, home office or teen hangout.

Finally, the buyer’s expectations for the kitchen, garage, and basement goes for the rest of the house as well. Bathrooms that are not mildew-free and fresh smelling will make your buyer pause. Don’t forget, medicine cabinets, linen closets, coat closets and most kitchen & bath drawers will be opened by prospects. These areas should be clean and neat with no prescription medications or other sensitive items in them. Closets with hanging clothes or coats should not be packed to capacity. Give your buyer the appearance of extra space for their items.

Remember, potential buyers want to see well utilized and functioning spaces that they can imagine putting their own possessions in. They often are comparing your home to a model-perfect newly built home. Staging and organizing to show both the functionality and desirability of your home will allow the buyer to imagine themselves living there, and as a result, lead to a successful closing day.

If you are considering listing your home I'd love to talk. With my 18 years experience I strive to be your personal resource for all things real estate--upsizing, downsizing, first home, investing, vacation home, land acquisition or commercial. Let's connect! Email me at [email protected].