It is true that it can be difficult to keep a house entirely clean at all times when one is staging it for home buyers. Especially, if the house stays on the market longer than usual, it becomes even more difficult to always maintain it in the state of a staged home. However, it is imperative that you do so.

Home owners who can afford it usually hire a professional cleaning service on a weekly or a fortnightly basis to ensure that their house is always kept clean. Home owners who cannot afford such an indulgence typically get their homes cleaned professionally at least once. This makes it easier to maintain the levels of cleanliness.

People with pets need to be extra cautious as pets can really dirty the house with hair, drool, etc.It is also important to keep the outside of your house clean. If your house is unsold during the fall or the winter, you will have to undertake the cleaning of fallen leaves and snow from your garden on a highly regular basis. Ensure that the gutters are properly cleaned and that there is no debris anywhere in sight.

Now every home owner who wants to sell their house has to take extra efforts to ensure that they do everything to woo potential buyers and nothing that could potentially turn them off. One of the right things to do is to ensure that your house looks inviting, welcoming and attractive even from afar and people want to come to it.

When people go to view a house with the intention of buying it, they like to imagine what it would be like to own that house. They want the house to embody the traits they admire and like. There is nothing more cheerful than being the owner of a truly welcoming and inviting house. If you can create that effect with your own house, you will create a powerful impression in their mind as well as a desire to be associated with a house like yours.

So, what can you do to make your house look inviting and welcoming? Well, to begin with, you need to give special attention to lighting. Ensure that your gate, your driveway, your walkway and your porch are all well lit. If you have a large outdoor property, ensure that it is properly lit too. If you are concerned about large expenses, get solar lights- they are wireless, easy to install, not very expensive and you can take them with you when you go. Put a large light fixture on your front porch with a bright light bulb inside it. It should be visible from afar.

Then look around your lawn or garden. If possible, line your driveway and walkway with plants and shrubs or at least potted plants, preferably, full of flowers. Fragrance is an important mood enhancer and good fragrances create a sense of well being. Ensure that the outside of your house is as tidy as possible. Ensure there is no clutter or debris in the lawn. Ensure that the outside of your house is freshly painted.

Firstly, the ‘wow’ factor that you consider adding needs to be unique to your own property. Ensure that you are not just following a trend that is popular in your neighborhood. That will not be of much help. On the other hand, make sure it is also not so unique that it carries the stamp of your personality on it. It may not be to everyone’s taste. So, what are the kinds of things you can do to the house to evoke a ‘wow’ reaction?

The bathroom is always a good space to explore. Consider renovations to your bathroom to make it truly spa like. If your bathroom is big enough, you can consider adding a hot tub to it. If it is possible, you can adjoin a room to the bathroom and add a hot tub to it. If neither are possible, you may want to consider an outdoor hot tub, either in the garden or on a terrace. You may even want to create an outdoorsy shower space. The other thing you may want to consider is a waterfall or a water fountain in the garden, if you have enough space for it.

Repairs around the house include anything that is broken and that needs to be fixed up. Lighting fixture are one part of the house that are tiny but which can add a lot to the room. If you have a chandelier in the hall that is broken, get it fixed. Leaving the chandelier switched on when a potential buyer comes in to look at the house can change the entire look of the living room. It will make the room look brighter and glamorous which can be a plus in the buyer’s memory. Apart from this, look into all the other lighting fixtures you have lying around the house. These are a small but important element that can be used to accessorize the rooms.

If you have long corridors in the house, do not leave them dark and uninviting. Place a light at the beginning or the end of the corridor. Corridor space is often thought to be of no use. However, placing a couple of nice paintings along the corridor wall can spruce up the corridor and make it look nice and inviting. There needs to be adequate lighting around this area. Switches have to be repaired. If you have broken switches in the house, get them fixed first before you show your house. Buyers tend to look at the switches and play around with it when they look at a house.

Don’t loose any sale, especially the first, so make those small repairs and you may be able to sell your house faster than you thought!

For your own family as well as the buyer’s, make it a point to apply for regional as well as national certificates such as the EPA’s Energy Star for homes. Refrigerators freed of CFC’s and HCFC’s are compulsory- so you must have certificates giving proof of this fact as well. If you can, try to source electricity bills from people you know who do not have as many energy-saving appliances as you have. Compare yours and their bill in front of the buyer and watch him become pleasantly surprised- after all, no one wants to close in on a deal unless they know they stand to gain something. Another useful tip is to invest in CFL’s or compact fluoro-carbons and substitute as many regular light-bulbs with these energy-conserving instruments. You could also consider installing programmable thermostats and motion detectors.

All plumbing, caulks and tiles should be tightly sealed and cemented, as the case may be. This greatly boosts the chances of any faulty insulation and also reduces your heating charges by a size-able amount. As far as bedrooms and bathrooms are concerned, a good, yet inexpensive suggestion is to have at least one small potted plant in each so that there is a constant supply of fresh air and pleasant green sights all over the house.

Use recycled paper for the brochures you will give your buyers. In a note behind the brochures, encourage them to do the same. A few days before the sale, start a small compost pit in your kitchen backyard and you may even manage to grow a small plant in it- inspiring buyers to carry on the good work! Most importantly, when you sell such a house, bring into the spotlight all that is energy and time-saving as well as economical in your house. Hard-sell your product and do so convincingly.

Just as your living room and other rooms require staging before showing the house to the buyer, the bathroom also requires to be staged. The bathroom is one of the most important rooms of the house. Many buyers are very fussy about their bathrooms and lay a lot of emphasis on this room. [..more..]

We have the “know how” to come up with creative solutions to fit your selling needs.  We handle all the paperwork so we can close when you need to.  We are problem solvers who can make your monthly mortgage payments evaporate.  We create and provide win-win real estate solutions for all our customers.

Our goal is to provide outstanding value for the money, to design and deliver quality and service unmatched by our competitors. If you have a California house that needs to be sold, We can help!  Contact us today!

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