Everyone remembers the old saying, “You only get one chance to make a first impression”. It goes without saying, but it can’t be stressed enough.
Before selling:
- Clean up! Take broken or no longer used items to the landfill of Goodwill. Declutter all surfaces and DEEP CLEAN.
- Go to the places you don’t really want to go: Your attic and crawl space. Look for any mold or signs of pests. Address the issues found – either using professional services or legitimate DIY methods.
- Look around outside…and clean up there too. Pressure wash driveways (never roofs) and sidewalks. Clean up PNW mold and fungus off of window frames, siding, outdoor furniture etc.
- Get rid of signs of pets. Some sellers become “nose blind” to the smell of wet dog or litter boxes. Remove furniture that is tattered or has been used as a scratching post.
- Depersonalize! Take down family photos and religious displays. It doesn’t matter which religion! Buyer’s need to be able to imagine themselves in your space as it becomes their space.
In my opinion, it is of paramount importance to do a detail cleaning and staging of the area OUTSIDE of the front door. As a buyers’ agent is fumbling with a keybox – buyers are looking around and hopeful that this is THE house. Don’t give them reason to lose their optimism prematurely.
Olympia Real Estate Blog 