Staged to Sell: Part 2 of 4

A four part series on staging your home to sell faster, by your Boulder Colorado Real Estate Expert.

Make Needed Repairs

Getting a house ready to sell is a chore, because a lot of people who are selling have emotionally checked out of the house. They’d rather focus their time and efforts on their next home instead of the one they’re leaving.

But this could be a mistake. There are cost-effective ways to make a house more attractive to buyers. The first suggestion is basic, repair what is broken.

A house in disrepair will receive a lower price, and the cost to fix items will often be deducted anyway. By getting the house in good repair, sellers take away the opportunity for buyers to haggle.

A thorough cleaning is suggest, and ridding the house of the clutter that homeowners learn to not see after a while. You know that area in the kitchen where you toss the mail and the kids’ lunch boxes and the recycling? When potential buyers come into a home, that’s the first thing they notice.

Cluttered closets are also a big turnoff for prospective buyers, who think: How am I going to put all my stuff in here?

One solution is to start packing early, before the house is sold, and then stow the boxes in a temporary storage locker. By packing up closets and clearing out the garage, sellers create a felling of openness in the house that’s attractive to buyers.