We reached out to our RE/MAX Influencers – a panel consisting of RE/MAX Sales Associates throughout Canada – to find out some tips and best practices that will help you get your home ready for sale.
Clean & De-clutter
Cleaning and de-cluttering is one of the most important things you can do when preparing to sell your home. Cleaning is fundamental when it comes to selling your home. You want to present your home in a way that is going to give potential buyers the best first impression and dirty house will be the first thing people notice. It doesn’t take much to give your house a good clean and it is an easy way to prep your home for sale. De-cluttering also plays a huge role in the overall impression people get when viewing a home, as a house with very minimal clutter opens up the opportunity for the viewer to picture themselves in the space. Being able to imagine themselves living in the space will automatically make your home feel much more inviting and welcoming.
One influencer stated, “Most buyers know within the first couple of minutes if it is the right house for them. First impressions are important, so de-cluttering and leaning is of the most importance,” Al Dredge, RE/MAX Real Estate, Edmonton, AB.
Staging
Staging is a great way to present your home to potential buyers as it allows them to see what can potentially be done in each room of the house. Staging ties in the de-cluttering aspect of prepping your home to sell, as you want to de-personalize your home as much as possible. Many people find it hard to imagine themselves living in a space when someone else’s family photos and personal items are visible. By de-personalizing and removing those items from sight, it creates more of a show home feel.
“Develop a show experience! Don’t just de-clutter and depersonalize, but deep clean, repair any known deficiencies and improve any known weaknesses. Proper pricing and marketing will position a property or a potential offer, but show experience is the determining factor in move-in-ready real estate,” says Taylor Hack, RE/MAX River City, Edmonton, AB.
Staging a home ca be as simple as putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls and rearranging your furniture, which makes it a great way to get your home ready for sale.
Get Professional Photos Taken
As good as the cameras are on smartphones these days, nothing can compare to the quality of professional photos. Your listing photos are the very first impression that potential buyers get of your home and having dark, grainy images is going to immediately deter interest. Professional photographers know how to manipulate light in a space to produce the best possible photo and can work with angles to give the best possible representation of your home through your listing images.
Frank Fairley of RE/MAX First Realty, Parksville, BC says, “the photos are going to be viewed over and over, so it is of primary importance to show well on both the outside and the inside. Use a pro photographer, don’t take photos yourself!”
Hiring a professional photographer is one of the best investments you can make when it comes to getting your home ready for sale and their images allow you to put your best foot forward and leave the best impression on potential home buyers.
