CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOODS
New neighborhoods coming soon!
INDUSTRY REPORTS
New reports added monthly!
Getting Your Home Ready to Sell
Proper staging is essential. While some homes with untidy interiors and poor curb appeal do sell, those homes are few and far in between. The properties that sell the fastest and for the best price are clean, free of clutter, and exude high curb appeal.
Our experienced team of professionals has created an extensive checklist to help you stage your home and make it irresistible to buyers. Here are just a few of the key steps:
Step 1: Disassociate Yourself From Your Home.
Start off by viewing your home through a prospective buyer’s eyes. Your home is now just a house, a product that needs to be marketed. Make the mental decision to “let go” of your emotions and focus on the fact that soon this house will no longer be yours. This first step is often the most difficult; you can rely on John Paolella’s team to help you objectively evaluate your property.
Step 2: De-Personalize.
When entering your home, a prospective buyer needs to be able to envision him or herself (and their family) living there. With that being said, we advise that you remove most of your personal items including photographs, large murals, and that shrine to Wrigley field (what if your buyer is a Sox fan?). Buyers often can’t see past personal artifacts and will miss out on the wonderful features of your home.
However, we don’t advise that you remove every personal item. Vases with fresh flowers, a few paintings, and soft pillows are wonderful accents that can be used to make the house feel warm and welcoming.
Step 3: De-Clutter!
It’s amazing how fast our possessions can fill up a house. But, when it comes time to selling, all those extra items must go. The kitchen and bathrooms are the main selling points of a house. When buyers walk into your kitchen, you want them to notice all the counter space, so remove all appliances, dishes, knick-knacks, etc. The same goes for the bathroom; remove your toothbrush holder, hair dryer, makeup, etc.
In addition to removing small items, you should also consider removing large items – like furniture and bookcases. Extra furniture can make large rooms seem small, and small rooms appear even smaller. So, consider putting extra couches and chairs in storage for the time being. Remove the extra leaves from your dining room table, too. The goal is to leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room’s purpose and leave plenty of room to move around.
Step 4: Make Minor Repairs.
It is not necessary to make a $25,000 renovation on your kitchen before you sell your home. You should, however, replace cracked floor or counter tiles, patch holes in walls, fix leaky faucets, and repair doors that don’t close properly and kitchen drawers that jam. You should also replace burnt-out light bulbs to make the house appear brighter and warmer.
Step 5: Make the House Sparkle!
It’s important to make sure your house looks and smells clean when prospective buyers visit. Think about it – would you want to buy a property with cobwebs in corners and toothpaste crusted on the counters? Would you want to buy a home that smelled musty? Take the time to give your home a thorough scrubbing from top to bottom.
Step 6: Check Curb Appeal.
The first part of your home a buyer will see is the exterior. So it’s important that you keep the yard clean of any debris such as lawn decorations, bicycles, and children’s toys. Trees and shrubs should be pruned and the lawn regularly mowed. Peeling paint should be touched up, and your house number clearly displayed.
