5 Tips on Presenting your Home

In today’s competitive real estate market, impressions are crucial. You have listed your home for sale and you want everyone who visits to see your home as special as it is. You have freshened up the paint, cleaned the carpets, had the home professionally staged and you are ready for buyers. There are lots of new homes that you will be competing against, so let’s take a lesson from their playbook. Here are some tips that will enhance your hard work and should pay dividends, namely a quick sale for the best price.

1. Light
   Show your home in its best light, literally! Entering a home that is dark with no lights on and the blinds drawn is depressing. You goal in all this is for the prospective buyer to feel like they have truly found “home”. With somewhat high energy bills, you may not want to spend the extra dollars for leaving the lights on while you are out, but it makes all the difference.
2. Clean House
   Always keep the beds made and everything picked up and neat. A prospective buyer entering a messy house will get the impression that the house has not been well maintained besides the obvious turn-off.
3. Music
   Have some music playing softly in the background. A radio station, CD, or a television music station is the easiest way. You want something like smooth jazz or an oldies station to set the tone. It may seem very subtle, but when shopping new homes, they always have music going in their models. You should too.
4. Candles
   This should be done only when you will be out of the house for a short time! Scented candles such as cookies baking or apple pie appeal to the senses. Obviously, you do not want to be gone for a long while and leave a candle burning, but it is the icing on the cake.
5. Privacy
   Get out of the house. Buyers need to look in closets and cabinets, and they do not feel comfortable doing the things they need to do or making comments with the current home owner present. Often times if they have concerns, their real estate agent is able to address them.

In doing these simple things, you will appeal to the senses and help get your home at the top of the buyer’s list.