Spring is approaching and many home owners are considering putting their home on the market.  Now is the time to assess if your home is ready to show to buyers.  There is nothing more  frustrating then having a seller call, tell me they have been thinking they want to sell their home for months and want to list it tomorrow.  80% of the time their home is not ready to show.

This is a kitchen that was presented for sale and showings.  Would you want buyers to walk into this kitchen for a showing?  Do you even want home buyers seeing this kitchen online?  Really, a half an hour of organization and cleaning would go a long way in this small kitchen and have it ready to show.  You have to remember with the internet home buyers are now making the decision to see your home or not based primarily on the real estate photography of your home.  In today’s real estate market the first showings of your home are online!

The Buyer Ready Home- Getting It Ready to Show

A buyer ready home is where we have consulted with the seller and based upon their budget and desirability to do some work we prepare the home for showings.  In many of my moderately priced to high end listings I may bring in a home stager to “merchandise your home“.  Home staging is not about decorating but about presenting your home to buyers in the best possible light to potential buyers, based upon what we are seeing in the market place.

A Buyer Ready Home will be ready to show and be:

• Spotlessly clean from top to bottom. No matter what flaws your home may have a spotlessly clean home will always impress buyers.  Maybe you have some deferred maintenance you can’t afford to do.  That’s ok.  Impress the home buyers with a spotlessly clean home.
• Free from all personal collections, photos and style.  You may hear you should de-personalize your home.  The reason why is you want home buyers to concentrate on your home and how they will live in it, not how you live in it.
• De-cluttered.  Let the home buyer see the space you home has unhindered by your stuff and clutter.  Less is more when showing your home.
• Have paint freshened and neutralized where necessary.  Paint is relatively cheap.  Freshen up paint and neutralize and highly stylized paint colors.
• A home with any small repairs completed.  If you have the money fix any small repairs, leaky pipes or faucets, rotten wood or trim, service the furnace, etc…  Talk with your real estate agent about what may return you the money you may spend it may include roof or furnace replacements if you have the budget.
• A home with maximum curb appeal.   Curb appeal from the moment the potential buyers get out of their car to walking in the front door.  The first impression home buyers have of your home is the lasting impression.

Remember, every home is different, the list above is a great starting point before even calling a real estate agent.  Many of my more successful home sales have been a carefully executed plan where the homeowner contacted me months in advance of listing their home.

While very rarely, will I or my home stager ask you to spend a ton of money, it does require time and work for the home owner to complete.  For example,  I am about to list a home in Methuen MA,  it is an older ranch and is a starter home.  The kitchen and baths while outdated are in good repair.  The one thing I have asked the client to do is rip up the stained and outdated carpet to expose the hardwood floors.  In my experience it is better to show the slightly worn hardwood floors and their potential rather than a beat up carpet.  While this does not cost any money it will take the home owner several hours to complete.  The return should be huge!!

A Buyer Ready Home = $$$$$$$$

Yes, a Buyer Ready Home, will in most cases, recoup you a couple of thousand to even 10’s of thousands of dollars!!  I have several clients in the past year or two who will insist that the work we put into preparing their homes recouped them $5,000 to $10,000 or more! Is a couple of weekends worth a $1,000, $3,000 or more?

Other benefits of a Buyer Ready Home:

• Sell faster.  A home that is prepared for showings tend to sell faster.
• Less hassle.  A home that is desirable because of it’s appeal will create a strong desire and will allow you to pick your buyers.  If your home stands out in the crowd a buyer will want to not lose the deal over strong negotiating.
• Creates competition. Having buyers compete for your home is the most desirable position you can be in as a home seller.

Take the time to prepare your home properly and make it a Buyer Ready Home.  Int the long run it will save you time money and aggravation.

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This post, Is your home ready to show? The Buyer Ready Home, is provided by Kevin Vitali of EXIT Group One Real Estate.  Kevin brings the experience of 100’s of home sales to the table and can provide you with valuable information to get your home sold.  Call Kevin at 978-360-0422.  Wondering what your Massachusetts Home is Worth?