Preparing The Home For The Market

Of course, entire books have been written on preparing a home for the market, its importance, and what happened for those sellers who did it right... and to those sellers who did not.  The presentation you are striving for can be summarized in the following manner:

• Light and bright
• Uncluttered and neat
• Neutral in color and pattern
• Impersonal and inoffensive
• Clean and well maintained

We will not dwell on the above since many agents do an excellent job in this regard.  There are excellent books, checklists, and video tapes for you and your seller, so we will not steal their thunder.  One of the more enjoyable and informative tapes is Barb Schwarz’s.  It is widely available for a nominal cost, but her magic wand is additional.

Bear in mind that most home buyers will be unduly impressed with your seller’s home if it is neutral, neat, and clean.  But be careful not to spend too much of your seller’s money unnecessarily on market preparation.  The following is a checklist for your seller which includes some of the more important, more interesting, and sometimes overlooked items:

• Replace the light bulb in each lamp or fixture with the maximum wattage bulb allowable
• Wash the bulbs and lenses of all lamps and fixtures
• Have all windows (and mirrors) washed inside and out
• Wash in between windows and storm windows
• Open blinds and raise shades to maximize natural light
• Consider removing drapes to brighten the home
• Identify items that will not be moved to the next home and sell, donate, give, or throw these things away now
• Remove furniture from hallways and narrow foyers
• Move anything that impedes entry or clear sight into any room
• Remove everything from kitchen counters, bathroom vanities, and desk tops, then replace only those items that are used daily
• Remove everything from the stairs
• Clean everywhere but pay special attention to kitchens and bathrooms
• Tile grouting and tub caulking must be cleaned thoroughly
• Any soiled carpets must be cleaned if not replaced (remove any dents left by furniture)

• Touch up appliances and the corners of walls where the paint has been chipped off
• Clean any heating/cooling vents giving special attention to cold air returns
• Everything outside should be neat and trimmed... the lawn should be picture perfect and freshly mulched (this surely is not too mulch to ask)
• Exterior painting should be done if required
• The front door should be clean, painted if needed, and all hardware, (e.g. locks and latches) should be operating flawlessly
• If the interior is painted, replace electrical switch plates and socket plates with new ones
• Fix all dripping faucets
• Set the dining room table for dinner
• Make your seller aware of the ideal presentation and strive to meet it knowing that you rarely will.  Nevertheless, your effort will be rewarded with a higher price in a shorter time.

Carefully look over your seller’s MLS information.  The vital importance is that the great majority of buyers first visit a home because of what they or their agent read in the MLS.  While you will note all important features and emphasize the highlights, any unimportant information should be omitted as including it dilutes the overall impact. 

Your familiarity in working with buyers as well as knowledge of how other agents search the MLS will be invaluable.  Any one bit of information in error could be insignificant, or alternatively could be a controlling factor in not finding a buyer.  Depending on who your prospective buyers are and the home's features, you might stress comfort, safety, prestige, or some combination of these factors.

Carefully prepare a high quality information handout or brochure to be available in the property and for you to circulate as appropriate.  Do not pinch pennies here: An exceptional brochure impresses buyers and sellers alike as well as future buyers and sellers.  Develop a standard format and use as much color as you can afford.  Please include the home’s price!  But remember, the price and even other data might change.  It will be handy if your standard brochure can be produced in small quantities, as few as 5 or 10.  Make friends with a good, full service print shop. 

Alternatively, purchase a high quality, full color printer, and associated paraphernalia.  The best brochure is probably four pages or less, but do not stray too far from local custom.  Can your standard MLS information sheet be incorporated?  Don’t try to list every insignificant sliver of information, as this will detract from the important part of your message.  Concentrate on what is important to buyers in your market and do not dilute it with trivia.

The object is to have the buyer finish reading the brochure before going to sleep.  Besides, travel time to the airport or the grocery usually is not a major issue.  When it is, the selling agent or the buyer can easily find the answer.  Don’t make 999 busy buyers wade through this stuff because of the 1 out if 1,000 who cannot figure it out. 

Yes, voluminous brochures can work almost as well on buyers and even better on sellers, but remember the goal is to sell the home.  Thick brochures for sellers, thin for buyers.  Choose your audience carefully.  And remember, a four-page "property" brochure in which three pages is devoted to hyping your talents and successes is sure to impress only one person.  If your ego is this fragile, order a lower cost brochure and start saving for a shrink.

An excellent vehicle to convey some important thoughts is a personal letter from your seller to the prospective buyer.  The more personal, the better.  It can be handwritten or typed, and it should be signed with your seller’s first name.  It is best reproduced and included with the information handout available to visitors in the home. 

Finally, as a thoughtful agent, provide your seller one of those little machines that dispenses sequential numbers on bits of paper like you've seen at the deli counter in the supermarket.  Those who wish to make offers on the home will queue up, take a number, and be dealt with on a first-come, first-served basis.  You will find this technique to be invaluable in keeping prospective buyers from fighting in line.