Well, another Christmas has come and gone! Yipee! What a wonderful Christmas this was. Santa got me a new digital camera and I can’t wait to use it! It will come in handy with all of my listings! New Years Resolutions? SELL MORE HOUSES! I am so excited about the new year, out with the old and in with the new! I am ready to jump in head first, if only the real estate market would just pick up a tad. I should have asked Santa for that.
Getting back to business. You can never have enough tips on selling your home. Right? I’ve mentioned several different tips to get the show on the road. I want to mention a few others. Remember we discussed clutter, earlier? Just like there is a fine line between love and hate, there is a fine line between clutter and emptiness. While I do support getting rid of Aunt Ethel’s clutter, you don’t want your house to look completely empty. But, at the same time you don’t want it to look totally ‘lived’ in. It should just be nice and chic. Ahh, ‘chic’- I love that word.
I know this is probably the obvious but make sure the interior of your home is visible from the exterior. Be sure to keep your windows clean (hello, windex), your screen doors open and your lights on. You want the house to say “Hey, come on in, pull up a chair and BUY ME”.
I know you wouldn’t want to go out and spend a load of money but putting a swing on the front porch is very inviting. Add some colorful pillows. I’ve always wanted a home with a swing on the front porch, that or either a long, front porch with several rocking chairs. I can imagine being old and sitting out on the porch, snapping peas and watching the traffic pass by and talk about ‘back in the day’. Okay, enough about me, back to business.
So, do you have a fireplace? If it’s cold weather- be sure to light that baby up. It makes the house so cozy. Let me share a little trick of mine that I used at my last open house. At Barnes and Nobles, I purchased two dvd’s that were basically pictures of a fire burning. And guess what? It comes with easy listening music. Wow, it looks awesome on a flat screen tv. It actually looks like a fire burnining. It makes the house look cozy and the music really sets the tone. I keep them in my car so I always have them with me. I bought one for my Father for Christmas, the only difference was it played Christmas music. I figured it would be a great for us all to sit by the “pretend” fire, listen to Christmas tunes and unwrap gifts. It was a hit and I know it will be a hit at every open house.
Be sure to do a home check. Go out in your front yard, even in the middle of the street if you have to (please, don’t get hit by a car) and check your home out. Look at it as if you were a consumer. Please don’t tell me you have four tires that are just sitting in the front yard with flowers and weeds growing out of them….”You might be a Redneck if…” haha. Get rid of all your junk. You should have already gotten the clutter out of your home and I am hoping that you didn’t just throw it out on the front lawn. The front of the house, the exterior should look very warm and welcoming. Nothing should be in your yard besides flowers, trees and bushes OH MY. Of course, the occasional decoration is okay but no clutter. Okay? When in doubt, NO CLUTTER!
More great tips to come!
Check out my listing around Tiger Bend. She’s a beauty. I call her Betsy. www.BeauDarren.info
