The 3 Golden Rules of Showing Prep:
Ok so, it’s finally time to list your property for sale. You’ve hired a top performing real estate team (ahem) and it’s almost time to hit the market. Before long, there will be troves of potential buyers touring your home dreaming of all the ways they’ll make it their own. We want them to focus on exactly that: “how will they make it theirs?”
Whether or not you need to bring in a stager is always a discussion worth having with your agent. It may be imperative, or it may be an option. Either way, there are 3 steps we always ensure our clients take to prepare their property for showings and here they are:
Declutter:
“Minimalist” lifestyle is all the rage these days. Truth is, most of us don’t live in a magazine ad. Inevitably, open shelf space, counter space, wall space, and/or floor space will become more abundantly occupied than you intend. Especially when you’re selling because you’re outgrowing your space. So what is “clutter”? Basically speaking, anything that interrupts the line of sight when you enter a room could be clutter. Picture frames, house plants, stuffed animals, kid toys, dog/cat toys, shoes, even furniture. Opening up the space is imperative to making a good impression on a potential buyer; remember, it’s all about helping them envision themselves living there instead of you.
Depersonalize:
This runs parallel to clutter in some ways, but it’s more personal than that. Photos of you and your family on vacation, pictures of your dog or your cat, your goldfish, your aunt Susan… maybe it’s a framed concert poster from your favourite band, or a collection of trophies. Point is, take it down and pack it up! The more a potential buyer sees your connection to the space, the less they’ll be able to focus on seeing themselves there. Blank slate time.
Purpose Each Room:
The final cornerstone of this trifecta is to purpose each room. Occasionally, there’s a room in your house that gathers excess belongings, or becomes a multipurpose room inadvertently. Sometimes it’s out of necessity, and sometimes it’s just by accident. The point is, if you have 3 bedrooms, you want potential buyers to see 3 bedrooms, not 2 bedrooms and a play room. You need to make it easy for potential buyers to understand what each room is being used for so they don’t spend too much time trying to figure it out.
Ultimately, the name of the game is keeping your potential buyers focused on how great their lives will be in the space and ensuring they don’t waste their showing appointment reading your diplomas on the wall. If the space doesn’t make a positive impression or if they’ve been distracted the entire time, they won’t think much of the place when they leave.
Interested in finding out more about the right way to sell your property? Drop us a line and we’ll hop on a call!
