5 Features That Will Make Your Home More Attractive To Buyers
Usually everyone who likes their house thinks it’s beautiful. However, looks are subjective, and everyone thinks differently about those areas of life. Remember your first date? You had one chance to make a lasting impression, and if you’re lucky, you did it! You weren’t quite sure if it would work out, but you hoped for the best.
Think how similar this is to purchasing a house. Put your feet in the buyers’ shoes and picture yourself looking at a house. First impressions are everything. If you don’t like it the minute you see it, there’s less of a chance of you wanting to buy it. So how exactly do you as the seller make sure your house is ready to impact your buyer in a positive way?
#1 Curb appeal
Being a for-sale-by-owner seller is somewhat like being a super sleuth. You have to do all the research for selling your home, and put your newly found ideas into action. For example, you need to know exactly how to make your home look appealing to buyers. Not everyone has the same style ideas when it comes to mailboxes and shutters, but everyone appreciates a good-looking, well-kept yard and house.
Because the outside of your house is the first thing buyers will see, it’s important to keep it looking good. Laying down new mulch in your flowerbeds, power washing the siding or brick, and also keeping your yard freshly mowed are just a few aspects that will potentially sway your buyers into purchasing your home. Stay simple and low key with any landscape updates. This way, prospective buyers can appreciate seeing a yard that appears to be, and is, low maintenance. Check out these fantastic makeovers for some great inspiration.
#2 Last-minute upgrades
As wise, old Benjamin Franklin once said, “a stitch in time saves nine,” and he couldn’t have been more correct. This includes fixer-upper type things that you do before you sell your home. They are best done all the way, not half-heartedly. Subsequently, when you can, keep your up-dos low maintenance.
This includes things like your countertop and flooring. For instance, if you’re going to put down new hardwood, find a color that conceals dirt and dust well. Light brown hardwood hides the dirtiness until the buyer can unpack their broom and start sweeping. Buyers don’t want to feel burdened by possible up-keep. So, if you put yourself in the buyer’s spot, then you’ll find it easier to imagine exactly what they’d want and implement your ideas.
#3 Keep a clean house
There’s nothing quite like walking into a friend’s house at Christmas time and pausing to take in all the holiday smells. Imagine what it would be like if our houses could smell that good all year round. It will come as no big surprise, but buyers definitely appreciate walking into a clean, fresh-smelling house. Furthermore, they don’t want to be attacked by stinky smells of pet accidents around the house.
Keeping your house in post spring cleaning condition is a great way to impress buyers. Rent a carpet cleaner, and clean up all those spots begging for your attention. If you have pets, make sure you dust regularly and clean the litter boxes often. Burning candles, or diffusing essential oils also provides an easy way to keep your house smelling fresh and inviting.
#4 Make your listing attractive
If you decide that listing your home on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) is something you want to do, that’s great. As is often said, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. Which is why we’re going to give you a couple of our ideas on how to make your listing attractive.
Write your listing ad like a story
One way to spice your description up, so to speak, is to use all the best details you can think of. For example, instead of saying, “has a nice master bedroom,” try something like this: “This house boasts a magnificent master bedroom. Lovely views out of every window and a jacuzzi tub that offers a relaxing addition to your new home.”
People love to imagine the house in their head and feel your excitement through reading your description of the house. Another way to make your listing even better is to add plenty of pictures of your house. A picture’s worth a thousand words, so you can never have too many pictures.
#5 Be easy to get along with
At the end of the day, one of the most important aspects of selling a house is being friendly. It brightens everyone’s buying experience if you are cheerful and easy to work with. This doesn’t mean you have to do everything they want you to. However, being communicative, and amiable goes a long way. Be honest and open, and generally, this will make the selling/buying process easier for everyone involved.
Stay creative
Just because you’re coming to the end of this article doesn’t mean this is the end of your creative road. Our ideas aren’t the only ones out there. Stay on top of your research, and keep working on making your house more attractive up until the day you sell! One day your hard work will pay off, and it will be worth all the late nights. For ideas on how to stage your home before selling, head over to the blog, and check out our latest staging article.