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i am buyer right now.. i know staging is all the rage and may help sell your home faster... but the many houses i have seen have put money into staging and neglected to check the condition of their home. I'm sure your home is in great condition but if your unsure i would get a preinspection or fix the little things in the house before "staging". I know sellers might not have the money to fix everything but at least you know whats wrong with your house , price it accordingly, and this could ensure your home closing once you do get an offer. I only say this because one house i wanted to buy put money into making her home look nice appearance wise but left the condition of the house untouched. She didn't even bother fixing broken windows, replacing broken stove and thats just the small stuff i found and still wanted top dollar. I didn't end up buying her house.
As a buyer i would be more interested in looking and buying a house that is maintained and livable before painted cabinets, new carpets or a neutral wall color. It would be great to get both but i can get over a pink wall before broken stuff in the house. If everything is good condition, then i would go to staging. But even then i would keep it minimal and make the house look clean. But that could be just me. as a buyer , i couldn't really care what furniture is in there. or what pictures are on the wall. All that stuff will be gone when i buy it anyway.
. Do not give any realtor all of the keys to the house until it is sold. You have to be present for the closing anyway. .
You don't have to be at the closing. We closed a house in FL when we were in Vegas. You just have to have people you can rely on like your realtor and the closing agent.
Also like leens514 said don't stage your house and neglect bad things that stand out. I am a person who could care less about staging. I check the bones and layout of the house but most people do like you to pretty it up.
Enough can't be said for cleaning the house. A clean house will look and smell fresh.
Wipe down the woodwork, baseboards, light fixtures, ceiling fans, etc....
Clean any stains in the carpet.
Clean the blinds or curtains.
Freshen the paint if needed.
Neutral colors will appeal to a broader range of buyers than "Hubba Hubba Lime Green" and Pepto Bismol Pink" ever will.
Trim the shrubs.
Clean up driveway and sidewalk stains
Replace burned out lightbulbs inside and out.
As I said before, the house will be completely empty. No furniture, no staging, no fakeness. Just a clean, sturdy, maintained house for sale.
I will of course do landscaping, painting, cleaning, fixing, maintaining, etc.
Any thoughts on what people expect from a garage?
Any thoughts on what rooms or things are most frequently looked at or wanted? Example: kitchen, doors, light fixtures, windows, bedrooms, etc?
I suggest verifying you qualify for two homes first. That may limit your options but in the current "lenders market" better safe than homeless in the new area.
As a recent buyer (in MA) the most important room to me was the kitchen. I saw a lot of houses where the other rooms where nice, but the kitchen was small, cramped, or even painted black! The worst was the one where the fridge was stinking up the entire kitchen.
Second most important? Bathroom. I overlooked the green toilet seat, but was unwilling to settle for the bathroom where the toilet was leaking, and the one where the tub was missing it's plug.
This is all true however,unfortunately in today's market,even the right price isn't moving them.
I beg to differ. Despite multiple reductions, you are not generating any interest with the buying pool suggests that you are still priced substantially more than anyone will pay, for the foreseeable future. If your area has a lot of foreclosures, they are your comps. And yeah, that is a most unfortunate position.
Assuming your property is listed with an agent, it sounds like he/she either does not know your market very well or is telling you what you want to hear, instead of what you need to hear.
Since your house is going to be empty, the walls, carpeting, curtains, etc. must be immaculate. You won't be able to hide anything behind a piece of furniture. Sweep up the garage, too.
Make sure everything works -- light switches, faucets, etc. Spritz some WD-40 on any squeaky hinges.
Good luck!
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