Home Seller Tip: Take the Shot
Everyone, and I mean everyone will tell you “De-Clutter Your Home” before placing it on the market, so much so that the phrase itself has become clutter. Things you live with every day don’t look like clutter to you, so how do you know what’s gotta go?
Before your Realtor arrives, take pictures of everything your Realtor will take pictures of, every room, every exterior angle. Then scrutinize them very carefully to see what stands out. I promise you you’ll be amazed at what those photos reveal. (wow is there really a refrigerator under all that those magnets?) Do you think that gorgeous fireplace in the family room will be a great selling point, or is it the wedding picture hung over the fireplace that you notice first? How about those beautiful, new granite countertops, will a buyer think instead, that you’re selling the toaster, coffee maker, and your vintage collection of Pillsbury Doughboy canisters? What do you see next to the bathroom sink, anything you wouldn’t want everyone else to see? When did you last mow your lawn? Bet you didn’t realize just how shaggy it becomes after only a week, and was that drain pipe always crooked like that?
You’re moving. You’ll need to pack-up everything and fix the flaws very soon, so pack it up now! Fix it now! It will make your life a whole lot easier later. Store some boxes at a friends or relatives house or rent a storage pod or cubicle. The things you see in those photos will be in MLS for all the world to see.
- Sentimental tip: Save those photos you take. You obviously have good reasons for wanting to sell your home but there are memories there, and people don’t customarily take photos of their own home over the years.
