The Three P’s You Need to Know When Selling Your House.
No, they aren’t “Pretty, pretty please…buy my house.” If only!
This kitchen looks ready for cooking with family and friends. It’s showing the buyers the lifestyle it offers.
When a home doesn’t sell in the average time or sooner based on the current market, it’s considered a stale listing. People wonder why the home hasn’t sold, and often won’t give it a chance. Here’s how to do your best to avoid that when selling your house.
The thing is, when people buy a home they are usually looking for somewhere to live their best lives. They want the home to be their solution to their current lifestyle problems. Even if a buyer is downsizing, its an upgrade for their peace.
When selling a house you have to be thoughtful and intentional. (I’m telling you, “intentional” is one of the best words ever!) Like I tell all my staging clients, a house for sale is no longer the seller’s home. It becomes a product to them that they’re selling. But the loopy part is to market the house as a home, just not the seller’s. That’s where I come in. We only need one buyer, but we want to appeal to as many as possible. (That can start a bidding war.)
We start the first “P” - Prep.
Preparing a home for selling is number one and what the sale depends on. This is where staging comes in, but it’s the cherry on top and done last. When I am hired for a consultation I leave my sellers with a very thorough to-do list based off their unique situation. Many people know to remove their extra things and family photos, but professional stagers know exactly what to leave out and where to put it. Preparing a house for selling is majorly about DEEP cleaning, painting, and making other necessary repairs that show the buyer the home has been loved, is somewhere safe for them to live, and is worth their money. Let me reiterate this: NOTHING sells like a clean home, so I give my sellers a list of things they may have not touched in a while or even thought of to clean. I smile as a I tell them it’s okay to cuss me while they’re working on their list because they will thank me when they’re closing soon after.
*Let me give you a little tip, if you were going to get rid of something anyway, this is the perfect time to do so. Just get it out of your way.
Staging the furniture, rugs, art, and accessories appeals to the senses of all things pretty, but also shows buyers the flow of the home and the lifestyle possible. Most homes need that professional eye. Especially the awkward homes. Also, remember to put the rooms back to their original purpose. For example your dining room that is now a playroom. That needs to sell as a dining room.
*Remember this, you don’t live in a home the way you sell it, and that the discomfort is temporary.
Townhome occupied staging and photography job I did in one day. We had to make the bed fluffier, and remove and rearrange some accessories before I got out my camera gear. The home went under contract very soon after.
When all the prepping is finished the home is ready for the second P - Photos.
PROFESSIONAL photos. Just say NO to cell phone photos. Realtors who post cell photos of any home that isn’t a true fixer upper do not have their seller’s best interest in mind and are damaging their own reputation. The fact is cell phone photos can be difficult to understand, don’t show the home in it’s best light, and the worst part is these bad photos don’t get potential buyers running to the home.
My own home was listed using some awful cell phone photos, and it took us forever to decide to give it a chance…as in we ran out of options and were desperate. Better photos would’ve made us feel better about the home and would’ve had us, and probably other people, looking at it much sooner.
This vacant home was prepped, photographed, and priced so well that it quickly received SIX offers! I selected a paint color for the whole home, gave a list of repairs and cleaning, quickly staged it with my staging friend, and photographed it. The seller and Realtor reasonably priced the home, and the buyers came!
The final P stands for Price.
Prepping greatly impacts this based on what you do or don’t do to the home. Photos don’t necessarily affect the price, but they best show the value of the home online to get buyers in the door. Together those increase the perceived value - which is HUGE.
It is important to be careful of overpricing your house. You want a realtor who is reasonable with this, so listen to their professional advice. I’ve known and heard about too many sellers hearing a number in the past that is too high and hold on to that imaginary figure as if it’s money in their bank someone is trying to take from them. Current market value is important because not many people want to overpay for anything. You can hire an appraiser to help, if needed.
Real estate is crazy, and you may be emotionally attached to your house, but keep in mind that it is still a business transaction. If you overprice your house you will not have the showings you anticipate. All of your hard work preparing the home will feel wasted.
In the end, the three P’s are dependent upon each other. A Prepared house professionally Photographed and fairly Priced sells. The best thing you can do is to put yourself in your buyer’s shoes. Would you want to buy your house in its current condition for the price in your head? Think about it and be realistic. The goal is to get yourself out of the house and on to your next chapter. Motivated sellers truly have the best results!