In today's market, if you want to sell your home it's going to need a refresh and clean.
According to a March 2015 study published in the International Journal of Marketing Studies, “cleanliness, scent, lighting and colour,” were all factors that influenced customers’ attitudes and perceptions about the homes they saw.
With that in mind, here are 3 tips for getting your home ready to sell:
#1. Clean, clean, clean
You know how realtors are always reminding buyers “location, location, location.” Well, sellers should be reminded to clean, clean and then clean again when they are about to sell.
“Cleanliness has a significant impact on purchase intention of consumers,” explains study authors Riaz Hussain and Mazhar Ali. According to their report, cleanliness creates a positive impression on a buyer and makes them stay longer in the home.
- Declutter and store extra furniture.
- Paint, or have someone paint. Nothing says clean and refreshed like a new coat of paint.
- Consider hiring a maid service for a good clean. This should include a hard scrub of the baseboards and window frames.
- Power wash your driveway, walkways, patio and deck.
- Trim your bushes, weed your gardens and plant some flowers.
#2 Update your light fixtures, lamps and lightbulbs
This option isn’t just about updating the look of your home, it’s also about making your home as appealing as possible to potential buyers. A study, published in 2005 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinal Metabolism, showed that light directly influences physiology and increases interest. But to get the maximum impact of light you need to focus on the right colour of light (based on wavelength). According to the Hussain and Ali, blue light is best as it activates those areas of the brain.
For home sellers this means swapping out your incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs (known as compact fluourescent lamps or CFLs), where appropriate, to help brighten up each room.
#3. Stage your home
Five years ago, home-stagers were a novelty; these days it’s big business. Perhaps it’s because studies continue to prove that we, as consumers, are motivated by appealing displays.
To maximize your home's display, consider staging your home. You can do this yourself or a professional can be brought in.
Want to know where to start? Book a pre-listing walkthrough and we will happily advise.
Thinking of selling? Call Wayne and Brenda
Don't let a competitive market discourage your dreams of selling your home. When you combine the award winning experience of two top producing real estate agents, a well presented property with a full service marketing plan you have a recipe for sales success.
Wayne Winch & Brenda Brouwer
Sales Representatives
RE/MAX All-Stars Realty Inc., Brokerage
905-476-4111
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