Preparing to Sell – Staging Your Home

Mary Tynell of Keller Williams

Preparing a home for sale can be an emotional experience. Whether the home is your own, or perhaps belonged to a parent or a relative who has passed, you’re the one who has to pack up all the memories of time spent in that home. The emotional preparation alone can be time-consuming.

When preparing your home for sale, there are a few things you need to take into consideration to make it appear in the best light possible to potential buyers. Most of these changes/improvements are called “staging.”

Staging your home is the process of making your home more appealing, both inside and out. It can involve decluttering, packing away personal items like photos or collectibles, changing out linens, and can even involve slightly larger projects, like painting outdated kitchen cabinets, putting in a pedestal sink in the guest bathroom, and painting the walls in a neutral tone.

If you don’t know where to begin and need help, “Bring in a stager,” said Realtor® Mary Tynell of Keller Williams. Mary has extensive experience with staging, and will walk with you through your home, and make suggestions on changes or improvements that will help get you the best price possible.

“Most homes need decluttering,” she said. “Cups, saucers, collectibles – they all need to go; photos as well. Modern, white linens with an accent of color should cover the beds; nothing on horizontal surfaces, like a toaster or cooking utensils. You want clean open spaces, so the potential buyer can envision their own belongings. Remove excess furniture. Bedrooms should have one bed, one nightstand and one dresser.” She added that there should be no curtains, just clean lines throughout, and anything broken should be fixed.

But how much money should you sink into repairs if you’re just going to sell your home anyway? Mary suggests starting on the link below, to compare average cost of the most popular remodeling projects in New England and what amount you’ll retain at resale for those projects: www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2018/new-england/. You can also compare a total of 149 markets.

Mary also suggests sellers get a no-cost Home Energy Assessment, if you’ve never had one. “Buyers want an energy-efficient home,” Mary said. With the assessment, the seller will receive a custom report that makes it easy for you to improve your home’s energy efficiency. Plus, energy-saving products will be installed at no cost as needed, such as ENERGY STAR® LED light bulbs, advanced power strips, low-flow showerheads, faucet aerators and programmable thermostats or discounted wireless thermostats (installed at a second appointment). And, she said, if the property is vacant, then temperature in the home should be maintained at 60 degrees.

Depending on what needs to be done, making updates like replacing old, tired laminate countertops with new ones can make a big difference to potential buyers. But you don’t have to buy top-of-the-line products to get a fresh, new look.

“People are starting to get away from granite. Quartz is now the popular choice in countertops. You can also put in a white counter that’s inexpensive. You can get the look of those clean lines in the kitchen without spending a lot of money.” Some other inexpensive alternatives to granite are Formica, wood, concrete, soapstone or porcelain.

Hiring a professional Realtor® like Mary Tynell will make the job of preparing your house for sale much simpler and worry-free. She and her team will bring their collective experience to you and make the process of staging and selling a lot smoother and much less frustrating.

To contact Mary Tynell and get answers to your real estate questions, you can reach her through her Keller Williams page, www.MyHomeOnTheCape.com.

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About Ann Luongo

Ann Luongo has been writing for Cape Cod and South Shore publications for over 15 years.



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