Page 105 - Selling secrets 5 18 2023

« Pretend that you’re getting your home ready for a
magazine spread. Get rid of clutter, get rid of dirty or
outdated furniture, and put away your personal
belongings. Take down family photos and put away
laundry. Remove traces of kids and animals.

« Shelter the pets. This is important. Even if you’re the
most meticulous pet owner in the world, advertising
to potential buyers that you have birds in a cage, a
free-roaming guinea pig, or a bedroom dedicated to a
family of rare Siamese cats will turn people away. Pets
can create odors that stick around, and since you’ll be
working hard to make their odors disappear, you
want to avoid calling any attention to your furry
friends. You need to do more than just hide them
from the photos, however; find somewhere to shelter
them when buyers come for a showing.

« Accessorize your home. A few home accessories with
colors that pop will go a long way. For example,
bright sofa pillows or a healthy green plant, or a vase
of colorful flowers strategically placed in each room.

«Light it up. Are your pictures too dark or washed out?
Not enough natural light coming from the windows?
Add some light fixtures or lamps to lighten things up.
Bright LED lamps in the corners or off-camera can
give the perfect boost to a dark room.

«Hire a stager. If you don’t want to tackle a staging job on
your own, you can hire a professional stager to
rearrange your existing furniture or bring in some
accessories and rented pieces. When you’re
interviewing stagers for the job, check up on rates per
room. You might decide to photograph only certain
rooms in the house (remember the 80/20 rule), but
you’ll win bigger with more pictures.
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