Page 50 - Selling secrets 5 18 2023

investment to have your cleaning team in weekly to inspect
and freshen while your home is for sale. Your windows,
chimneys, shutters, and other areas should be professionally
cleaned outside and inside the home.

Fix or replace broken or worn-out items. A cracked tile or a
dripping faucet will send a wrong impression to prospective

buyers—that the home has been neglected. Replacing or
getting these small items fixed before putting your house on
the market is critical to your sale.

Make use of the “50% rule.” Get rid of clutter in your
house by half—at least! Since we tend to love our stuff, this
might be the most difficult rule of all. Our stuff reflects our
hobbies, memories, and values. Unfortunately, clutter
doesn’t sell a home; in fact, it hinders the sale. Clutter also
makes a home seem disorganized and smaller.

DEPERSONALIZE

Get rid of objects that reflect your own life. For instance,
religious and political items may turn off groups of potential
buyers, especially if they have different religious and
political backgrounds. You want potential buyers to see
themselves as the owners.

No hobby or enthusiast evidence! One prospective buyer I
represented opened the garage to a house she was
considering making her own home to find a partially
dismembered deer, as a result of the homeowner’s hunting
and taxidermy hobby. She moved on—quickly. She didn’t
consider the home any further, although it was equal in

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