Issue Date: September 13, 2006

A House that Looks the Part

By Jody Zink
Licensed Realtor in Ohio & Michigan

While showing homes, it's a common scenario for Realtors. It often happens near the mantle of the fireplace. Or while going up the stairs. Or in front of the refrigerator: Home seekers distracted by tens of photos taken of the sellers' pets, cars, or family members.

Now don't get me wrong. I've got photos everywhere in my home. I love my family. And I love taking pictures of my friendly feline, Ted. But stowing photos of them inside a box for storage doesn't mean I love them any less. The point is, if you're trying to sell your largest asset, your buyer prospect's attention isn't focused on what you need them to be: your space!

Besides price and location, it's also about staging your home. It's about getting home shoppers emotionally involved. De-personalizing your home can help your buyer prospects picture themselves there. This doesn't mean take down all photos if you're trying to sell. Just know that things you have personal attachment to may not get the same reaction from a buyer.

Walk through your home as if you're a guest walking in for the first time. Being objective can be challenging. Maybe the carpets need cleaned. Sometimes we don't realize how dirty it is until we see it clean. (I'll admit to this.) Out of date wallpaper may have become a way of life. And decades of “stuff” accumulating is invisible to us because it's our stuff! A buyer typically won't see it that way. Buyers want to see clean, bright space where they can picture their stuff. They won't buy what they can't see.

Take some examples from those shows on the tube: HGTV's “Designed to Sell” and A&E's “Sell this House.” Much of what makes the improvement is clearing out all the clutter and opening the curtains. Maybe a $40 rug and a couple gallons of paint. Pulling up the carpet to expose hardwood floors. Find inspiration in an issue of Architectural Digest or the Pottery Barn catalog. Also consider the “Magic of Three.” Assemble furniture and decorations in “vignettes” containing three objects: one medium, one tall and one short. For example, on an end table put a lamp, an ivy plant and a book in triangle form.

And another tip: Don't cram rooms with furniture. Giving them “room to breathe” helps make them look bigger. Renting a storage unit (or even a dumpster) may be worth every penny to just get stuff out. All the magnets on the fridge? Put them in a drawer. Eliminate the clutter.

Unless they're investors, most buyers want a home that's move-in ready. That means not having to paint over a bright color or change the flooring to neutral to match their furniture. When in doubt, go with neutral colors.

Showing homes every day, I can tell you the majority of home seekers will react negatively to orange shag carpeting. They will react to water in the basement. They will react to the smell of water in the basement. And they will react to smells of pet urine. If they can smell it, it's harder to sell it.

It should go without saying, things should be extra clean and sparkling, inside and out. Get some air freshener. Maybe some candles. Kitchen counters and sinks should be spotless.

Like many things we buy, house hunting often has more to do with emotions than logic and reason. You want your buyers to walk through the home and say, “this is mine!”

Help them become that visionary.

Jody Zink is a licensed REALTOR in Ohio and Michigan with the Loss Realty Group. Her column appears every other week in the Toledo Free Press. She can be reached at jody@jodyzinkrealtor.com or 419-725-1881.