You don’t have to hire a home stager to sell your house

You don’t have to hire a home stager to sell your house

You don’t have to hire a home stager to sell your house. You can be your own home stager. Here’s how!

Listing your house for sale isn’t easy

• It disrupts just about everything in your life—for you, your family, and your pets.
• It puts a greater burden on an already hectic schedule.
• It raises insecurities about your future … whether you can get top price in the shortest time possible … and what you’ll do if you can’t.
• It makes you toss and turn at night.

Selling your house in this competitive market is tougher than ever, and here’s why:

• Most homebuyers demand move-in ready houses
• Most homebuyers put a higher premium on houses staged like model homes
• Most homebuyers have a better handle on fair market value than most homeowners

Once upon a time, homeowners could vacuum the carpet, dust the furniture, and straighten up a bit. Then they could sign a listing agreement with an agent, wait for buyers to show up, and negotiate a price in line with their expectations.

Everything has changed.

With so many houses on the market and fewer buyers than ever before, homeowners face bigger challenges and different rules. Instead of just slapping their house on the market and sitting back, they have to work at the job of actually ‘selling’ their house.

Selling a house requires planning

You have a lot to think about and a lot to do. Maybe too much. You don’t know where to start. After all, you lived in your house for years. Turned it into a home. Collected memories along the way. And lots of stuff.

You know you have to turn your ‘home’ back into a ‘house’ that will appeal to new owners. But where do you start?

First cut the strings. Your house has been ‘home’ for so long, you can’t see it with an unbiased perspective. Your eyes wash over the same floors and walls, and see the same things they’ve always seen. Home sweet home!

To break the tie that binds, you have to see your house through the un-rose-colored glasses of a homebuyer. How do you do that?

ATTEND open houses!

That’s right. Become a buyer for a day. Take an afternoon or a couple afternoons to visit several open houses in your community.

Touring other people’s houses allows you to walk in the uncomfortable shoes of a prospective homebuyer rather than the well-worn slippers of a homeowner. When you walk into open houses — other people’s houses — you’ll be able to see in their houses what you’re unable to see in your own.

You’ll notice odd decorating choices, worn carpets, dreary rooms, garish wall paint, overpowering wallpaper, clutter, and uncleanliness. You’ll also see care, space, flow, brightness, roominess, updates, and so much more.

You’ll make instant assessments of what’s wrong with each house … and what’s right.

• Each house may show its age … or show off recent updates.
• One might appeal to more traditional Baby Boomers … or call out to younger Gen-Xers.
• Wear and tear may jump out at you … or pride in ownership could appear around every corner.
• Rooms may be light and bright … or dark and confining.
• Kitchens will be spic and span … or dated and dull.
• Bathrooms could be something to die for … or require elbow grease and bottles of bleach.
• The house may be tastefully decorated … or a hodgepodge of tchotchkes and clutter.
• Rooms may smell fresh and clean … or reek of something else.
• Visible repairs could be extensive … or the house might be move-in ready.

At the end of each tour, make a personal assessment of value. It won’t take long for you to understand that this house is overpriced, that house is priced just right, or the other house is a bargain.

Going back home

At the end of your afternoon, you will have toured several open houses, collected brochures and listing sheets, and spoken with a handful of agents.

When you drive up to your house, pretend you’re visiting for the very first time. But instead of making mental notes like you did for those open houses, make real notes.

‘Tour’ your own house the same way you did when visiting those open houses.

Park at the curb, get out of the car, and walk up to the front door. Make notes as you go along.

Go inside and see your house with a brand new pair of eyes. Continue making notes.

Walk through each room and jot down additional thoughts of how you would change this, rearrange that, or remove something else.

After finishing the ‘grand tour’, put a price tag on your house. Go on. Be honest with yourself. Since you’ve already seen other houses in the neighborhood, you can make a common sense appraisal of your own home without resorting to a calculator, exactly the way homebuyers do it!

Now that you understand what you’re up against, roll up your sleeves and dig in.

Tackle your To Do List

Take a month or even two to get everything on your To Do List accomplished. If necessary, go to more open houses. Or visit builder model homes for decorating ideas.

• Does the carpet look worn and weary? Replace it.
• Does the wallpaper darken a room or make it look outdated? Remove it.
• Do large, or even small repairs, call out? Fix them.
• Are the walls scuffed and dull? Repaint them.
• Are the appliances ready for replacement? Go shopping.

Every dollar spent improving your house in these relatively small ways won’t merely increase its value but sell your house faster to discerning buyers.

If you’re unwilling or unable to invest in improvements, you can still spruce up your house and make it appealing to the eyes of those same discriminating buyers. But don’t forget to factor in a generous discount.

Now you’re ready. Call the real estate agent of your choice and put your house on the market. Not only will your house be ready to sell. It’ll be priced right to sell, as well!

It’s Judy ... your Chicago North Shore real estate agent!