How to Make Your Home Stand Out to Buyers

Staging your home requires perfection. Image Source: Platinum Series Homes

There are plenty of typical things to do before listing your home for sale — cleaning, de-cluttering, staging, and so on. We all know of these obvious tasks, but what are some of the less obvious ways to make your home sell fast and stand out amongst the sea of For Sale signs?

Here at Freshome we understand that readers want new, helpful hints — ones that are not already pasted all over the internet.  When homes are hot, you need to try every possible method to make your home stand out — even some unconventional methods.

Here are some great tips to make your home stand out to potential buyers — tips that you may not have thought of until now. You will also want to reference these other Freshome posts: Why Interior Design Is Essential When Listing Your Home and How To Make Your Home Look Like You Hired An Interior Decorator

This stone and cedar home will certainly attract plenty of buyers. Image Source: JK and Sons

Hire the Home Inspector Before Listing the House

The hiring of a home inspector is usually done by interested buyers who have already put a contingent offer on your home. However, if you live in an area where there are a lot of homes for sale, then you want to stand out, and nothing makes you stand out better than a sign in your front yard that says, “Inspected by XXX”.

Home shoppers will drive by and see that you already had a full home inspection done and saved them the cost of doing one. Buyers may end up wanting to hire their own inspector afterward, but this will certainly pique initial buyer interest.

Ask your home inspector to show you the top 5 or 10 repairs that they think should be done before listing the home. Fix these items before listing your home and you will be well ahead of the game.

Quality home inspectors will go over every inch of your home. Image Source: Sicora

Start Your Own Social Media Campaign to Sell Your Home

Not all of us are social media experts. In fact, some of us are still trying to decipher the difference between hashtags and tweets.

Social media can be a powerful thing when it comes to selling your home. Realtors should do some of the social media for you via online house tours and photos, but there is more that can be done.

Most realtors do not run Facebook campaigns, or tweet pictures of your home, or post images via Linkedin, Google+, and Pinterest (some expert realtors may do this, so just ask). These online outlets are all amazing modern ways to bring your home to more buyers.

Imagine if one of your ‘friends’ on Facebook shared your ‘Home for Sale’ post, and it was viewed by someone who fell in love with your home — someone who otherwise may never have known it was for sale. That’s how social media campaigns work — you reach more people with your message!

If you don’t know the difference between tweeting and texting, then maybe consider asking a friend to help you. It is worth the effort to reach potentially hundreds more people than your realtor normally would.

Placing images of your home on social media may help it sell faster.


Image Source: Garrison Hullinger

Tour a Model Home Before Listing Your House

Have you ever been on a tour of a model home? Model homes are like well-dressed women or expensive hotel rooms; they are classy, modern, yet not overdone.

Image Source: Garrison Hullinger

Tour a Model Home Before Listing Your House

Have you ever been on a tour of a model home? Model homes are like well-dressed women or expensive hotel rooms; they are classy, modern, yet not overdone. 

Go on a couple model home tours and take a cue from the decor. On most tours, you will notice airy, open rooms with simple, stylish furnishings. Tables will be set for dinner with floral centerpieces and crystal glassware; kitchens will have open, clutter-free countertops; windows will be dressed in high-end curtains; hors d’oeuvres will be offered, and floors will shine.

These are all the things to replicate in your own home — clean, stylish, and uncluttered with a generic modern decor that appeals to almost everyone. Buyers love to see luxury interiors, so consider these ideas to bring a luxe appeal to your home.

If you do this in your home, you will surely attract more buyers — you may even end up with a bidding war!

Stage your home by setting the table for guests. Image Source: Vendome Press

Pack Half of Your Belongings Before Listing Your House

This seems like a lot of work, but packing up half of your household belongings is a smart strategy to de-cluttering.

Go through all your closets and pack away all the clothes and shoes that you don’t need for the next few months. Same goes for your kitchen cupboards and countertops — pack away all the glassware and appliances you don’t use everyday. Also consider packing your personal pictures and knick knacks because these personal items really do deter buyers.

Essentially, cut out all of the clutter and make your rooms and closets seem bigger by packing away those items you don’t use everyday. Buyers want to see large, airy rooms where they can imagine themselves — not cluttered rooms full of someone else’s personal belongings. Once your belongings are packed you may start thinking about the move to your new home, so read this first 10 Things to Consider Before Buying A New Home in 2014

Large airy rooms sell fast. Image Source: CGA partners

Ask an Honest Friend for Advice Before Staging Your Home

Sometimes we don’t see our homes for what they really are. We don’t notice the boxes of cereal stacked on top of the fridge because that’s where we have put them for years, or we don’t notice the big leather chair in the den is blocking an amazing view of our backyard because, again, it’s been there for years.

This is where a good, honest friend can come in handy. Ask a friend to come through your home and point out all the things they see as potential distractions for buyers.

Yes, you can have your realtor do this, too (and you should), but when this advice is coming from a friend it is much easier to take and is more readily listened to. After all, honest advice is what friends are for!

Asking a friend for help with decluttering your home is a smart move. Image Source: Miller Wright

We all want to sell our homes fast and reach as many buyers as possible.  Here are the main points to take away: Think outside the box by hiring a home inspector before you even put the house on the market; dive into a social media marketing campaign for your home; tour a model home and mimic its aesthetic; have a packing day where you pack away half of your belongings, and finally, have a good honest friend go through your home to help you find unappealing areas of clutter.

These methods, along with all the typical home preparation tips, will surely make your home shine above the rest. Aside from what’s mentioned here, can you think of something else that will make a home stand out to buyers?

Read more:  http://freshome.com/2014/07/30/make-home-stand-buyers/#ixzz3fFFH6byl
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