Your home hasn’t sold yet, now what?

Picture this: we are in the heart of the Spring Market, which has more activity than anticipated and yet your house is still sitting. Is this you? The spring market is such a pressure cooker, and I know it is stressful for buyers and sellers alike because the stakes feel so high. BUT, fear not. There is still time to make the adjustments that will make the difference. 

The advice I give sellers in this situation isn’t necessarily the easiest, but it is the most effective. And since I am in the business of selling homes, this is the advice I offer. And trust me when I say I have tried EVERYTHING--this is my list of the tried and true, get the job done-type stuff. 

Paint: I am shocked by the power of paint every single time we repaint a room for a client. Wear and tear disappear. Imperfections--gone! Dark corners are no more. Bad smells? Erased like magic. All of this with just a bucket of paint and some time. In 100% of cases, go with a shade of white or very light gray for the walls, and bright white for trim work. 

Light fixtures: If your light fixtures are outdated or intricate, it pays to update with something on-trend and simple. Right now lighting is trending toward minimalistic, modern designs with clean lines. Go to West Elm or CB2 and buy a set of complementary fixtures for at least the living areas and kitchen. Also, don’t forget to take a look at the color of light emitted from your light bulbs! Avoid anything that looks too blue, and instead look for more natural or warm in tone. Home Depot has an incredible selection of bulbs to choose from.

Create designated spaces: This is all about maximizing space. If your home doesn’t have a designated office or playroom, create the look through staging. Move a desk to the corner of a guest room. Put all the toys in one area of the family room. Stage your home so that buyers can see the vision rather than having to imagine it themselves. Make buying your home easy!

Rearrange furniture: Just because you’ve lived with a room setup one way for ten years, doesn’t mean that this is the setup that best highlights the room to a buyer. 99% of the homes I enter I am able to find at least one piece of furniture that should be put away. Buyers like to see big open spaces. It’s not necessarily how we live day-to-day, but it is what looks best in photos and in showings. 

And last, but not least, consider your pricing. No amount of paint or organization will sell a house at the wrong price. It just won’t happen. There’s an old real estate concept called the Four P’s: Product (your home itself), Place (the location), Promotion (i.e. marketing - our team definitely has this covered!), Presentation (i.e. staging, as discussed above) and Price. If the first three Ps have been addressed, then you have to look at price. If your house has sat on the market for anything over 45 days, it’s time to consider a price adjustment. If you are in this situation, time is of the essence--we usually see the spring market start to taper off and the end of April.