Modern Buyers Are Knowledgeable, Demanding

Do you remember Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? It was a phenomenon a little over a decade ago. I loved it. Regis Philbin was terrific. ‘Is that your final answer?’ Who Wants to Be a Millionaire helped usher in the era of reality TV. Now, it seems like there are more reality shows than traditional shows. And one of the big niches in reality shows in home and garden and real estate shows.

One of the results of the popularity of all these shows focused on ‘flipping houses’ is that it raises everybody’s expectations about what a home for sale should look like. And certainly home buyers in our little corner of the world in Georgetown, TX aren’t immune! So that means that when you are selling your home, staging it properly is more important than ever.

Now, when The Russ Phillips Team puts a house on the market, we make sure it looks fantastic. But I thought it might be an interesting blog post to put down some essential tips for when you’re looking to sell your Georgetown home. There are a number of ‘tricks of the trade’ and we’re actually gonna make this a two-part blog post, because we’ve got more than we can fit in just one.

Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of homes for sale in Georgetown. Some make a great impression. Some don’t. Here are the first nine points about staging a home.

Staging A Home In Georgetown

1. Kitchens and Bathrooms sell homes.

Make sure they’re spotless. Oftentimes, we’ll find that sellers really overlook the importance of these two areas. I can tell you from experience that they make a BIG impression. Remove all the dirty dishes. Make sure the refrigerator is clean—on the inside and out. Make sure the freezer isn’t over run with ice. In fact, make sure the refrigerator smells fresh and doesn’t have any odor when people open it. Make sure your kitchen counter isn’t cluttered. Fresh flowers and bowls of fruit are a great touch here. The trash bins should be empty.

In the bathroom, make sure that the toilet seat is down. This one is really simple and actually makes a different. Again, make sure the bathroom is spotless. Get out the bleach and the scrubbers and make it sparkle! When you’re showing your house, this level of cleanliness has to be maintained on a daily basis. Visitors to your house will be using your bathroom.

2. You need to dust.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve entered a house only to be amazed that the seller hasn’t dusted. It makes a strong impression of the house being old and a little unkempt. Make sure your property looks like new when selling—dust!

3. Wash your windows.

This wouldn’t seem to be some great real estate secret, but it’s really overlooked. Clean windows sparkle and make a great impression. And on another note, particular to selling homes in Georgetown, is that many properties here are trying to show off a Hill Country view. Make sure that when people are looking out your window, they’re focusing on the greenbelt or the San Gabriel, and not on scummy spot on the window.

4. Good lighting is very important.

This actually ties in directly with number 3. Lighting has a huge influence on how people perceive your house. Clean windows let you take the best advantage of that Georgetown sunshine. A lot of houses actually aren’t lit properly. Try increasing the wattage and make sure you’re using a variety of light sources in each room. A good rule of thumb is that you should try for 100 watts for each fifty square feet.

5. De-Personalize

This is one of those steps that really marks the fact that you’re moving on to a new home. It’s time to take down the wedding and graduation photos. When potential buyers visit your home, you want to do everything possible to encourage them to envision themselves as the owner of the home. Having your personal effects still visible is a psychological barrier to them fully envisioning ownership.