Photo by Mark McCammon via Pexels
Anyone who has ever gone out on a job interview or a date knows how important a good first impression is. First impressions can color the entire way we approach a person and environment. When it comes to your home, you want to create a positive setting that draws people in on first sighting.
But did you know that there are several common home staging mistakes that sellers do that actually have an opposite, polarizing effect; turning away potential buyers? The following is a look at those common faux pas to ensure you avoid them and instead sell your home fast:
Not professionally cleaning before the stage. Regular house cleaning, even if it's the best house cleaning efforts you've ever done, may not be enough to really appeal during home staging. This is one of those situations in which you want a deep clean done by the professionals. Professional house cleaning services will ensure everything is pristine from floorboard to ceiling corner, helping both get out stains and lingering odors. This is important both because a deep clean best shows off a property and it sends a subliminal message that the house has been well-cared for and maintained.
Forgetting about storage areas (including the garage). Storage areas can be make or break spaces for your future buyers. So it's important to not neglect these areas when prepping for photographs or open houses. If necessary, consider renting a storage facility to store all of your excess clothes, blankets, Tupperware, etc. Thus, whether it's a closet or garage, make sure it's included in your list of places to prep!
Not putting away personal items. This can be a very, very hard thing for home sellers to avoid but it is important. Remember, the goal of a home staging, both in pictures and when setting up an open house, is to get potential home buyers to imagine what the home could be like if it were theirs. You want to create a neutral canvas that allows your audience to paint in the details. As such, having too many personal items and personalized decor touches can turn off potential home buyers. So pack them up and send them off to the storage unit before the cameras come out and the buyers start a'knocking.
I'm John Mahan, Sales Associate with William Raveis Real Estate, Harwich Port Office.
Throughout his childhood, John Mahan spent summers on Cape Cod at his parents’ home in Dennis Port. His intro to the Cape was, as he puts it, when his parents “carried me down the stairs at Sea Street Beach when I was a week old.” With a lifelong connection to Cape Cod, it seemed only natural for John and his wife, Mary, to move to Harwich – where they still reside – with their two young children in 1996.
Prior to moving to Cape Cod, John lived in the Worcester-Auburn area where he worked for Mass Electric for 10 years and was a member of the International Brotherhood of Utility Workers. When John and his family moved to the Cape, he worked at NSTAR for six years.
John began his career in real estate in 2002 when he joined Team Waystack Realty in Harwich Port. He has been a consistent top producing realtor in the Harwich area for the past 20 years. John’s approachable demeanor, combined with an integral understanding of the Cape Cod residential real estate market, have allowed him to build trusting, long-term relationships with his clients – both sellers and buyers.
