How to prepare a client’s home before listing it

Real estate professionals know all too well the importance of preparing a client’s home for sale and that it requires a level of planning. During this initial stage, your clients will often be preoccupied with how much they should list their homes for and when they should begin planning their move.

Getting started

Price and timeline are best determined after having thoroughly assessed the condition of your client’s home. Why? Because you only get one chance to make a first impression. Whether it’s by means of online photographs or an on-site showing, a first impression is extremely important.

One way of creating a great first impression is by deliberately highlighting a home’s features. Since so many factors influence the sale of a home, just about every feature should be assessed. This includes everything from curb appeal to lighting, to colour schemes, to space utilization and even the smell of a home. More often than not, people tend to judge a house by its exterior without ever stepping inside. If they don’t find the exterior appealing, they might be completely turned off by the house and move on to the next one.

The purpose of preparing a client’s home before marketing it, is primarily to allow prospective buyers to visualize themselves living in the home. Putting a home’s best foot forward from the moment it’s listed will help boost its appeal in the eyes of as many prospective buyers as possible – ultimately attracting the right buyer for the home.

Staging

Carrying out activities such as decluttering, depersonalizing, fixing, repairing and painting, cleaning, optimizing space and creating a pleasant ambiance could all help spark the much-desired multiple offer situation. At this stage of the process, the assistance of a professional home stager could pay off.

“Home staging not only showcases a home’s architecture and shows potential buyers how the space can be used for their furniture; it can decrease the days your listing is on the market.” – Irene Bilinski, salesperson and REALTOR®.

Photography

Once the client’s home is properly staged and ready to be listed, the final step would be to hire a professional photographer. Choosing one with a keen eye for lighting, angles and shadows will help generate a lot of buzz around the home. In my experience, homes that show well, and are well maintained, sell faster and for more money.

“Architectural photography is about selling the feel of something and real estate photography is about selling the space. A good real estate photographer can combine those two elements, do it quickly and keep the costs down.” – Allan Hall, a photographer from Regina.

Present the home in its very best light from the first time it’s exposed to the world and your clients will reap the ensuing rewards and will always remember the real estate agent who helped them achieve those results!

Do you have tips for preparing a new listing? Share them in the Comments below.