RealTown's RealTalk

Still applicable? From a 1998 IC AutoResponder
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Often times the smallest changes can enhance a home's "showability" when
it is offered to the public for inspection. Sellers don't seem to realize when "too much of their home" is showing. Staging your home for its finest presentation requires a room by room critique to offer the best first impressions.

When studying a room, the first point your eye catches should be a positive one. For example, a home with a massive fireplace commands the first attention spot. However, poor placement of furniture, too many "comfy" afghans and plenty of books and magazines will distort the simplicity of the rooms greatest asset. Add last night's empty pizza box and full ashtrays and any prospective buyer will less appreciate the fine points the home would have offered.

Here is a list of ten points to keep in mind when staging your home for buyer inspections:

1. Start packing the belongings you absolutely do not need to "live." Extra books, magazines, kids artwork, afghans that don't match the decor should be boxed and labeled for your next home. Extra knick-knacks from Christmas, cluttered bulletin boards and several months bank statements can easily be stored away. Kitchens are the biggest culprits as they are such a busy meeting place in the home. Discount coupons, excessive decorative magnets, photos, etc. really catch the eye of the overwhelmed buyer. The top of the refrigerator is the largest collector of sometimes used gadgets. Unless you use your "wok" daily, it is better to clear the top and the front of your refrigerator to make the kitchen a little simpler. Convenient appliances also do better when tucked away so counters look cleaner and sharper. Please check switchplates for fingerprints and smudges, as those are the first places to get noticed.

Doorbells are another place that fingerprints are evident. Be sure you
are making the right first impression.

2. Family rooms are for relaxing, and need to be staged for crisp impressions and not your lazy evenings! Fold up grandma's afghans, get
rid of tired pillows, and pack up slippers, and cribbage sets for neat and clean appearances. Leftover smolderings in the fireplace can add a stale scent to the room. Give extra attention to removing ashes to avoid the less appreciated smokey smells from last nights fire.

3. Bedrooms are other places we enjoy our conveniences the most. Having
our robes and slippers waiting for us does not offer top exposure to a
viewing family. Get closets slimmed down for a generous look. Freshen
with a soft potpourri to diminish the stale odors that come with humidity and small confined places. Although we like our shades and blinds pulled for sleeping hours generally all buyers are drawn to a light, airy and bright room, so open up all window treatments to maximize brightness. With windows being exposed, be sure they are really clean and sparkling. A house really shows its best when it looks like it has been cared for. Remove jewelry and other small personal items from dresser tops. Clean and simple sells the best.

4. The most inexpensive way to brighten a home besides a fresh coat of paint is to increase the wattage in light bulbs. That small guest room may be seldom used, but needs to look bigger and brighter to an interested buyer. Be sure the lamp can handle a stronger bulb and invest in a 3-way if possible. When you know that a showing is scheduled be sure to turn on every light bulb in the house for the best showing potential. Look around model homes, you will notice all the lights are always on, even on sunny days! This is not the time to conserve electricity - it's part of your marketing plan. If you have a room that shows particularly dark, put in an interesting lamp and leave it on most of the time. It will help the buyer leave with a brighter impression of the rest of the home.

5. Everybody has a "junk" room or closet. It's acceptable not to be perfect throughout, but minimize the clutter to one room, desk, or area and you are insured of a better showing. If it is impossible to move around you could be adversely affecting that buyer's perception of the size of the home, so give careful consideration to overstuffed rooms.

6. Everyone's basement and garages are relatively the same, full of
seasonal equipment, holiday decorations and tools. Garage sales are the
best remedy for liquidating extras that you have accumulated over the years. Better to sell than to pay to have incidentals moved you really don't need anymore. The biggest offender in basement commentary is the strong mold odors from high humidity. A dehumidifier can assist greatly in relieving that damp "basement" feeling, and can alleviate concerns of water problem that don't exist. It's worth the effort to alleviate this common problem.

7. The worst offenders for dust and dirt are the cold air returns and heating vents. If they won't clean up with soap and water and painting doesn't improve them either, purchasing new ones is not that expensive and a great alternative. A house with cobwebs and loaded vents really gives the wrong impression about the cleaning standards of the present owner.

8. Pet dishes of water and food should be relocated to a spot where they
will not get kicked accidentally. Water provides the perfect setting for falls or slips that can cause an accident. Cat boxes and pet beds should be clean and fresh and out of sight if possible. Those that don't appreciate pets as much as you, will be turned off to pet "evidence."

9. Junior's bedroom posters of rock groups do minimize the true picture of the room. Limit the "artwork" to 1 or 2 posters and promise him that he can resurrect the rest at his next destination.

10. Bathroom grouts must look like new. Bleaching can take care of some
of the problems, but its worth the money to have a professional tile person patch and regrout problem areas. This is not a good time to try extensive grouting yourself. Often times amateur attempts convey the problem more than it is. Shower tracks from doors should glisten, along with the mirrors. Remove prescription bottles, pills, old toothbrushes, and worn towels. This room should get the most attention and look its best at all times. Dated colors in sinks can be replaced for generally a low investment and can render a much updated feeling when a yesteryear color is no longer an objection. Remove old moldy shower curtains and limit shampoos to a few.

A real turnoff is a tired home in other than pristine condition.

Copyright REEPco, Inc. 1998

Editor's Note
I was reviewing some of our old content which we have had available for years as autoresponders. Is it still applicable or valuable content?REEPco is the Real Estate Electronic Publishing Company, which is InternetCrusade's corporate name.Saul

I agree 100%. 75% of the homes listed today are foreclosures or short sales and the bank only pays 2.5% commission on either side. I wouldn't have very many properties to show my clients if I only showed them homes with 'average' or higher commissions! That would be doing a disservice to my clients.

I agree about paying particular attention to the little details; fingerprints on the light switchplates, dust on the vents and mini blinds, children's posters all over the wall, etc. And, after removing the posters, plug the holes or patch where tape removed the paint and then repaint the walls, remembering to apply masking tape at the top of the wall and the baseboard before applying paint.

Beverly Clevenger

Realtor Associae

Century 21 The Edge

El Paso, TX

915-740-7696

R

8/2/2009 @ 9:03 PM HST

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@Marianne Hofmann
When working as a buyer's agent, it is the agent's fiduciary duty to show the buyer the homes that best meet his or her wants and needs, no matter what the commission may be. The buyer's needs are primary. What do you say?
>>

Totally agree.

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@Marianne Hofmann
In Illinois, as in most states, when working with a buyer, we represent the buyer whether we have a signed agency contract with him/her or not. I do not have buyers sign a contract, so I go by whatever commission is offered to the selling agent and do not show homes according to higher commissions, bonuses, etc. It might be tempting, but is not ethical. That's how I feel about it.
<<

Here I respectfully disagree.

First, what is the reason you do not use a signed agency contract? You're not alone. I know there are many agents who don't...I've just never been able to get my head around it. I'm not sure if you're a listing agent, but if you are, do you take listings without a contract?

Second, I show any property if it meets my buyer's needs. Even if it showed zero coop. My contract with my buyers states my minimum commission which he/she agrees to before we ever look at properties.

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@Carolyne
As a buyer's agent how do you arrive at how much your buyer will pay you? Do you use the same fee for all your buyers or does the percentage vary? In your market are there MLS offerings that only pay $1. to the co-op salesman? and if so does that impact your list of possible viewings?If the co-op fee is over and above your fee do you refund that to the buyer? if it is less, do you charge additional over and above?
<<

I show properties that meet my buyer's needs no matter what the coop, so it does not impact my decision to show a property if that property meets my buyer's needs. I charge the same % to every buyer. The wording in my contracts state $X or X%, whichever is higher.

About 15 years ago I had an aha moment after receiving something like a $3,500 commission check. After expenses, I barely had enough left to buy a plate lunch! And considering the time I spent on the transaction, I probably made minimum wage on that transaction. LOL

So I sat down with my accountant to determine exactly how much it cost me to run my business. We broke it down per transaction. From that I created a minimum commission I would work for. I've used that model since and it's worked perfectly for me.


With Warmest Aloha,

Ruth A. Gabbard (R), CRB, CRS, SRES, PB
Gabbard Hawaii Properties | Honolulu, Hawaii