Four piles ! – that’s the bottom line.

1. Toss it.
2. Donate it.
3. Sell it.
4. Keep, organize and store it.

If a seller wants to get the same prince the neighbors got for their property, then I have expectations for them too !

Read the entire list with a caveat, e.g., I’d put kitchen bath rehab higher on the list, but if yours in no more than 5 years old and clean clean clean, then its off the list. You get the idea.

Above is the jest of today’s suggested reading.

I have my own pre-listing checklist I provide as part of your marketing package to use  before putting you’re home live on the MLS or a sign in the yard. But here is a good related article from the “again, curb appeal brings intrigue, but people like clean homes, especially in eating and grooming areas”.

• Article
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• Staging

1.  We want to test the market.  For how long ? Whats the exact plan, 90 days ? And the 91st day?  Price reduction– 90 days worth of potential buyers gone.

2.  It costs too much.  Staging costs virtually always less than the first price reduction…and carrying costs. ?

3.  We can’t, we’re living in it.  .. common misconception..   

4.  We didn’t have to stage any of the other properties we sold .  Once you could generate three offers by 5 p.m. the same day your Realtor put the sign in the yard.  Not now.

5.  Everyone loves our house .   Sellers are often baffled .. amazed that buyers have found things they don’t like about the property.

6. We can clean the carpets and declutter without someone telling us how.  Do you know what separates  “clutter” from “asset”?  And what about traffic flows, highlighting architectural features, updating, and appealing to your target market?

7.  We have no desire to remove/change our ____ (wallpaper/mirrored tile/gold faucets/paneling/dated light fixtures . . .).  neither do buyers.  Be ready to sell at a deep discount. 

8.  The view will sell this place.  Then why many months later are these great view homes/condos still on the market?

9.  We would rather let the buyers makes their own paint/flooring choices.  And that equals a price reduction, double or triple the cost of these items and reflect that in their discounted offer price–which includes inconvenience.

10. Our home is professionally decorated.  … tailored to the owner’s particular needs.  Does it work for the new buyer’s needs?

… consult with a professional home stager before listing your property for sale.

Every home that goes on sale needs a makeunder. The less of you, the quicker your home will sell. The bigger and more spacious your home looks the higher it’s perceived value.

“Put your junk in a storage locker, neaten, fix the wobbly ceiling fan–and do it before you call your Realtor.”

…. Many of the best professional home sellers will shy away from putting a lot of time into selling your home if it’s a mess.

The only home improvement Sudler recommends is painting. Even there, he advises limiting the work to covering blemishes and repainting any rooms that have overly bright or outdated colors. More