Sparkling clean and de-cluttered key to selling

PAR President Bette McTamney

We’re seeing encouraging signs of recovery in the housing market throughout Pennsylvania, according to recent statewide data. Pending sales are up more than 10 percent and closed sales are up 14 percent. National reports are talking about a gradual turnaround in the market.In other areas, many of you are seeing a reduction in inventory and fewer foreclosures. As I encourage more homeowners to list their houses, I like to remind them that in today’s market, it’s critical to show their houses in the best possible condition.

I don’t know about you, but I find it frustrating when I’m showing a house and I find clothes tossed about in the bedrooms and wet towels on the floor of the bathroom.

It’s tough to convince sellers that potential buyers make up their minds about a house from the moment we park at the curb. You and I know that — we’re in the car with them and we hear them comment about the overgrown shrubbery and the peeling paint on the front porch the minute we stop the car.

I like to tell my sellers to de-clutter, clean like crazy and leave when their house is being shown. As they box up some of their belongings, they’ve not only got a jump on the packing process, but they really can see some of the things that might need repaired, updated or replaced.

Many of you may have read articles written for NAR by Barb Schwarz, the Creator of Home Staging® . She says cleaning the house is like detailing your car. It really needs to be that clean.

One of my favorite comments from Barb is, “The way you live in your home and the way you market and sell your house are two different things. Buyers only know what they see, not the way it’s going to be. They don’t have an imagination when it comes to buying their home.”

It takes a skilled Realtor® to gently remind their sellers that some hard work needs to go into a property to get it ready to sell. It’s probably easier to remind them that if they want to get the best price for their home, they’re going to have to put some elbow grease into fixing up the house to have it show at its best against other properties on the market. Or as Barb says, “Longevity on the market means one thing… a reduction in price.”