How to Stage Your Connecticut Home For Sale in the Winter

While we are lucky enough to enjoy the changes of the four different seasons in southwestern Connecticut, the Winter brings in colder temperatures, and much less daylight to work with, besides the wintry conditions that will inevitably occur. The unique set of challenges that occur during this time need to be addressed in order to properly stage your home to show at its best. Don't forget the basics of staging, just add these seasonal suggestions to show your home at its best.

... and remember,  buyers do appreciate the effort that you take to make sure your home is in show-ready condition, and you may very well end up getting more money for yoru home because of that little extra effort.

STAGE THE OUTSIDE FIRST:

Curb Appeal Brush Up

Weather permitting, and preferably before the first snow, clear out any excess fallen leaves from the yard, as well as the gutters. If there are any dead plants, remove them now. If there are tools that are outside, bring themin the shed or garage. Remove any garden hoses and turn the water off for the spigot, if it's not already off.

Add to your Curb Appeal

Who says you can't put flowers out of some kind?  Colorful Mums are great in the fall through early December, and small seasonal faux trees in pots look great on your front porch, either with or without lights. A wreath of almost an type on your front door is also quite welcoming. Whatever plant or wreath you choose, please just make sure they are seasonally appropriate.

Exterior Lighting

Are the lights at your front door bright enough? Maybe it's time to change them,  add  more fixtures, or at least change the wattage on the bulb.

The Rear and Side Yard Views

You may not have thought about during the winter, but just go ahead adn go to the rear of your yard and look at your home from the back.  If you have a rear deck or porch, put a pot of seasonal plants there, too. At some point during the winter, it will be unforgiving cold. Consider a well made alternative. It is all the seemingly little things that add up and mean a lot.  

Patios, Porches and Decks

Make sure your deck and/or patio is free and clear of any debris. You may want to check for any loose planking, screws or nails, and fix wherever appropriate. Clean your deck off completely, and that includes storing the furniture in the garage, shed or basement. When the snow comes, the buyer should be able to walk on a totally clear deck, where the snow has all been removed. Helpful Hint: It is much easier to sweep  or shovel off the snow when the deck is completely clear.

Don't Forget to Check Your Side Yard.

Just make sure  that it's neat and tidy. If you store your trash cans outdoors on the side of your home,  make sure they are as clean as possible. (No scuffs, scrapes or old dirt on the outside)

Clear Your Driveway, Front Walk, and Front Porch of Snow and Ice.

This is the single most important item on the winter staging agenda. If buyers cannot reach your home due to an snow covered driveway, snow covered walkway and/or porch, they won't come in. Ice is even more treacherous. There are plenty of products on the market that will just about do all the work for you to get that ice removed.  If you are away frequently, hire someone to handle ice and snow removal in your absence.

Windows

Get the windows washed if you haven't done so recently. Besides the fact that the sun is lower in the winter, and shows every piece of dirt on every piece of glass, the added unobstructed sunlight  will add very nicely to your home's appeal.

NOW, STAGE THE INSIDE:

Warmth

Think warm and cozy. If the weather outside is frightful, make your home's temperature delightful. (Sorry, just couldn't resist that one) Truly, a warm home is much more comfortable to look at than a cold one. If the buyers aren't comfortable, they will not stay long enough to view your home without  just hurrying up to get back into their car where it actually feels warmer.

Lighting

Take every advantage that you can of the diminished natural light that you get. Clean yuor blinds and curtains and open them as wide as possible. Clean the lamps, and bulbs (just make sure that the bulbs are cool to the touch before you do so). Replace bulbs with the highest wattage allowed for the fixture to add as much light. Put timers on selected lights to be able to have tour home in "light-ready show condition"  when you are not home.

Some extras to think about

Go ahead, set the dinner table. Put out some chocolates, or have a plate of cookies out.
Think about aromas- Cinnamon rolls, freshly baked bread, apple pie, chocolate chip cookies, vanilla or cinnamon- just don't overdo it.
If you have summer or fall photos of the outside, put them out for your buyers to see.

A few more relevant articles on staging:

Proper Staging and Guidelines for Home Showings

Staging the Outside of Your Home

How Much Does it Cost to Stage Your Home

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me, and if you have an idea for a topic that you would like to see on The CT Realty Blog, please include it in the "Post a Comment" section link below this post. We appreciate the feedback and look forward to providing you with the best real estate content, advice and service in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Tweet

The Eight Great Reasons to Sell Your CT Home During the Holiday Season

If you have been wanting to sell your home, but  felt that the holiday season is just the wrong time to begin the process, think again.

You may already know, or have heard that timing is everything, and it truly is. The Eight Great reasons to  put your home on the market amidst the holiday hoopla are:

1.  Did you know than over TEN percent of annual sales occur during the holiday season?
 
2. There is much less inventory for buyers to choose from, and that means less competition for you, and maybe even a higher price.

3. The buyers that are out and looking are quite serious and need or want to buy, otherwise they would probably be at the mall shopping for gifts.
 
4. If you decorate your home for the holidays, it will show beautifully. Everybody loves decorations. If you don't normally decorate, that's fine, too.

5. Very few homes will have added curb appeal due to fall and winter conditions. No lawn is beautifully green and no trees are lush. It's a level playing field as far as that's concerned. There is next to no maintenance of the yard as well, making it that much easier, and at some point, snow will cover it anyway.

6. The aromas from pies, cookies and the like create quite a pleasant atmosphere  for buyers looking at your home.

7. If there are times when showing your home is inconvenient, you can always defer the showing to another time. (just as you can throughout the year)

8. Have you thought about additional exposure from your neighbors holiday get togethers? Their friends and family may just be chomping at the bit to live on your street, and lo and behold- A house is for sale there- YOURS, and it could be the reason it sells. 

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me, and if you have an idea for a topic that you would like to see on The CT Realty Blog, please include it in the "Post a Comment" section link below this post. We appreciate the feedback and look forward to providing you with the best real estate content, advice and service in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Tweet

Why Your Home is Worth More than the One Down the Street.

Your home can be the exact same style and square footage as the one down the street, even be on the same sized lot, and still be worth more money than the other home.

Now that you actually see that in writing, and it's not just a thought in your head, it doesn't sound right, does it?

Suppose it's YOUR home that is the one down the street that's exactly the same in every way as the other house, and the Realtor says that  YOUR house is worth less? .... that doesn't sound right, either.

Your own emotional attachment to your home doesn't make it worth any more money. If an exact replica of your home was built right next door to you, your home would still be worth more "emotionally" to you. The house next door is somebody else's, and even though it's the same layout,  it just isn't your home, period.  One thing for certain is that your home is worth more TO YOU.

Sentimental attachments are not worth anything to the buyer, though. They have not created an emotional bond by looking at your home for twenty minutes, and just because your home is special to you doesn't mean that it's worth more in the marketplace to any buyer. That's a hard truth, and unfortunately, that's a fact.

How can an agent say your  house is worth LESS than the same house down the street? Why wouldn't it at least be the same?

There are a few reasons that this might actually be the case. One, and it's something that you've heard before-  is the location. If your home is on a corner lot, it WILL be worth less than the house down the street that isn't, and the reason has to do with privacy. If your home is on a main road, the exact same house that's next door to you will be worth more, if it's on a side street. By the way, the towns tax assessor rates your home in accordance with these principles as well.

If neither of those instances fit for your circumstance,, there is probably something else within that house that makes it worth more. It may be maintained better, may be updated in a more marketable way, or it  just shows better than your house does.

If the market is not increasing in value, your home should not be listed for more money than that house sold for, and for some, that's hard to swallow. It all comes down to the emotional attachment and sentimental value of your home TO YOU, and remembering that todays buyers are not willing to pay extra for it.

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me, and if you have an idea for a topic that you would like to see on The CT Realty Blog, please include it in the "Post a Comment" section link below this post. We appreciate the feedback and look forward to providing you with the best real estate content, advice and service in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Tweet

Could Your Vacant Home Be Disadvantaged in the Connecticut Real Estate Market?

Sometimes, selling a vacant home is the best choice, but it all depends on individual circumstances.  While most sellers live in their home while it is on the market,  some homeowners have the luxury of entertaining  a few different options when they sell.

When the seller vacates prior to marketing the home for sale, or while the property is on the market but not sold due to a relocation, they can choose to leave the home fully furnished, partially furnished, or vacant. Depending on the house and property, one may be a better option for some homeowners  than another.  

As a general rule, you should try and avoid selling an absentee or vacant home if at all possible, but there are some exceptions. 

Why You Should Reside in Your Home While it is On The Market, Even if you Have the Option Not To.

*Overall Home Security
*MOST homes "show" better furnished
*Buyers can envision themselves living at your home more easily.
*Minor cosmetic imperfections or flaws are not easily noticed
*Maintenance and Upkeep
*The buyers will have an example as to how to furnish a difficult room.

Why a Vacant Home Can Put Marketing Efforts  at a Disadvantage.

*Invitatation to potential break-ins
*Perceived desperation invites lower offers from buyers
*Tendency for some homesellers to forget to maintain the outside of home
*If you turn the electricity off, your home can only be shown during daylight hours
*If you set the thermostat to less than 65 degrees in the winter, it can become uncomfortable for buyers to even view your home for any length of time.
*If you choose to winterize your home instead,  it will be VERY cold in the winter, and not inviting to buyers.

The Middle Ground - Leaving Some Items of Furniture Rather Than a Whole Houseful.

If you must take most of your furniture with you, try and leave a few choice pieces behind, or if you have the means, rent some furniture short-term with expert guidance from your Realtor, or a professional stager.  If you are on a tight budget, focus on the living room, kitchen and just one bedroom. Additionally, you can purchase pre-owned furniture very cheaply, and it's very easy to find in the local paper or a few local online sources. Going this route can cost much less than renting individual pieces for a few months. Just something to consider.

When is Selling a Vacant Home Preferable to Selling a Furnished Home?

When a home's furnishings are far from neutral, are in very poor condition, or tattered and dirty, even though it's just furniture, it will detract from the home's marketability. Under these circumstances, and almost exclusively under these circumstances would I ever suggest that selling the home vacant would be a better idea.

If you are experiencing a market or particular condition in your marketplace where there is an influx of buyers who need to purchase and close quickly, a vacant home will give you a distinct advantage.

A few relevant articles on staging:

Proper Staging and Guidelines for Home Showings

Staging the Outside of Your Home

How Much Does it Cost to Stage Your Home

If you have a question about buying or selling Real Estate in Fairfield County, and are in need of representation, I invite you to contact me, and if you have an idea for a topic that you would like to see on The CT Realty Blog, please include it in the "Post a Comment" section link below this post. We appreciate the feedback and look forward to providing you with the best real estate content, advice and service in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Tweet

Buyers and Sellers- How to Prevent a Failed Building Inspection on Your Home

Nobody's too happy when the house doesn't pass a building inspection.  In fact, everyone has to start from square one all over again....The seller, the buyer, and both agents that are involved. Everybody begins their tasks all over again- and that should ALMOST NEVER be the case.
 
A failed inspection would only occur rarely in the market if agents educated their clients during the process.

It is extremely rare  that my clients have had to endure a failed building inspection, and that's whether I represent the seller or buyer- and I have sold hundreds of properties. ....So what makes such a big difference for my clients as opposed  to everyone else?

Education and disclosure. Those two factors will prevent over 99 percent of failed inspections.

Education:

For Buyers: Look closely at the home before you place an offer in on it. My buyer clients get a kick out of looking at houses with me, because I perform mini-inspections as we look at homes, and educate my buyers as to what potential problems there may be if any. I knock on tiles, stomp on the floors, and poke wood that looks like it needs poking.  I am not a building inspector, and do not have that specialized knowledge, but I have attended EVERY home inspection for EVERY home that I have ever sold. If some knowledge hasn't rubbed off on me to impart to my clients, then I wouldn't belong in the business. A couple of very good things result out of this practice- One, if the house doesn't pass my mini-inspection, there is no need to put an offer in on the home and spend money for an inspection that won't end up on a positive note, or, Two- the buyers make their offer knowing that there are some issues that will need to be addressed and are not blindsided by the building inspection.

For Sellers: When you decide to put your home on the market, you  pretty much have a good idea as to whether there may be issues, which could or would break a sale. Tell Your Realtor!  Once you are lucky enough to have a sale, you don't want to needlessly lose it. As a listing agent, I do that same mini-building inspection that I do for buyers when I list your home, and try to find the most common deal-breaker issues that may arise so that we can address them prior to putting the home on the market.  If I see something that looks like a specialist is needed, I'll say so. It's much easier to fix it now rather than fix it later, AND risk a sale because of it.

Disclosure

For Buyers: When buyers disclose found issues prior to the formal building inspection and adjust their offering price because of it, sellers are more likely to accept that offer given that they would have to address items with any future buyer as well. It gives the owner some peace of mind that they won't be nickeled and dimed at time of inspection, which seems to be a common occurrence these days. ( I do not subscribe to the last minute nickel and dime tactics. )

For Sellers: Disclose your known issues, or your suspected issues. By the way, it is the law. Besides that, the little items that wouldn't normally mean a thing to buyers become amplified when there are bigger issues to address, and  they can feel like there might be a lot of hidden problems that the inspector hasn't even found. What happens then is the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back, and it's hard to keep the deal together or even renegotiate if that's the case.

If buyers have a good idea what they are getting into right from the get go, they are less likely to "walk" after a poor inspection report. They will already be aware of most of the issues. If sellers feel that the buyers have been honest with them, they are more likely to negotiate, or renogiate as the case may be.

Simply put, your agent has to have well rounded skills- marketing, negotiating, and good solid knowledge of a home and its components. You deserve nothing but the best.

When you're ready to buy or sell, contact me. It's my job to keep everything running smoothly, and especially when it gets rough- without worrying you about it unless absolutely necessary.

Tweet