Spring in Reston arrives in a mere 46 days. I know many sellers have been waiting for warmer weather will begin to call to talk about listing their homes for the Spring market. Most will be surprised when after meeting with me they find there is a long list of "to dos" that will need to be done to get their property prepared to bring top dollar.
Last week I wrote about two properties that I showed to perspective buyers. I talked about how one house, even though it did not have current or impressive updates still came out at the top of my buyers list because of the way that it made them feel. They could see themselves living there and it was going to feel good. If you are selling your home you want every perspective buyers to feel good while they are in your house. You want them to be able to project themselves into your home and emotionally make it there home. So...how do you do that?
A clean house reduces buyer anxiety.
The first place to start is by cleaning. I don't the mean vacuum & dust kind of cleaning; I mean the scrub the grout with a tooth brush kind of cleaning. I mean you do your best imitation of your crazy Aunt Saddie with the obsessive compulsion cleaning disorder kind of cleaning. Some clients opt for hiring a good cleaning crew, but if you're going to do that you should de-clutter your house before bringing in a cleaning professional; and if your "To Do" list includes painting save the professional cleaning for the last item on your list.
One of the first things I do for clients after signing a listing agreement is to drop off 100 office sized boxes to be used to de-clutter. When clients protest I remind them that they have to pack it all up sooner or later and that they might as well get started. A super clean and orderly home says "I have been well maintained." A home that is free of clutter makes room for the prospective buyer to mentally picture themselves in that home; which in turn helps to move the buyer from thinking to acting...writing a contract.
A clean house reduces buyer anxiety.
The more you can do, clean, organize, neutralize, paint, upgrade, the faster your home will move from being on the market to sold.
So if you're thinking about the Spring Market you should be preparing NOW. It take the average seller 4 - 6 weeks to get a single family home ready to sell. The longer you've lived there the longer it can take to really get things in good shape. So don't delay, 46 days to Spring and counting.
