Lancaster PA Luxury Real Estate

A quick glance in the window displays downtown and at the yards in town are enough to let us know that the winter holidays are coming even without a calendar.

This time of year is both harder and easier to sell a house. Traditionally, fewer people are looking to move in the next five to six weeks, so there are likely to be fewer showings. However, the buyers coming through your home between now and January are not tire kickers. These people are usually serious about buying a home. When sellers get a showing request during this time, they need to be sure that their home is in tip-top shape.

This is the time where a little extra effort can pay off big. Do something to set yourself ahead of the competition.

Many people like to do a little holiday decorating, and this is an area where some sellers slip up. Remember that you are hoping to move. Start transitioning to your new home already. Maybe you always have a yard full of decorations and your house draped in garland. Start breaking that tradition this year in preparation for your move. Begin the mental process of moving.

As a general rule, less is more with holiday decorating and home selling.  This is not the year to rival a landing strip with your outdoor lights. Take a minimalist approach. One arrangement on the dining room table. One holiday tree. A tasteful wreath on the door.

Buyers do expect to see some holiday decorating.  Do not forgo decorating completely, but do not over do it either. A simple set of holiday towels can add a nice accent to a bathroom. The towels, a mini tree, scented pinecones and a holiday bathmat is overdone. Ask your Realtor for frank and honest feedback on your holiday decorating plans, and follow his or her suggestions. You are paying for the Realtor's expertise, so use it.

Keep things neutral. Avoid highly personalized decorations like the handmade stockings with all the children's names embroidered on them. The point it to help the buyers see themselves living in your home. Also, ours is a multi-cultural society. While many do celebrate winter holidays, it may not be the same holiday as you. Bring out the creche or menorah for your celebrations, but not during showings.

Be safe.  Avoid the pile of presents under the tree.  Keep pricey ones inside storage containers instead of on the basement or closet shelf.  Most buyers are completely trustworthy, but you never know who could be walking through on a showing or during an open house.

Buyers can be sensitive to scents and noises, so choose yours with care. During the holidays, sellers may have strongly scented potpourris or spice scented air freshners out that are competing with the tree, the cookies they baked the day before and more. Keep scents soft and neutral. The same goes for music. Holiday music can be easily overdone and many get their fill from stores, elevators and more. Go neutral and non-holiday with your musical selection.

Once the holidays are finished, remove the decorations promptly. Those decorations can seem stale to buyers looking in January, so be sure to pack them away instead of putting it off.

I hope that all of our sellers will have the best gift of all this holiday season - an accepted offer and a successful closing.

10 Smart Tips For Savvy Homeowners

 

Here are some tips that I give my sellers when listing their house.  It's a mix of domestic wisdom and selling secrets!

 

1. Keep candles in the refrigerator for several hours before use to slow down dripping and make them last longer.
2. Have you tried baby wipes on carpet stains? They work so well you will be wondering why no one told you sooner!
3. To eliminate strong cooking odors (fish, fried food, bacon, garlic, ect.) heat white vinegar in an uncovered pot on the stove. (Don't boil) Remove after 30 minutes. The light vinegar smell dissipates quickly, taking odors with it.
4. After your next party, share flat, leftover beer with your garden. Plants love the yeast.
5. Ants hate anything spicy. Sprinkle ground pepper, cayenne, even cinnamon, in their path, and you'll stop them in their tracks.
6. Fill nail holes with a paste made from cornstarch and water. Works just as well as putty!
7. Your chimney will stay clean if you throw a handful of salt on the fire.
8. When a wooden door or gate sticks, bring out the hair dryer. By blowing hot air directly on the wood where its sticking, you will remove the moisture and the swelling will go down.
9. Squeaky doors? For a drip less solution, use petroleum jelly on the hinges instead of oil.
10. Simmer a sliced apple and a couple cinnamon sticks in water on your stove. Your whole house will smell like apple pie. This one is great for open houses!

 

How a home is presented can have a significant impact on how quickly a home sells and for what price.  Especially now, when most markets have an abundance of homes for buyers to choose from, it's important for sellers to carefully consider how their home is staged.

Buyers generally want to get as much space as their money can buy.  A moderate sized home that is presented well can often feel more spacious that a larger home that is not presented well.  In turn, that smaller home is likely to sell quicker and for a better relative price that the other home.  Here are 6 tips for making your home feel as spacious and attractive to buyers as possible:

1. Keep the number of wall and flooring colors to a minimum.  A home that has just 1-2 carefully selected wall colors and just 2-3 floor coverings will feel larger than a home that has a different color scheme and/or flooring materials in each room.  If selecting new colors, consider that most of today's buyers want warm neutral tones.
2. Minimize the amount of furniture you have in each room.  There should only be as much furniture as is necessary to make the room feel comfortable and properly demonstrate how the space is to be use.  If you have too much, either sell it or store it.
3. Clear the clutter!  Sellers should use putting their home on the market as an opportunity to prepack excess ... stuff.  Keep decorative objects to a minimum. Porcelain figurines are distracting and can be easily broken.  Put away personal/family photos as they are also distracting and make people feel they can't make an offer because "where will that nice family go?"!  Pick up newspapers and magazines.  Put away--or pack away--unnecessary items from countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms.  Clutter can make rooms seem smaller than they are.
4. Make sure your rooms or spaces properly demonstrate their intended function.  The formal living room is not where buyers would expect to find kids' toys!
5. Position mirrors in the right places to make a room appear larger. Make sure the mirrors reflect what you want to see more of, such as a favorite painting or a lovely window. 
6. Let the light in!  When preparing for a showing, turn on every light and make sure window coverings are open.

              

Remember ... a clean, well-maintained and spacious home is not only more marketable, but can often command a higher price.

 

Patty & Scott Carroll - RE/MAX Equity Group, Vancouver WA