How To Create A Perfect Show-home To Build Your Clientele
Guest Post: How To Create A Perfect Show-home To Build Your Clientele
Real estate agents do much more than just show homes. A lot happens between their first interview with prospective buyers and the contract signing for their new home. Placing a property up for sale comprises marketing, amazing sales techniques, as well as a lot of home prepping.
A lot of the time, homes that real marketers work with need some extra attention to be sold. The properties that are in mint condition are very rare regardless of the market where you work. That being said, the real estate industry has one big challenge to face – creating show-homes that impress potential owners.
Why Prep Properties for Sale?
Selling a property is a lot of work without having to polish the details. Real estate agents have showings to handle, as well as processes such as inspections, negotiations, and appraisals to schedule and oversee. Putting in efforts to make a property look and feel better helps command a higher sale price and sells the property faster. A prepped show-home is more marketable, which can even mean a bidding war. For real estate agents, this equals far more profit than what they’d originally earn.
For most agents, this is the biggest goal.
How to Create the Perfect Show-House
Investing some time and cash into turning a property into an amazing show-home is a smart way to earn more profits. Many agents skip this part fearing that they’ll spend money instead of earning some. But, no success comes without risk. There are certain things you can do to polish a property without investing a fortune. In the real estate business, it’s the small things that make the biggest impact.
This is the time when you put your experience and eye for detail into action. Based on the latest interior design trends and the demands of your prospective buyers, turn the home into something they can’t afford NOT to buy. Here are a couple of tips to help you achieve this.
1. Use software to visualize
Technology is one of the best tools for real estate agents today. They use it to put the word out for properties on sale. It allows for a wider reach and more prospects. But, this is not the only reason why you should be using technology.
Software products can help you reach out to potential buyers, communicate with people in your companies, and market the properties you’re trying to sell. It does something else, too. By choosing software to visualize the property, you will know exactly what to do to make your plans a reality.
The software can help you see the vision on screen before you take any action. It can also serve as a great tool to attract more potential buyers. With the right photography, videos, and floor plans, people will know whether or not the home fits their needs before they visit it. This saves you time and allows you to impress people before they even set foot in the house.
2. Hire a professional photographer
We’ve already established that visualization is key to an agent’s marketing strategy. Knowing this, you’ll need to put more than just a floor plan in your ads and on your website to sell a house.
Hiring a professional to take photos of the property is essential. Choose someone who understands interiors and architecture and has an excellent eye for detail. When you've finished prepping the property, call him to create amazing pictures for the dream home.
Don't just choose someone with a professional camera and some Photoshop skills. Find a person who understands composition, light, and interior design. Otherwise, all your efforts in preparing the home will go to waste.
3. Make all the necessary repairs
Start with the obvious repairs, those of large-scale. These are things that need to be fixed immediately not only because of inspections but also because they make the house look bad. Such things include roof repairs, doors, windows, floors, issues with plumbing or fixtures, painting, etc.
Once you fix the big things, you can move to the details.
4. Get a pre-listing home inspection
A pre-listing inspection can cost loads of money, but most prospective buyers will expect you to have such information when you’re offering them the home. Speak to the seller and inform them that this is something they need to do if they want to sell their home faster. A comprehensive inspection of their property will detect defects and issues that need to be repaired before it’s sold. It will tell you what needs to be fixed before you place the property online for sale.
5. Repaint and touch up
Once you’re done with the big repairs, it’s time to focus on the details. A prospective home should look fresh to its new owners. Move from one room to the next one to see how you can make them brighter and more appealing.
If rooms are too dark, get some light paint and change their look. Consider details like tappets, wall accessories, paintings, etc. Remove every smudge and dirt from the walls, doors, and baseboards if possible. A fresh coat of paint costs very little but can do wonders for the appearance of a home.
6. Declutter the space
Before you ask the photographer to take pictures, visit the property and start throwing things away (or putting them away). Cluttered spaces aren’t appealing to prospective buyers. You’d be amazed at how great a place can look if you get some garbage bags and remove all the unnecessary things that have been piling up over the years.
Even the smallest houses will look more spacious without the clatter. Take some boxes and fill them with most of the decorations, books, clothes, and even furniture that doesn’t fit in. Surely you should leave some decor to make it more home-like, but most of the things that are there prevent visitors from imagining the place as their own home.
This is a great opportunity to do something good, too. Many of the things you’ll be throwing away will be in good shape, so why not donate them? The things you plan to keep can go into storage until you’re ready to use them again.
7. Depersonalize the place
The idea isn’t only to declutter the area – it’s also to depersonalize it. No one will feel at home when they enter someone else’s property. Seeing other people’s personal things prevents potential buyers from imagining themselves in the new home.
If possible, ask sellers to remove some of their things, at least for the time being. Get rid of mail, personal items, photos, as well as accessories they use. All those dishes in the sink and clothes piled on the chairs make the home look unappealing. You don’t have to remove things from the closets and drawers right away, but make the interior more spacious and clean, therefore allowing prospective buyers to fill out the space with their things in their imagination.
8. Work on the curb appeal
It’s not only the inside that matters. Sure, people will live inside and most are interested to see what the interior offers. However, first impressions mean everything in selling properties. If the home’s exterior looks messy, you need to spruce it up before taking photos or showing it to buyers.
Plenty of things can be done to improve the curb appeal. Start with the big things, including repairs that need to be done. Invest a bit into sprucing it up. Some mowing and trimming can do wonders for the look of a property. Put some plants, plant some shrubs, change the doorknob or repaint the front door.
9. Clean it thoroughly
When you’ve done the heavy lifting and decluttered the place, it’s time for the cleaning. Whether you hire someone to do this or you do it alone, make sure to get into detail. Clean all appliances, get inside the cabinets and closets and make the furniture sparkle. If necessary, take things to the dry cleaner or call a company to polish the couches and other furniture in the room. A clean space looks much more attractive to prospective buyers.
10. Stage the place
Cleaning and depersonalization is just the first part of the process. To sell the home quickly, decorate it properly. Move things around, get some new furniture in, and add some details. Nowadays, you can even rent furniture to make the space look more attractive.
The small things can make a huge difference in a home. Place a colorful runner on the table, add a clean set of dishes for presentation, put fresh flowers all around, and a nice wreath on the front door. Stock the bathroom with clean towels, hand soap, and add some potpourri for the smell. Throw pillows make wonder for first impressions.
Make sure that the lighting and temperature are perfect. Every room should smell like heaven. These are minor things that come very cheap but can boost the pricing of the property.
The bottom line
Creating an appealing show-home is a great way to sell a property faster and earn a bigger profit. As a real estate agent, you should implement these tips and more to reach the maximum possible price point. Prepping the home is your job, but it can also be really fun. Don’t forget to enjoy yourself!