[saddleup]

You can put a tiny amount of vanilla on a piece of foil and put it in your oven turned to 250 for 15 minutes before you leave for a showing. Your house will smell delicious without risking a burning candle. I'm very sensitive to smells and most candles or air fresheners give me an instant headache. Vanilla in an oven doesn't.

[BLBGP]

Agree with the poster who said grey is hot right now. But main gathering rooms should still be beige. Think "hotel" - remove all personal items including evidence that pets live there (smells, bowls, etc). All you have to is watch a few house selling shows on HGTV and see one buyer after another comment on the ugly curtains in a house to prove buyers are emotional and often not very wise.

It's also good to let your realtor rearrange furniture as needed to make that hotel look happen. When we sold our last house, we definitely had to detach ourselves, even though we were completely bummed when we saw how amazing her rearranging looked - we could have been living with a better layout for years and we didn't know!

[JanM]

More maintenance items: if the tub grout is ugly, then fix it. If the sink drain stoppers are ugly, then replace them too.

If you have a plastic (or whatever it is) shower pan, and it's dirty, you can clean it by using Awesome Orange (I can only find it at the Dollar Tree around here), spray the shower thoroughly, do this when you can let it sit and work for a while, like before work. Then take the back brush or a good nylon scrub brush and scrub it, and you'll probably have to add water, scrub it very well, rinse, and it will be very clean. Always have full or at least not empty toilet paper rolls when you take the pictures, the sink soaps should be newish, and everything should be neat and tidy, as if you had a showing. For the pictures everything should be perfect, and make sure they are angles of the major points of the house. If you have a great view a picture of that is essential. You need enough pictures to show everything people want to know about.

I hate that a description will say 'walk-in closets' or 'lots of storage' and not show any of it. If you have a garage, the pictures should be with it empty. Part of your realtor interviews should include asking them what they would change for showings, and what you need to do to get ready. Ask them what percentage of asking price is the actual sale price for their listings.

[mvp]

I can't believe the "hotel standards" everyone wants today.

Then I watch HGTV and I'm turned off by actual clothes in someone's closet. Well, I'm bummed by an overly full closet. And by the way, who has or needs that much stuff?

Otherwise, I appreciate the advice in this thread-- especially the sprucing up the smell of the house ideas. If we can be swayed by sight, think how much more powerful it is to subliminally make someone spend too much money on the largest purchase of their life using a reptilian sense like smell. That's powerful marketing!

[JanM]

It's not just marketing sometimes.

Some friends had moved back to Colorado, and were touring a lot of houses in the desired zip code, and had looked at some really nice houses. They pulled up to one that was leading just from the description, and the outside pictures. The realtor and my friends walked up to the front door, really liked what it looked like, and the location was great. Then, the realtor opened the door, and a stench that was unbelievable wafted out the front door. Apparently the owner had a bunch of animals, and the house was also full of junk, so they pulled the door shut, and staggered back to the car, and kept looking until they didn't find a disgusting mess of a house. This happened about three years ago, and last time I talked to my friend she said the house is still on the market.

And I've looked at some that are the opposite. You walk in, the place reeks of bleach and pine sol, everything is sterilized, and the cleaning products are so strong you can't take it either. I think the goal should be to have a nice, homey ambience, that potential buyers can picture living in, but not something that makes people sick.

[CVPeg]

When we went to look at our house, it always smelt good. There was always something fresh in the oven. She had some nice smelling candles and it smelt like fresh laundry in the bedrooms.

Then we moved in and all we could smell was weed. It's amazing what kind of smells you can mask.

LOL!!

We bought this house 10 years ago from the bank. It had been cleared out, painted, and repairs completed by the listing agent on behalf of the bank. This area notorious in the 60's for hippie dippies and accompanying acoutrements - with several aging hippies still apparent today. The listing agent also reeked of patchoulie, and her contractor (beautiful work!) husband sent to Federal prison later on for growing weed on state park land.

We closed on Halloween, and there was a lot to do with the place before moving in. I put all the Christmas stuff up in the enclosed loft to leave until the following year. For some reason the loft had lots of electrical outlets, and even a wall switch. The floor of the loft had heaved at some point, creating a slight crack in the sheetrock on the outside...

The following Christmas I hauled out all the boxes, yanked out my red and green tablecloths, colored hand towels, place mats. They reeked of weed. Evidently Mr real estate agent had a second business location here while they were doing the work/the place was empty on the market.


Another tip - if your stove is older - replacing the drip pans below the burners can make it look brand new.

Also, for me, with the animals I've had in this house - if I ever do sell - I won't replace the carpet - that's a personal choice - but because of the wear - and smell when it's hot out - I'll be selling with a generous carpet allowance for the buyer. It is not as effective as having everything new, but I just don't have a logistical situation where I'd redo everything first - my animals would still be living here until I go. Better to keep it clean as possible (the vacuumed powder scents are the best way to clean/disguise) and make this offer, IMO.

[JanM]

The one on House Hunters that amazed me is the person that demands granite (part of the holy house trinity of stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, and granite everything), sees a great kitchen full of granite, and then whines about it being the wrong shade. Or the ones that call everything 'dated' and the house isn't that old, and there is nothing I see that is dated.

Peg-I think that not replacing the flooring is a great idea. As a buyer, I would rather replace it myself using the allowance or adding to it for a different material, than move into a place with new carpet or flooring I don't like, but can't afford to get rid of.

[Alagirl]

The one on House Hunters that amazed me is the person that demands granite (part of the holy house trinity of stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, and granite everything), sees a great kitchen full of granite, and then whines about it being the wrong shade. Or the ones that call everything 'dated' and the house isn't that old, and there is nothing I see that is dated.

Peg-I think that not replacing the flooring is a great idea. As a buyer, I would rather replace it myself using the allowance or adding to it for a different material, than move into a place with new carpet or flooring I don't like, but can't afford to get rid of.

the comeoniwannaslapyou people?

OH EM GEH, this like has to go like totally!



yeah, can't stand them...

[Larksmom]

What about old and crappy furniture? I think we will show it empty. Is that a go? I am going to call the Disabled Veterans to haul away stuff, and see if I can find anyone who wants the dolls. There are two bedroom sets, and one is quite nice. Should we leave that? Rent a sofa?

[Alagirl]

What about old and crappy furniture? I think we will show it empty. Is that a go? I am going to call the Disabled Veterans to haul away stuff, and see if I can find anyone who wants the dolls. There are two bedroom sets, and one is quite nice. Should we leave that? Rent a sofa?

either all cleared out or furnished. I think the verdict is that furnished shows better.

[Kryswyn]

If someone said this before I'm sorry.

Fix all the little things you haven't gotten around to yet. The peeling paint in the corner of some ceiling (buyers think LEAK! and they're usually right). The dinged wood on the door frame (you know the one you were going to buy some putty for and then repaint? Yeah, that one.). Clean the screens in the windows, replace any that are torn. I know the realtors are saying everything beige, but just as many people (like me ) walk into a beige house and go "Crap, I have to paint EVERYTHING!" Good luck.

[meupatdoes]

As a designer, I disagree heavily with "paint everything beige". Main rooms should be a neutral, but grey is pretty hot right now

THANK GOD.

I am getting ready to flip the house and a chic light grey throughout is intended to be a central theme and this thread was making me want to commit hari kiri.

[Alagirl]

it's NEUTRAL not beige by default!

(but I have to say I do like my soft beige walls...but then again, my house is so stinkin dark...if I put anything darker on the walls I would have to install halogen flood lights!

Kind of like the design star guy on one of them shows a while back 'Antonio' he said something like I'd rather kill myself before I paint the house beige
well, I did not like the light blue he picked in that challenge, but the family loved it.....

[JanM]

I know it sounds totally ridiculous, but rooms look bigger with appropriate sized furniture in it. However, that doesn't mean you walk into a place that makes you have deja vu to grandma's attic, and get rid of all knick knacks, stuff sitting around that you like and would be sad if it disappeared, and anything that makes it look like you have house problems. With today's low flow toilets, many people have plungers sitting it the bathrooms, so get them outside during the showings and pictures. If you have stuff like chipped or worn toilet seats, then replace it. They sell replacements at Walmart, and big box stores, and it takes about 30 seconds to replace it, and it should match if possible-I hate the older houses with wild toilet colors, and a white toilet seat.

[Larksmom]

her furniture, sucks. And it is old and crappy. She has a living room and a den sort of converted garage. Should I go to rent a center and get two sofas and chairs? We have nice bedroom furniture, so that will probably stay for a while.

I like grey much better than beige.
My living room is mint green, kitchen peach with grey tile. btw
cat room is yellow. I like color!

[TheJenners]

If you have stuff like chipped or worn toilet seats, then replace it. They sell replacements at Walmart, and big box stores, and it takes about 30 seconds to replace it, and it should match if possible-I hate the older houses with wild toilet colors, and a white toilet seat.

Or plastic. How on earth did those become popular? Those plastic puffy toilet seats that get old and crack, and stick to your butt??

[Alagirl]

Or plastic. How on earth did those become popular? Those plastic puffy toilet seats that get old and crack, and stick to your butt??

seemed like a good idea for the bony butt?

[LauraKY]

It's true, an empty house looks smaller than one with furniture.

And I'd be replacing the carpet, not give a credit. Nasty carpet can turn a lot of people off, even if they have a carpet allowance. It says that the current owner didn't care enough to take care of it...there must be a lot of other things that didn't receive proper maintenance...even though the carpet is only old, not well cared for.

[jetsmom]

An ivory colored slipcover on a couch with a couple of neutral pillows can help, and is cheap.

[Guin]

We are on course to sell our house within the next two or three years. We have just replaced the roof and are replacing the furnace within a month. My plan is to MOVE OUT before we put it on the market. I don't care if we have to rent a two-room apartment for a few months and put everything in storage. I am going to hire painters to paint the entire interior with the cheapest of cheap beige paint, have it professionally cleaned, and EMPTY so the rooms look huge.

Edit: If it's recommended that the house have furniture in it, I am going to hire my interior decorator friend to "stage" it with nice, clean, pet-hair-free furniture.