1. The 7 Things You MUST
Do To Sell Your Home
Now!
A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Getting
Your Home Ready to Sell FAST!
For a consultation regarding professional and affordable home staging in the
Minneapolis/St. Paul area, call 612‐735‐8638 or email julie@stagehands‐mn.com
3. It’s no secret that selling your home these days is tough. The economy is sluggish and people are still very
wary about how they spend their money. The good news is that some indicators point to a recovery so while
it’s not likely that we’ll stay in this “recession” forever, the bad news is things don’t appear to be moving in a
positive direction very quickly. One sector of the economy that is still really dragging its feet is real estate.
Home values across America have plummeted and millions of Americans have lost, or are going to lose, their
homes due to foreclosure. It really is a sad state of affairs that many home sellers these days feel trapped
within their homes and feel hopeless when it comes to selling their homes. No doubt, selling your home is
difficult during times like these. But it is certainly NOT impossible! As a seller, it is up to you to somehow
differentiate yourself from the many other sellers out there who are all competing for the same buyers. Don’t
stay trapped in your home any longer. With the deflated home prices, it’s a buyer’s market so you know there
are buyers out there. If you’re serious about selling your home, you need to take the initiative to make it
happen. That’s why I’m sharing with you the 7 things you MUST do to sell your home now! Let’s jump right in
shall we?
1. De‐cluttering
Take a moment to think about how long you’ve lived in your home. Now, concentrate on how much “stuff”
you’ve accumulated over that time. Perhaps you suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder and keep
everything freakishly neat, but I’m betting you’re like most people in America and you’ve got a home that has
that “lived in” feel. You should know what I’m talking about: clothing, stacks of books, furniture, accessories,
china, and artwork. Each of these has their place in the home, and it is important to know where they belong
and how much/many look right in your home. The old saying, “less is more” is a tough concept for most sellers
to grasp when selling their homes. Think again about all that “stuff” you’ve accumulated over the time that
you’ve been living in your home—would I be completely off to guess that many, if not most items that you’ve
accumulated have some amount of sentimental value to you? The most common reason for clutter isn’t
laziness. It’s emotional attachment to the items. This type of attachment may cause you to become blind to
the clutter and completely lost when it comes time to de‐clutter. Which items should stay and which should
go? Sometimes simply getting a second set of eyes to take a look inside your home can provide you with
proper room by room direction. It provides a fresh take on the same home by someone without that
sentimental attachment.
For a consultation regarding professional and affordable home staging in the Minneapolis/St. Paul
area, call 612-735-8638 or email julie@stagehands-mn.com
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4. 2. Neutral Décor
While some refuse to believe otherwise, the 70’s are over. Gone are the days of bellbottoms, lava lamps
and loud, hipster home interiors. This wasn’t the only decade that produced some dreadfully loud designs
however. The 80’s and 90’s could easily be bashed for some popular home fads of their times as well. When it
comes to selling your home, don’t assume buyers share your taste for sea‐foam green carpeting and neon
beer signs. It’s best to play it safe and replace outdated or flashy with conservative and neutral décor. Don’t
forget that your goal above all else is to sell your home! Personal tastes and flavors can get in the way. Colors
and furniture need to compliment the home not become the main focus of it.
3. Make Rooms Appear Larger
This one is actually less obvious then it sounds. It is a common sight to see homes that are styled with
furniture that is just too big for the rooms in which they are placed. Similar to de‐cluttering (remember “less is
more?”) making rooms appear larger may require downsizing the furniture in that particular room or
removing certain pieces of furniture from the room. Take a dining room table for example: A long dining table
may restrict the natural walking space around the table and create a sense of restriction in the room.
Removing a leaf and a couple of chairs may be the fix needed. Re‐arranging furniture can also make a room
appear bigger than it actually is. If manipulating the furniture is not an option, consider changing the wall
color to a lighter, neutral shade. A light shade of color in a room can go a long way to help create the illusion
of space. You can also think about improving the rooms light fixtures.
For a consultation regarding professional and affordable home staging in the Minneapolis/St. Paul
area, call 612-735-8638 or email julie@stagehands-mn.com
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5. 4. Curb Appeal
Arguably one of America’s favorite proverbs has to be, “never judge a book by its cover.” We are taught
from the earliest ages to appreciate something not for what we see on the outside but for what we see on the
inside. It would be nice to pretend that home buyers thought this way as well, however, that would be
entirely unrealistic. Homes are one of the largest financial expenses a person has in their lifetime and they are
going to expect the inside, as well as the outside to live up to their expectations. This is why curb appeal is so
important. Do you think having a lawn with overgrown weeds, chipped paint, and broken gutters are going to
do anything to improve your chances of selling your home? In tough real‐estate cycles like these, it is the
sellers that spend time tidying up the outside of their homes that are going to draw the most buyers into their
home. Realtors can do all the marketing they want but when it comes down to it, bad curb appeal is going to
be the reason your home fails to bring buyers into the home.
5. Eliminate Odors
Man’s best friend can quickly become a seller’s worst enemy. Certain smells in your home such as
cigarette smoke, pets, shoes, clothes, food, and garbage, may not be noticeable to you, but you better believe
home buyers will take notice. Different people have different sensitivities to scents so while you may not be
bothered by the smell of dirty socks in the master bedroom, some buyers may immediately reject a home
based upon that home’s funky odor. Try this exercise: Have someone who does not live in your household
take a quick tour around your home. It won’t take long for them to tell you which scents are more noticeable
than others. Odors are common in every home but if you’re really serious about selling your home, it is
important to keep them under control. Find the source of the odor and eliminate it. If you can’t eliminate it,
there are numerous products on the market that can help disguise it. (But be careful: even scented products
marketed as “fresh smelling” can do more harm than good if they are overdone.) Eliminate your homes odors
For a consultation regarding professional and affordable home staging in the Minneapolis/St. Paul
area, call 612-735-8638 or email julie@stagehands-mn.com
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6.
and you can be rest assured that your home will have a huge advantage over many other homes on the
market.
6. Remove Personal Photos
Home buyers come to your house, they tour your home, and they try to picture themselves living in your
home. This is the process in which a buyer is going to decide whether or not they wish to purchase your
home. It is hard for a buyer to imagine himself/herself/themselves living in your home if you’ve got pictures
of yourself or family hanging throughout the home constantly reminding them who lives here now. New
buyers want to find a home in which they can picture themselves making new memories, not picture the old
memories of someone else. You also want the buyer to concentrate on the highlights of the house, not where
you spent your last vacation. Besides, you never know who may be visiting your home during an open house
so it’s always best to de‐personalize.
7. Take Captivating Photos
Using unflattering or unattractive photos in a home’s listing is probably the easiest mistake for a seller to
fall prey to because most sellers dismiss the photos as being an important part in the sales process. “Well, if
we just have a photo of the front and back, along with a few snap‐shots of the interior, that should be enough
for shoppers.” Wrong. You have to keep in mind that many buyers are searching online through many listings,
spending mere seconds on each, to make their mind up on whether or not a home is worth their time. Similar
to curb appeal, you need to have photo appeal as well. It is one thing to view a home in person and another
thing entirely to see a home through photos. Well staged homes and professional photographs will get the
buyer off his computer and to your front door. The internet is the best way to contact the greatest amount of
buyers so make sure you have captivating photos!
For a consultation regarding professional and affordable home staging in the Minneapolis/St. Paul
area, call 612-735-8638 or email julie@stagehands-mn.com
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7. Stage Hands is a team of unique and talented professionals who
combine individual talents to ensure our customers receive a positive
experience. Our diverse and extensive backgrounds include interior
decorating and design, real estate, appraising, business management
and retail. The vast knowledge includes not only experience in staging
and restyling but also an overall understanding of the real estate
market. Given today’s market, we think you’ll find our experience
extremely valuable. We work within reasonable budgets with the
enthusiasm and care needed to provide the best possible result—a sold
home!
For a consultation regarding professional and affordable home staging
in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, call 612‐735‐8638 or email
julie@stagehands‐mn.com
