What are Northern Virginia Homebuyers looking for? Part I

When preparing your DC Metro Area home for sale, what are the top five do’s to get your home sold for top dollar?
Let’s face it, everyone has different taste, and you can’t please every single person; however, when you are preparing your home for market, making your home as buyer-neutral as possible can help bring you top dollar when it comes time to sell!
Here is a list of the top five things you can do that will help allow the buyer to see beyond your taste and imagine themselves in their new home:
Depersonalize. You know you love your family, friends and pets. You can know that internally but externally- put the memories in storage for a while… Store your personal items and valuables elsewhere while you’re marketing your home for sale. Removing as many personal photos and keepsakes from your home will help buyers imagine their own family in the house.
De-clutter. You have heard it once, twice, a million times, yet sellers still don’t always take the time to remove the overflow of personal items such as children’s toys, out of season clothes and even that yoga ball that has been lingering in the corner all year… You are in a sense selling a lifestyle – and an organized lifestyle is what most buyers are looking for.
Neutralize Color. Did you go for that ‘bring on the hunger’ red for the dining room? It may be gorgeous for you, but most Northern Virginia buyers lean towards a softer, neutral color scheme when they are shopping for homes. You don’t have to make it boring, and builder beige; there are plenty of options. Ask me about the many options for low and non-emitting paints for a healthier indoor air quality.
Neutralize Odor. Kitteh has the litter box in the basement? Poochie snuggles up on the sofa waiting for you to get home? Teenage boys left their gym socks in the utility room? If you don’t want to smell it, you can count on homebuyers not wanting to smell it either! If you have pets, make sure they are not “showcased” with your home. If you can, have your pets stay elsewhere while you’re showing your home for sale and make sure to keep your home clean on a daily basis while your home is being shown. Thoroughly and professionally cleaning your home will bring on the good smells and make homebuyers feel more comfortable in a space they feel has been well taken care of.
Set The Stage. You have tackled the de-cluttering, depersonalization, painting, cleaning and now you’re ready to make your home a show stopper! Staging your home is very important in Northern Virginia; most buyers are looking for a very specific aesthetic that may not be how you currently live in your home, but it is what these buyers are looking for. If you have outdated furniture arranged in a layout that doesn’t “make sense” to a buyer, you could lose an offer on your home. You have options when staging your home: you can definitely utilize your current belongings and rearrange furniture and accessories or you can call in a staging professional to bring in rented furniture that is current and relevant to local Northern Virginia buyers and your home’s style. Sometimes stagers will give you a consultation and you can implement their suggestions. Whatever you choose, setting the stage is important in creating the lifestyle you are selling.
If you are thinking about listing your home for sale and would like to discuss your options, I’m happy to help! Not only can we discuss the preparations that need to go into getting your home’s buyer aesthetic complete, but we can also talk about the energy efficiency and healthy living features that we can market to bring you top dollar!