NEED TO SELL YOUR FAMILY HOME? DITCH THE FAMILY PHOTOS AROUND THE HOUSE

So! You’re ready to leave your tiny little starter apartment and move into a new house…your family is growing and its time to sell! This. Is. Exciting. 

Ninety percent of buyers start their search online so this means that you need to treat it like a job. The photos you post need to really count.

And so does your personality.

Once you get potential buyers through the door you have to quickly capture their attention, and have a great design that speaks clearly and gets you all to the signing table. 

This is where staging comes in. Staging gets a bad wrap and for very good reason. It’s usually terrible and removes all traces of your personality from your home. So lets talk about how to change that and sell your home! 

I’d like to start with some staging DONT’S.

Question: who thought it was a good idea to set every table in the house with wine glasses styled next to some plastic fruit? Actually, now that I think of it, its probably the same person who thought it was a neat plan to put out a tray with champagne glasses perched on the edge of the bed. In the history of living has anyone ever made their bed and then left the champagne glasses out? No. Never. Stop being weird and just make the bed.

Another absurd idea is that you're supposed to bake cookies so the house smells nice. Lets get real, no one has time for the pre-showing Cinnabon session. If you’re able to buy some Oreos for your kids bake sale and remember to put the vacuum away you're killin’ it.

So the question becomes, what should you do? Here are some tips that will get your house on and off the market quick! 

Get rid of the family photos. This is one tip that stands the test of time. I know you love the huge photo over the fireplace where you and the whole family are wearing adorable matching white button downs while standing on a sand dune. This is cute and all but a potential buyer doesn’t want to see it. Make it easy for them to envision their own family in this home. Save the beach pic for the next house and replace it with a simple two tone canvas. 

As for pictures of the home itself, make sure they count. You have just a couple seconds to grab their attention and you know everyones judging these photos…hard. Make sure to get your home camera ready and take the best photos you can. Don’t make them swipe left.

Real flowers trump fake. Fake flowers as a whole are pretty beat. As a general rule of thumb one should try and steer clear of them. But especially for showings, a vase of real flowers (even from your backyard or the grocery store) will go a long way.

More tips: The chances of you and the buyer having the same exact taste is slim. One way to help them imagine themselves in your home is by using very plain white bedding. It’s clean and fresh and lets this person really see the space without being distracted by some unsettling pattern…or stain. #eww

I can't tell you how many times I’m in a space and the potential buyer says, “Well I really don't like the color of the master bedroom.” Ummmm….you know you can just paint it right?!!?! It blows my mind that they cant seem to get past it but its a very real thing. A fresh coat of paint will absolutely make for a quicker sale. My Go-To is Benjamin Moore, White Sand.