Tips for Selling a House in Halifax: Part 1

If you are selling a house in Halifax and want to sell it for top dollar and quickly, you must understand that your home becomes a product. If you were selling a car you’d be smart to have the vehicle serviced, touched up and detailed to make it run and look its best in order to get it sold faster and /or for more. If you were headed to an important interview or business meeting, you’d make sure you were dressed appropriately and were neat and presentable.  It isn’t any different when we sell a home. The better we present any product to the market, the better response we will receive.

There are sellers who want to try out the market, and see what luck will bring. Then there are sellers who make a plan to deliberately sell their house. Smart sellers fall into the second category.

But what does a well presented home look like? The TV shows tell us that we need to declutter and depersonalize. Is that all we need to know? Not quite.   Here are some of the criteria we look at as professional stagers.

• Who will be the likely buyer and how do we appeal to as large a range of buyers as possible? A property that has been used as a student dorm will need changes in order to appeal to professionals who would love the proximity to downtown. A senior’s home will need changes in order to appeal to the young couple that will love the school down the road. A home with four children living in it will need changes to appeal to a couple with no kids.

• Does the home need upgrading and or repairs to get top dollar? When selling a house in Halifax, having the home in clean, tidy, well maintained condition is always a good move. Depending on the price and who will be looking at it, some upgrades may be warranted as well. The trick is to spend wisely on items that will improve the salability of the property.

• Are the rooms being shown with the appropriate usage? The computer in the living room may work really well for your family, but while on the market it may give the message to buyers that there is a lack of peaceful adult space in the house, and no room for a home office. You may not need that third bedroom and have set up a sewing room or den to suit your needs, but a prospective buyer may walk away with the impression there are not enough rooms for them.

Stay tuned for Part 2 and more information about selling a house in Halifax!