Realtors® Reveal: 3 Homeselling Preparations to Make

Many factors go into selling a home, but aside from appraisals, pricing, listing, negotiating and more, there are a few other things to consider. Whether you’re selling your home or you’re a seller agent helping your client, here are three homeselling preparations from two Pennsylvania Realtors®.  

1. One Theme Per Room 

“The advice I often share with sellers is to ensure each room has a ‘theme’ to it,” says PAR Treasurer Eric Rehling. “The dining room is usually the best example. Everyone who walks in knows this is the place to break bread with family and friends. The theme is clear with a table, chairs and maybe a hutch or something similar.” 

“The issue sometimes is, for example, a bedroom that has a bed and a home office setup in it. This can send the wrong signal to a potential buyer, suggesting there isn’t enough space in the home. Better to show it as a bedroom or an office, but not both.” 

2. Plenty of Clear, Well-Lit Photos 

“Photographs of the property should be level, clear and not too dark,” notes PAR President-elect Bill Lublin. “There should be plenty of photos, with multiple angles of each room and plenty of exterior photos showing the property from each corner of the property lines.” 

“It’s best to use a photographer,” he adds. “If a photographer isn’t in the budget, a small handheld camera is better than using a phone. Still, in either case, a small investment to ensure photos are light-adjusted can go a long way.” 

Lublin recommends BoxBrownie.com for editing real estate photos and showing homes in the best light possible. 

3. Cleared Clutter 

“I advise on the importance of professional pictures, but also thinning out the shelves and tops of furniture before the photos are taken,” Rehling says. “Shelves that are one-third full will show better in photos compared to a shelf that is chock full. This has the same idea as the room that has more than one purpose – it can get the buyer thinking there is a lack of space.” 

“Sellers should take everything out of their common areas that they don’t use every day,” Lublin adds. “The less cluttered a room looks, the better it shows. The same thing goes for counters. We all leave appliances on our counters that we use infrequently because we don’t want to be bothered digging them out of the cabinets. While the house is being photographed or shown, as much of that should be removed as possible.”  

“Remove the things stored in plain sight,” he continues. “Buyers don’t mind a crowded or filled garage or basement as much as they dislike a crowded living room or family room.”