When it becomes time to sell your home, you need to think about how you’re presenting it to the buyer. The more desirable your home looks, the more money potential buyers will pay for it. If you have a country home, here are some essential staging and selling tips that you should follow.
Remove Clutter and Depersonalize
The very first step you need to take to prepare your house for staging is to remove clutter. There’s nothing worse than walking into an environment where there are too many things that just don’t have a place. Take the time to rid your home environment of buildup stacks of books, magazines, mail, laundry, and so forth. Then, remove all items that can seem personal. This refers to things like photographs and family heirlooms. It’s hard for a potential buyer to picture themselves as the owner of your existing home when all of your personal items are in it. If you are not sure what to keep or remove, hire a professional home stager to help give you needed guidance. Many agents have stagers they use regularly and will often pay for their services to work with you.
Keep It Homey
A country home boasts a simple country lifestyle. You must remember that your ideal audience is looking for that particular lifestyle when they examine country club properties for sale. Therefore, take the time to make your home extremely inviting. While decluttering and depersonalization are necessities, it should still look like a person is living there. For example, don’t shy away from styling your dining room table. Lay down some placemats and even a setting for each chair. Your professional home stager can share what to use for this purpose as you want it to feel current and on trend. A simple change from a completely set table to one that is blank can make a world of difference in how your house appeals to a potential buyer.
Connect with the Right Real Estate Agent
While all real estate agents can sell your home, you don’t want to just pick the first one you find. The best real estate agents have a specific type of clientele that they work with on a regular basis. Look at online listings for other country homes in your local area. This will reveal to you who is most likely experienced in handling country homes in your market. You’ll want to connect with an agent who specializes in this field, as they’re going to have more knowledge about attracting potential buyers than any ole agent with a license.
Have A Brokers’ Open
Because country properties tend to be unique and farther away from the mainstream real estate market, it’s important that your agent takes the initiative to attract other brokers. They can hold what is known as a brokers’ open where they invite other brokers from around the area to tour the property. This can attract a number of brokers throughout the area and get them interested in finding a buyer for your home. A quality REALTOR(R) will be well connected with agents from all over who may have clients looking to move and buy your house. Ask for their marketing strategy and pay attention to what they are doing beyond just putting your house online in a listing service.
Selling your country home requires a little more care than selling an average home in a neighborhood. As you know, selling a country home is also selling a country lifestyle. By enacting the tips laid out for you above, you’ll be well on your way to getting top dollar for your prized property.
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan