When it comes to selling a home there are three different levels or senses, if you will; that need to be satisfied in order for the home to show well. Many people seem to forget the fact that the home needs to appeal to people on a variety of levels, those being sight, smell and the most intangible of all, feel.
Sight - This is the easy one to satisfy. This is also commonly referred to as "curb appeal." In this step you will be clearing all unnecessary clutter and junk away from the home. This is a vital step as a home's day-to-day appearance is usually not quite up to par in terms of showing quality. There are of course exceptions to this rule but let's be honest, we do tend to leave a trail at times don't we? Maybe you are one of those people who accumulate things on a regular basis? Well, pack-rat or not; the clutter needs to go! This is also a fantastic time to do a few things to increase the selling power and attraction of your home. Having the yard landscaped is a great way to add to the curb appeal and new flowers and trimmed lawns are attractive to buyers.
Smell - Where to start? Do you have pets? If so then this is something that you will want to take care of ASAP. Regardless of how clean pets are, they do leave an odor in the home. Cleaning like crazy is the best way to ensure that the smells from your pets is eliminated. Also try to avoid cooking anything with extremely strong smells during the time the home is showing. Strong food aromas can linger for quite some time. If you have carpet in the home then it is a good idea to shampoo it or have it professionally cleaned. This helps the home to show better and goes a long way to eliminating any odors in the home.
Feel - This is a difficult thing to achieve as everyone that comes through your home will experience it differently. What you do have power over is the atmosphere you create as a home owner. This is largely influenced by the preceding two items but also can be affected by things like music, warmth, perhaps some snacks, everyone likes snacks. The key concept here is to make your home as inviting and welcoming as possible. The longer people choose to spend viewing your home, the more opportunity there is for them to fall in love with it.
