How To Get Your Home Ready To Sell By Jeanine Corcoran, Broker of Corcoran Connect
Kristin Macari owner of Studio Nine 13 joins Jeanine as her co-host. Welcome to the 34th episode of Discover St. Cloud Florida where Jeanine and Kristin will discuss preparing to sell your home in St Cloud FL.
Kristin said the topic of preparing to sell your home is near and dear to her heart as it makes her job a lot easier. She said earlier this year you didn’t even need to pick up the dirty clothes off the floor as homes were selling so quickly. Now we are back into a regular real estate market it is essential to prepare your home properly for going on the market.
Video Podcast OF How To Get Your Home Ready To List
Jeanine said she is always cognizant of who is in charge whether it be the Mr. or Mrs. She is honest in telling clients what needs to be done to sell their home. Jeanine walks through each client's home going over a checklist for preparation for listing it on the market. This is done in advance of the real estate photographers, such as Studio Nine 13, coming in and taking pictures.
Jeanine then follows up and walks through the house again right before the photographers arrive to see what was missed. She said usually there are a few things that are missed so that is why she does it.
Home Sellers In Saint Cloud FL Need To Have Their Windows Cleaned Prior To Listing Their Home
She continued that Florida has hard water and the sprinklers in the yard get water stains on the windows and that is so important to have the windows cleaned prior to the photographers coming to take pictures. Jeanine asked if real estate photographers can edit out the water stains.
Kristin answered that they are tough to get out. It depends on what is in the background and how bad the water stains are. She said it is so much easier if the clients have their windows cleaned. The photos end up looking so much better. People viewing homes on the market notice when the windows appear dirty in photos, it’s a big deal.
Jeanine stated that she would never list a home for Corcoran Connect that has dirty windows. She said it is especially true to have the windows clean that have beautiful views. Kristin added that if you have windows that show off a beautiful view, they need to be highlighted and therefore, clean.
Jeanine said that Kristin who is the owner of Studio Nine 13 provides a great checklist for clients in regards to real estate photography. She hands out this checklist at the listing meetings. Kristin said that they do provide a thorough checklist for clients that walk them through what to do for each area in their home.
Potential Home Buyers First Impression Starts With The Exterior Of The Home
Kristin said they always start with the exterior as that is the first impression a potential homebuyer has of a home. She continued that there is nothing worse than pulling up to the home and the outside needs to be mulched or there is mildew on the sidewalk or driveway.
The outside of the home is such an easy fix Jeanine stated. It doesn’t take much, a few pots, put some new flowers in and use a pressure washer. To Jeanine, the exterior is the easiest part, however, she believes the hardest part is once you walk through the front door.
Jeanine continued that as consumers we save a lot of stuff. Kristin added that the stuff people save is all personal. The knickknacks that people collect on vacation or the signs with words on them, sometimes people go overboard. She said that it helps to depersonalize the house because then potential homebuyers can see themselves in it.
Jeanine asked Kristin a professional photographer and one who has taken photos of many homes what her biggest pet peeve is. Kristin answered that she has a few pet peeves but her biggest is the home sellers not knowing when garbage or recycling day is.
Magnets on the refrigerator are Jeanine’s number one pet peeve, actually, she doesn’t like anything on the refrigerator. She also added that shampoos and soaps are a big no for listing photos as well as showings. Kristin said that washcloths and loofahs need to go as well.
The Importance Of Having Your Home Cleaned Prior To Listing It Can Not Be Said Enough
Kristin then emphasized the importance of clean counters. It shows better on the images and video of the property walkthrough video. It is a nice clean shot. Having items on the countertops during photoshoots or video filming or viewing appointments takes away from the beautiful granite or quartz appearance and shows it more as clutter.
Jeanine added that the house should be clean as well. She added that if your baseboards are dirty people will think that your house is dirty. Your house may be clean but if your floors and your baseboards are dirty then they will think the house is dirty.
Kristin said she thinks of Grandma Corcoran when the subject of cleaning the house comes up. Jeanine quoted what her mother used to say, “clean the corners and the rest of the house will clean itself.
Kristin shared a memory of her grandmother when she was preparing for a big party at her home and that she would actually paint the baseboards, so they looked new and very clean. Jeanine and Kristin both said that the windowsills, blinds, and ceiling fans need to be cleaned as well, it all matters.
Jeanine asked Kristin about wetting the driveway and what effect that has on listing photoshoots. Kristin replied that for photoshoots that are early evening when the sun is going down and the outside lights are on that can have a great effect on camera. However, for normal every day listing photoshoots, it is not necessary.
Jeanine Corcoran Recaps The Home Preparation Checklist
Curb appeal
Mulching
Cleaning
Decluttering
Clean refrigerator (no magnets or anything else)
Remove shampoos, soaps, loofahs, etc.
Clean windows
Remove and pack knickknacks
Repairing the minor items
Jeanine wrapped up this part by saying that we are helping people to start packing because you are going to have to pack anyway as you are leaving. This includes taking pictures off of the wall. She also mentioned fixing little things that are broken like a door that doesn’t close properly, etc. Just fix it and be done.
Jeanine classified these types of things as a loose cabinet door or a closet door that has come off the tracks. These types of things need to be fixed because when people come through the house and they see all these broken things, even though they are not a big deal, it adds thousands of dollars to their minds. Kristin added that if you are not maintaining these little things then there are probably some bigger things that will need fixing further compounding the problem and dollar signs in the potential buyers’ minds.
Avoid Potential Home Buyers Making A Negative Mental Checklist
The ultimate goal as stated by Jeanine is to have a potential buyer come into your home and eliminate as many negative thoughts as possible by taking care of all the obvious things. It gives them the warm and fuzzies and allows them to picture their furniture in the home. You don’t want buyers making a mental list of negatives in your home.
Jeanine then asked Kristin where people can get a copy of her checklist for real estate photography for listing your home. Kristin said you can get a free copy on her website at StudioNine13.com. Click on the link for real estate photography and we’ll send you a free copy of our pre-listing checklist.
We hope you enjoyed Jeanine and Kristin walking you through how to get your home ready to sell. Our goal is to help you in preparing to sell your home in St Cloud FL.