Buyers have different needs and desires when buying a home. Watch any real estate show on television and it is easy to see that what buyers are willing to concede on varies widely. Because you can’t read the minds of the perfect buyer, making a home widely appealing helps attract the right buyers. Here are ideas on how to create house appeal to attract the right buyers in Delaware.
Exterior Appeal
It all starts with curb appeal. The moment a prospective buyer walks up to a house sets the tone for the walk-through. Even buyers who intend to redo landscaping appreciate a bright green well-manicured lawn. Make sure all landscaping is free of weeds and tame areas with invasive ground cover. Trim trees and bushes. Remove any dead or dying plants. Replace if necessary to keep the landscaping look full and colorful.
Take the time to go through the yard and remove rusty patio furniture and put toys or garden tools away. Clear narrow walkways; move potted plants and excessive garden décor. Front porches and entryways should be cleared of personal items such as shoes or umbrellas.
Interior Appeal
Every agent tells sellers to clear away clutter. This is the first thing to make any home more appealing to the right buyers. No one wants to walk into someone else’s stuff. Buyers want to walk in and envision themselves in the house. Removing clutters allows them to see where their favorite sofa or desk will go.
Interior paint needs to be neutral when possible. Again, giving buyers the ability to think in terms of a canvas to paint on. Don’t keep lots of personal items such as pictures or unique trinket collections on display. Pack them away for the move and let the buyers imagine their own family picture wall.
While buyers need a neutral slate, a blank slate is not great either. When a home has no furniture, buyers might not see how furniture fits into a home. This is where staging is so important, whether using existing furniture or renting. Agents should walk through a home drawing on the experience of other homes and help homeowners situate the home making it as attractive as possible.
Marketing Appeal
No home seller should tolerate a realtor that is complicit in marketing. Once the home is prepared for sale, professional photography is essential. No one wants to go to a house that shows bathroom counters littered with toothbrushes, medication bottles, and personal hygiene items. Photos put on all digital and print marketing needs to show the house off, making it look like it belongs in a magazine. Higher end homes might even have video tours with drone footage of extended property boundaries.
Marketing efforts should clearly talk about neighborhood benefits as well. This might be parks or other outdoor spaces. It could include great schools or proximity to business centers or social hubs. Buyers move into desirable neighborhoods so these are key issues to help attract the right buyer who might overlook something they want in a house because it meets other neighborhood needs.