In my last post, I unpacked three of the biggest mistakes home sellers tend to make that affect their showings and open houses. Ready for another slap on the wrist? Read on for three more mistakes people make that sabatoge their showings.
4) Assuming would-be buyers won’t mind the holes in the wall/chipped paint/scuffed baseboards. As a seller its easy to get overwhelmed with the long list of to-do’s but trust me when I say this is one more area of life where assuming does damage. When a buyer tours a home and sees things like nail holes in the walls, damaged sheetrock, paint that hasn’t been touched up and so on, it could make them wonder, “If they didn’t bother fixing up the stuff I CAN see, what needs fixing that I CAN’T see?” It behooves you to take a few hours on a rainy Sunday and address these small details. Hint: Mr Clean Magic Erasers work wonders on scuffed floors, baseboards, doors, etc.
5) Speaking of paint… does yours say “an eccentric artist lives here” or “welcome, of course your furniture would look great in here!”? If your home has more than five colors throughout, if any of those colors burn the retina (even slightly), if you let your tween go crazy with the hot pink, its time to go neutral. It doesn’t need to be a boring beige; I love Sherwin Williams “Camelback”, “Wheatgrass” and “Trusty Tan” for the subtle ways they add color to a room without stealing all the attention.
6) Ladies, quick-go get the men in your household! I’m about to back you up. Leaving the toilet seats up for showings is just plain tacky. Now I’m hoping you’re keeping the cammode clean anyway but regardless, this is a commandment I give to every seller I stage for- toilet seat DOWN! Since you don’t always have ample warning before a showing occurs, my rule of thumb is to make it a habit all the time. That way if your Realtor shows your home while your family is out, he or she won’t have to scramble ahead of the clients and put the seats/lids down before they walk in the room.
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