Maurice Gilmore - GUIDE TO SELLING A VACANT HOME.pdf

to look shabby just to tidy the place up.

The bonus of all that effort is that your house will have the “new home” smell that will make the buyer feel like they are moving into a brand-new home.

FURNITURE

So now that your accumulated memories and belongings have vacated the house, the buyer can take the opportunity to picture their own life here. The best thing you can do is give them a nudge in the right direction. If you can spare a few pieces of your furniture, and it really takes few pieces, place certain pieces strategically to help the buyer establish what they can do with the space. One chair by the window is enough for the buyer to picture a relaxing morning with a book staring out at the view. A table in the dining room gives an idea of the space available to work with and how many people can come over for dinner. These subtle little hints are not too much and will create the blank canvas aspect that you are going for, plus it will do wonders to encourage the buyers to begin envisioning their own lives here. A few plants here and there on countertops will bring color and life back into the house. It could easily be the difference between a sale and a near miss, so it’s worth the effort.

UPDATE FIXTURES

Anything broken must be repaired and anything looking rundown should be replaced. Again, this is so the buyer does not straight away get overwhelmed with a list of “little” things to change and fix if they agree to buy.