Summertime Selling

Summertime…time for fun, vacations, barbeques, staycations, and more. Summer may not be the ideal time to think about selling your home. However, families with school age kids want to have them moved into their new neighborhood and settled before the school year begins. So, let’s talk about maximizing your home to attract summertime buyers.

Yards: Keep the lawns mowed and the yard clean and groomed. Because grass grows faster in the summer I recommend you mow twice a week. Also, a great tip is mowing diagonally every other cutting to add great dimension and excellent curb appeal!

Summer curb appeal: a must to attract people who are in the home buying market. Some tips to add curb appeal, keep bushes trimmed, plant flowers, scatter mulch. Paint the house number on the curb, keep sidewalks swept and debris free. You want to make sure your entrance is warm and welcoming. We want the buyers to feel welcome and want to see the inside!

Decorate: use summer accents: You may have items in your home that can give you color inspiration. If you have dark accent pillows and throw rugs replace them with brighter summer colors. Think inviting.

Light: The absolute worst thing you can do is have heavy, dark drapes; especially in the summer. They make the rooms appear smaller and don’t allow the light to flood the room. If you have heavy, dark drapes and/or blinds replace them. If you can’t afford to replace the blinds pull them all the way up and tape the string out of view. If you absolutely cannot replace the heavy, dark drapes use tie-backs to hold them open and use sheer curtains. These sheer curtains will give you privacy while allowing the natural light to flood the rooms. These are simple, cost effective tips that will change the dynamic of your rooms. Also, if your neighbor has ugly trash cans or other unsightly items be absolutely certain you use enough sheer curtain panels or buy a light colored blind to open only slightly; hide the ugliness!

Be flexible: Especially with daylight savings and not to mention it is cooler in the evenings. You might be surprised to learn there are many buyers who are more interested in touring homes early evening after dinner.

Create an outdoor living space: Move furniture outside; don’t spend a lot of money on new patio furniture. You will find you can create more room inside the house by moving a few items outside. An inviting outdoor living space can help the buyer visualize enjoying time in his/her outdoor living space. You want the buyer to see himself/herself there!

Refreshments: Feel free to offer goodies. You can fill the sink with ice cubes and place bottles of water and/or soft drinks. I suggest staying away from adult beverages. You can also have light snacks. Not only will the buyers appreciate this but it can give them ideas for entertaining in your home. Always try to place the buyer in the picture.

Pleasing smells: Use natural air fresheners, fresh flowers, etc. nothing too strong though. Always think “inviting”.

Air temperature: absolutely critical that your house is not stuffy. Nothing turns a buyer off more than a stuffy room. Be sure there is air circulating in your home. If you don’t have air conditioning buy some quiet fans and place in strategic areas to maximize air flow but not to appear bulky and in the way. If you do have air conditioning be sure to keep it running. You want the buyers to view your home longer than they would if it is too hot and/or stuffy. The extra power bill is worth it if it means attracting buyers.