By John Voket
With Summer upon us, I tapped a couple of experts for tips to help home sellers present their homes with maximum effectiveness this season.
Here are some seasonal selling tips for summer from frontdoor.com:
• Highlight outdoor areas. Clean the deck, porch, patio or outdoor kitchen, and repaint or make repairs if necessary.
• No deck? Arrange chairs or outdoor furniture in your yard to create the illusion of an outdoor room.
• Make necessary repairs to a home’s exterior, including siding and windows.
• Play up the pool. Keep it clean and debris-free, and create a seating area near the pool where buyers can imagine themselves floating through the cool water.
• Make sure lawn and flower beds aren’t languishing in the summer heat. Add pops of color to your entryway with potted plants.
• Add value and security with lighting. Frame walkways and driveways with lights for a stylish touch.
• Don’t skimp on the air conditioning. House hunters will want to escape the heat so make sure the home is nice and cool.
• Provide refreshments. Even though you likely won’t be home for a showing, greet buyers like you would party guests with a cool pitcher of lemonade.
Additional summer staging tips from designer Dave Ramsey (daveramsey.com) include:
• Send clutter on vacation. Give buyers — and their imaginations — room to breathe by creating loads of open space.
• Bring the outdoors in. Place vases of garden blooms — or bowls of fresh fruit — in every room.
• Fill your home with natural light by throwing curtains and blinds wide open.
• Keep base colors neutral, but cheer things up with a few bright accents.
• Dress up outdoor spaces.Dust off porch and patio furniture, and punch things up with colorful pillows and table settings.
• Make sure your yard sets a lush but trim backdrop.
