“My apartment is perfect just the way it is!”. “I can’t live in a white apartment”. “Buyers will surely love how warm our apartment feels. All our friends love our photos and mementos of our travels”.

Selling your home, comes with stress and a lot of emotions. Some are good and others are quite distressing. Regardless of why you are moving, even in the best of circumstances, when it comes to actually start packing, we are faced with deciding keep it or leave it? Photos, letters from old loves, mementos from the fabric of our lives. Letting go is hard to do.  The process starts however before you list your home.

If you are committed to selling your home, then it’s best to do things right from the beginning. Key to this process is understanding that Buyers in general do not have vision. They are busy at their jobs and when they are looking to buy a home, they are excited but nervous, they have a ‘vision’ of what they want and for them the most important thing is to be able to imagine themselves in an apartment.

As humans we are all a bit voyeuristic. This becomes a drawback for the seller who’s family photos or Kenyan safari or Gold Records are on display. Why? Instead of the buyer imagining them self in a potential new home, their mind switches to imagining what your life is like and who you are. A major distraction from what you are trying to accomplish. Their “date” is with your apartment, not you or your home as you have it now.

Tips: De-clutter, paint neutral colors, make spaces feel clean and open, make windows accessible – buyers want to look out, and if necessary and you have the budget, make some minor upgrades and possibly rent some furniture.

You want your buyer to say, “yes I can totally see myself in the apartment” and “I can do this or that”‘ not “OMG who paints their walls lavender? What is that smell?” Stage it to Sell it.   by Tony Sargent