ADRIANA DONOFRIO SPECIAL TO FOOTHILLS READER
Summer is well underway, and if you have your home on the market you may notice a slower pace of buyer showings.
A lot of families head off on summer vacations or are just too busy with the kids at home to go house hunting.
But just because the number of showings may drop off, serious buyers are still shopping. Make every showing count at this time of year by enhancing all the features of your home to shine in summertime.
If you still have a lawn in the midst of the drought and water rationing, keep it green. This isn’t the time to skimp on landscape maintenance.
Homebuyers don’t want to see brown lawns and parched plants barely hanging on in the blazing sun. Try mowing the lawn on the diagonal to add dimension and curb appeal.
Replant pots with heat tolerant summer annuals.
Here are some good tips for summer sales:
Let the light in
Bring the light inside and don’t close heavy drapes to keep the house cool while you are away. Forget about energy-saving strategies you usually employ – household routines must give way to home staging when you want to sell. Pull all your blinds to the top and tape the strings underneath.
Consider tie-backs if you don’t already have them for holding open lighter drapes or curtains. Leave blinds closed only if there is an undesirable element on the other side of the window, such as a neighbor’s trash can or clutter.
Control the air temperature and turn the AC down a notch below your comfort zone. Walking into a hot, stuffy house can be a major turn off when showing a home. If you don’t have central air, try to keep the air moving even if you have to place floor fans around the house. No need to keep it so cold that your visitor’s arm hair stands up, but chilly enough that they want to stay a while.
Embrace daylight savings time and go with the flow of summer schedules. Be flexible if buyers want to tour your home in twilight hours, just around dinnertime. In fact, seeing summer barbecues and outdoor areas in use shows buyers how they can also live in and enjoy your property. If you have a small property, summer gives you a chance to expand your living space by creating outdoor rooms. Don’t be afraid to move furniture outside to the patio to declutter interior rooms.
Make your open house memorable. Decorate the patio table with a summery tablecloth, colorful tumblers and pitchers full of cool beverages. Fill the sink with ice cubes and chill bottled water for thirsty home seekers. Take a tip from real estate sales trainer Tom Hopkins and give your guests a quart of ice cream to take with them – yours will be the last open house they visit!
— Adriana Donofrio Podley Properties Glendora 626-914-2904 adrianad@podley.com
