“Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman,” Coco Chanel infamously said.
The same could be said for selling a home. Even this smallest unfinished projects or untidy space will leave a home buyer focused on the work that needs to be done to the house, instead of on all the attributes of the house itself. But if the home is “dressed impeccably”, the buyer is more likely to remember it. Unfortunately I had the former experience today. Visiting a home listing this afternoon, I was surprised to see flower beds in need of weeding and windows desperately in need of washing.
Home buyers never fail to comment on these factors. I saw this recently when I showed a beautiful home for sale in Wellesley that had been left in somewhat disarray. The home had wonderful details and upgrades, yet it showed poorly. The owners had teenagers who obviously weren’t keen on cleaning their rooms. There were clothes on the kid’s floors and the bathroom counters and mirror were all speckled with toothpaste. The second we walked out the door, my client told me she had an itching desire to clean the house. Not exactly the impression the homeowners desired!
Keeping a home in show condition can be tiring, but it’s worth the extra effort to ensure buyers focus on everything the home has to offer. That’s why many clients choose to bring in extra cleaning help or to assign extra tasks to their kids while their home is on the market. The impeccable home gets the buyer!