before you lower your home price…
I’ve worked with enough homes that wouldn’t sell to know there is rarely one ‘magic bullet’ shui move that suddenly puts an offer on the table, but…
I also know that when a house has been sitting for a while, everyone starts staring at the price. so, before you go there, I want you to walk outside, come back in, and experience your house like someone who has never been there before.
no. 1: start with the front door. wash it down. I like adding a few drops of peppermint essential oil when because it conjures fresh movement and hints at a new beginning.
also.
buy a new doormat.
and then, look at the house from the street. what’s the very first thing your eye lands on? (need ideas?) now walk through the front door. what’s the first thing you see there? those first impressions are doing more work than we sometimes give them credit for, so make them count.
no. 2: clean the windows. clean windows make a house look cared for, yes, but I also LOVE this one symbolically. windows are associated with perspective. and since you’re asking for someone new to see possibility in this house, give them a clear view.
no. 3: pack up five things you LOVE. not the things you couldn’t care less about. five things you’d be upset to leave behind or lose. this is one way to begin the process of separating your energy from the house and making room for someone new.
no. 4: if the house is empty, don’t let it go dormant. houses need signs of life, so put lights on timers. play music occasionally. use a diffuser. hang a wind chime. feed the birds or give them somewhere to visit. create movement around the property, especially when no one is living there.
no. 5: make every showing feel alive. as you well know, fresh flowers are one of my favorites for this. they’re beautiful, and they’re also giving wealthy chi. I’d rather walk into a house with one gorgeous arrangement of fresh flowers than twelve decorative objects that are giving “I’ve been staged.”
no. 6: take care of the tiny irritations. replace burned-out bulbs, and make sure the bulbs in the same fixture are actually the same temperature. (I learned this one from one of my House Therapists during our retreat consultation!) clean the fan blades. wipe down the baseboards. repair the loose handle. touch up the paint. all are little things, but collectively, they communicate how a home has been cared for.
no. 7: remove about 20% from each room. we’re not stripping the personality out of the house, but you are creating enough breathing room for someone else’s imagination to get in.
finally…
no. 8: call some attention toward you. a wind chime outside is one of my favorite ways to do this. every little ring creates movement and pulls attention the entrance. the energetic translation: over here!
none of these will single-handedly replace a good realtor or understanding what’s happening in your market, but before assuming your house needs to be cheaper, ask yourself:is it ready for someone new? there is a difference between putting a house on the market and preparing a house so it is seen in its best light. xo
