By Daisy Great marketing lies in positioning your product as a product that meets their needs and wants. This is a powerful marketing strategy for home staging. The concept of “Positioning,” focuses more on the buyer’s mind than the product. To have an impact on buyers, a home seller doesn’t need to do extensive renovations or redecorations. Even small improvements can have a huge impact. You can do a thorough clean, remove all unnecessary furniture and de-clutter. We will share some simple tips and tricks in our series “The 12 Days of Staging”.
Day 1 Positioning: The homeowner should take an active role in the sale by participating in the “Positioning”. You can get great information from others by listening to their opinions. Ask your family and friends to comment on the appearance and feel of your home. To ease the discomfort of critiquing your house, ask them to take down their thoughts. It’s not easy for most homeowners to sell their home in this market. You can put them on trial to speed up the sale of your home. It is no longer possible to simply put a house up for sale without any preparation, and then sell it within a few days or hours.
Day 2 Curb Appeal. Many times curb appeal ranks high on our priority list as it is often the first impression. The first impression sets the tone for how the buyer will see the rest of your house. Within fifteen seconds, the clock begins to tick at the curb. The buyer will form a positive or negative attitude towards your house. The buyer will then be trying to reinforce their initial positive or negative impressions throughout the home tour. To reinforce their first impression, the buyer will look for other positive aspects in the home.
To get things moving, it is a great idea to stand in front of your house with the “buyers eyes” and take notes. Although it can be difficult for home sellers to see the shortcomings of their home, this is crucial in the sale’s success. Ask trusted family members, neighbours, and friends to help you with this task. Ask them to be honest or invite them write down their thoughts and place them in a hat. You might be able to get better results, and you won’t make people feel awkward about criticizing your home.
Day 3: “Here Kitty Kitty”, Who doesn’t like the sound of a cat purring inside your ears? So soft, so fluffy….so SMELLY! Although cat odors are not always a problem, they can pose a serious problem for home-owners. We are cat owners, or “captors”, as many felines refer to them. We know how unpleasant kitty can get. This issue can make the difference between a buyer who stays and looks or one who runs.
1. Consider taking your cat for a ride in the car on days when you are not sure if they will be home. Most cats will love the ride and become comfortable in the car. Note: Never leave your pet unattended in the car. Particularly on hot or warm days. If left in the car, cats can become overheated and even die. Dogs can also be left in the car.
2. Show day is a good time to move the litter box out of sight or out of your home.
3. Do not eat any wet food. It is not only unappetizing, but it smells like high heaven.
4. Make sure to scoop litter as often as you can and change the litter every few weeks. You will be a blessing to your cat and potential buyers.
5. Did you know that cats can produce an incomprehensible amount of hair? It was our opinion. Keep it clean. It’s not an easy task, but we are here to help you sell your house. Buyers will think of a “dirty” house if there is hair all over the floor.
6. Kitty goes outside the litter box? You should bring your cat to the vet if this is a problem. Crystals in the urine of cats can cause death if they are not treated.
7. There is help! The “Stink finder!” is here! This tool can be used to find out what your cat has been doing. You can also find a black light at your local pet supply shop. Turn off the lights in each room and then walk around them. It will be visible in the light if kitty makes a mess. You should also clean up every inch of carpet. Keep blinds closed to prevent neighbors from thinking you are crazy while you crawl in the dark with a black light on your hands.
8. You can confirm suspicious areas with a smell test. If you are not familiar with the distinctive smell of cat urine, it is best described as something between ammonia or the most horrible smell. Be aware.
9. Once your blood pressure is back to normal, it’s time for you to address the problem. There are many good options available today. To eliminate the smell, first remove the carpet from the concrete and seal it. Kilz is a good choice. Cat urine doesn’t lose its smell so you need to seal it off. The next step is to either have your carpet professionally cleaned or buy an enzyme cleaner from your local store. Repeat the previous steps with Kilz if your cat has been on walls or baseboards. Then, repaint the wall. (Aren’t cats fun?!)
10. Keep your home clean. Pet dander can be a problem for some people. Make sure you clean your home and change your air filter frequently. Buyers who have a severe sneezing attack when they walk in your front door are less likely to be interested in purchasing your home.