If you are thinking about putting your lakefront house on the market, you may be looking for ways to help your lake house sell faster and for more money. Staging your house is the act of setting your house up so that it is warm, welcoming, and appealing to the eye.
It is very effective to stage both the inside and outside of your lakefront house. These are 3 tips to make the exterior more appealing:
1. It is a good idea to go out to the street, take a few minutes and look around. What do potential buyers see? Your goal is to make a good first impression on them. Having well maintained landscaping, a manicured lawn, and a fresh paint job on the exterior show that You the current owner has had pride in the house and have taken good care of it. This good first impression will place the prospective buyers in a good mood and will reflect on how the remainder of the house is perceived.
2. Next, step outside your front door and close the door; then stand on the stoop and look around for 5 minutes. While the Realtor fumbles for keys and tries to figure out how to open the door, the clients are standing behind and looking around. So what are they seeing? Dead plants, old Halloween decorations in the middle of January, cobwebs? Again, not a good first impression!
It will pay dividends to make the effort to clean and make the surrounding area look nice. Why not go ahead and put a fresh coat of paint on any furniture or accessories.
3. The backyard will likely be the last place your prospective buyer looks as many Realtors will hold the best for last – the lake. If the lake is visible from the house it will certainly make a lasting impression. Now the lake is the biggest selling point, the yard and walking path to the lake should be well maintained. Trimming back overgrown shrubbery and trees, raking up unwanted straw or leaves, and mulching plant beds is a good start. Adding a fresh coat of paint to the existing furniture, new furniture or accessories such as bird baths, globes, etc are also a plus. If you have a dock at the lake, is it in good condition or does it need some TLC?
Another tip that should not be overlooked is to think of yourself as the prospective buyer that is seeing your lakefront house for the very first time. If there are things that you would like changed, it is likely that others will feel the same way. Try to make your house look the best.
And don’t worry about spending a lot of money to get your house ready to sell you’ll recoup it when your house sells. Proper staging helps you sell your lake house in a shorter period of time and at the price you want.
Hubert Miles is the founder of Waterfront Houses USA, an internet advertising service that provides Lakefront Houses For Sale and Lake Houses available in the US and Canada.
Tags: Business, exterior, Family, Finance, home, house, lake, lake house, lakefront, lakefront house, property, Real Estate, staging
