How to Show your Property

Your last child has left for college and now, the home that you’ve lived in for the past twenty or so years is simply too big for you and your hubby. Instead of spending unnecessarily for the maintenance and upkeep of a large house, you decide to sell it off and get a smaller, cozier unit elsewhere.

Selling a home involves more than putting up a giant “FOR SALE” sign out in your front lawn and advertising the property in the classifieds. These are just the initial steps. The hard work comes when people actually take interest in your home. How do you make these potential buyers see that the unit you are selling is not just a structure for them to live in, but a place where lasting memories of their lives are made?

You’ve already done your homework. You’ve mowed the lawn and trimmed the hedges. The house has been dusted, scrubbed and polished – from the dingy cellar to the rafters in the ceiling. You’ve removed all the unnecessary clutter and depersonalized your home but left enough accessories to make the home inviting and warm. What should you do when the first interested buyer come knocking at your door?

When you have a potential client, don’t start off with a grand tour of the property the minute they walk in. Usher them to the living room first, and offer them refreshments. Talk about yourself, your reasons for selling the property and ask about them too. Find out as much as you can through the light banter that you’ll be exchanging. When they are done, walk them through the house at a comfortable pace. Do not hover around them like a vulture, give them some breathing room. Allow them to move around and discreetly move away when they start whispering amongst themselves.

Also, when you’re going around describing your house, don’t just ramble off technical details like the kind of paint you used and where the kitchen tiles were imported from. It wouldn’t hurt to include some personal anecdotes to liven up the atmosphere to make your house appear less like a cold and lifeless museum, but more like the warm and wonderful home it really is.