From Spooky to Spotless: How to “Unscare” Potential Vacant Home Buyers

When selling your home, making sure a buyer feels 100% comfortable with the home in question is the utmost priority. While most homes sold are lived in while being sold, and are vacant only temporarily, there’s more factors involved in selling a vacant home, and buyers are likely to be wary of a house that has been vacant for any length of time. How can you take away some of the spookiness? Take a look at our list of tips and see what you can do to turn your vacant home into someone’s next dream home!

Install a security system! While it may vary wildly by neighborhood and city, vacant homes tend to attract criminal activity, as thieves, vandals and squatters may be looking to take advantage of the situation. Getting a home security system ensures that the odds of this behavior are reduced drastically, as an autonomous home security system will call the necessary officials without any need for your own involvement. It also reassures the buyers that the property is still well-managed, even if no one is living there at the moment.
Call a home stager! One factor that must be considered is that a vacant home is a blank slate, and while some buyers may like that immediately, most buyers would like something within the home that gives them something to aspire to. Home staging professionals can create an atmosphere within a home that can gives potential buyers something to keep in mind when they’re considering the home, and to show the best features of the home without the hassle of maintaining the home personally. For examples of home staging, take a look at this link to better understand the process and results.
Leave the utilities on! While this does cost a bit more money than having them turned off, the results are well worth it, as buyers will certainly want to ensure that all utilities in the house are in working order. In addition, this will ensure that seasonal conditions are less harsh on the interior of the home. For example, plumbing may freeze under cold conditions, but keeping the heat of the home on throughout a vacant winter can ensure that the pipes remain serviceable until the next buyer moves in.
Take care of small repairs! While a minor scuff here or paint chip there may not be important to the overall quality of the house, it can’t be overstated how important the details of the house are to a buyer. Small repairs around the home are more than likely non-issues, but to some buyers, small repairs that they will have to take care of may indicate larger issues that will be their responsibility once they purchase the home.
Clean the home once a month! Even without residents, dust, dirt and grime can all gather in your absence. A clean house sells quicker, so we’d highly recommend making sure the house stays clean so it can be shown to potential buyers at their soonest convenience.
Lighting systems are key! In addition to the security systems mentioned earlier, automated lighting can make the house appear occupied to casual passersby, which will minimize unwanted attention to your vacant property. It also makes it more convenient to show the home to buyers, as the lights are already making the space as inviting as possible.

While it can be a daunting process to manage two separate homes while you’re waiting to sell one, the results can be entirely worth it. With proper management, proper staging, and patience, a vacant home can sell for more than you’d think. Through maintaining the property, keeping utilities on, and getting the home staged for buyers, your house can be off the market much sooner than it normally would. The emotional connections that buyers can make with a staged home are generally far stronger than those they would make with an entirely vacant property, and the sale price will reflect that.

For more information on home staging for vacant houses, click here!

If you need your home staged for sale, whether vacant or occupied, send us a message on our Facebook here!

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