We’ve touched on staging your home to sell a lot over the past few years. It’s so important to get your home looking inviting, clean, and open, especially for the day your listing photos are taken. These are images that will be seen time and time again by thousands of potential buyers. They are a major driving force for not just getting views of your home, but people INTO your home. Despite how many times I’ve written or shared information about staging, I’m afraid there is one tidbit of information that I haven’t touched on enough – vehicles in the driveway.
This is basically how the week before photos plays out:
The seller focuses really hard on de-cluttering, and storing away non-essential décor and furniture. They clean the house top to bottom until it shines. They repair glaringly wrong issues with paint and fixtures. They trim the bushes, mow the yard, and put away yard décor. On the day of photos, they make sure counters are cleaned off, dishes are put away, pet paraphernalia is hidden, and everything looks polished. Then, they either head off to work or hang about while the professional photographer does their job.
So, what’s missing? The seller didn’t clear out the driveway. Most families have two cars or more, and one is often left parked in front of the home. If you’re present during photographing, the photographer or real estate agent will usually remind you to move any vehicles present, but sometimes they forget or the homeowners are at work and the vehicle can’t be moved. As a result, the picture of the front of the home (the image we’re required to use as the first picture in the MLS) has a car blocking the view. That can hurt the home’s first impressions.
A car in front of the home blocks buyers from seeing essential features. Just as it’s suggested you remove family photos and excessive décor to help buyers imagine themselves living in the home, you want to remove extra vehicles outside. This also applies to trailers, ATVs, boats, etc. The buyers want to see the curb appeal, how big the home is, what the driveway looks like, what the garage door looks like, and if they can handle any needed repairs. A car can detract from that, so it’s important to remove it from view.
If your pictures have already been taken and you forgot to remove your car, don’t fret. You still have all the interior photos to capture a buyer’s attention. Leaving your car in the driveway is not the biggest mistake a seller can make. That’s still overpricing.
Are you looking for more information on preparing your home to sell? Check out our Seller Resources! If you’re interested in listing your Wilmington area home for sale, we would be honored if you’d let us tell you a bit about our seller services. Give us a call at 910.202.2546 or send us a message through our Contact page.
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