Townhomes and condos can be a bit more challenging to sell because often they look very much the same as many of the other homes in your neighborhood. One can easily blend right in with all the others-- not good when you're trying to attract buyers!
So how do you make your home stand out from the rest? How do you encourage offers on your home instead of the others? You've already heard the advice for homes in general-- declutter, clean, paint, and make repairs. But what specifically can you do in a townhome or condo that will make a difference?
Here are my top five tips:
1. Spiff up your curb appeal! Within the limits of your home owner's association, add special touches that will make your home stand out. Add pots of flowers to the front step or just outside your door. Hang a wreath on the freshly painted door. Make your landscaping beautiful with color. When the buyers get out of their cars, help them to know that yours is the house to buy!
2. Create as much space as possible. These are not usually large homes and the biggest complaint I hear from buyers is that the homes are too small. You may have outgrown the place but don't let buyers see that. Rent a storage for extra stuff that can be packed and for furniture that is too large. If you have a storage space attached to your home, don't pack it full. It's a selling feature-- let the buyers see how much space you have!
3. Play up anything unique about your home! Do you have a gourmet kitchen? Do you have a fireplace when most units don't? Do you have a beautiful view? Use what you can to highlight those features that differentiate your home from the rest. When I sold my townhome, I focused on the view of a large pond. In fact the first photo in the MLS was of the pond. It caught a lot of attention.
4. Update Standard Fixtures and Lighting! A lot of these homes still have the original builder's grade fixtures and lights. Add a more contemporary and "dressed up" look to yours by replacing dated shiny brass with black iron, burnished bronze, or polished nickel. Look through current home magazines to see what's in style. Don't think that just because your home store sells it, it's the "in" thing.
5. Consider Your Customer! If someone is looking for a townhome or condo, they usually are looking for low maintenance, so do the repairs for them. Depending on your area, your buyers could be single, or young marrieds with no children, or older with no children at home. They may work a lot. Know who your target is. Consult a local professional home stager to make sure your home will appeal to the audience in your area. The cost of a consultation is a small investment and the return will make it worth every penny!
Follow these tips and you will be pulling ahead of the competition in no time! If you're in Burlington or Camden County and would like to schedule a consultation, give me a call! We are here to help you get your home sold!
Michele Rose is a Realtor and Professional Home Stager in Burlington County, NJ. She has been assisting both buyers and sellers with their real estate needs for the last 6 years. In 2007, she founded Rose-Colored Staging, a professional home staging and redesign business, to help sellers successfully market their homes with professional home staging.
Great post, Michele. I especially like #4: "Update the standard fixtures and lighting." Old, brass, builder-grade lights really date a house. #1 is a classic: A pot of pansies, a shiny black door and trim, a new coir doormat, a new mail box: for $65 or so, you get the spiffy look that makes buyers click on the mls photo. Townhouse and condo buyers are often first-time buyers. Studies show that curb appeal really sways first-time buyers...makes them proud of their accomplishment.
Michele- we have so many condos and town homes here so your post is a good one to pass on. And, you're right, with the same or similar floor plans and exteriors you have to make your home really stand out. I'm with Zeta in that updating your fixtures and lighting can set your home apart from the others. Other things being equal, buyers will definitely consider the house that requires the least amount of work and expense.
Great advice Michele,
Home Harmony is doing more and more of these type of residences, as the concept is very popular here in Montreal with young and older buyers.
Thanks for sharing these helpful tips.
Your Northern Neighbor,
Liz Gallagher
always great points of advice - short, sweet, to the point ;)
Zeta: I agree! I'm surprised at how many owners don't realize these little things make such a huge impact. Thanks!
Kathy: The lighting and fixtures are often overlooked but they add the wow factor needed to make that great impression. Thanks for commenting!
Liz: You are welcome! Hope it helps. Thanks for your comment!
Connie: Thanks! There's a lot that could be said but I wanted to focus on the most important tips specifically for these types of homes. The rest will be in other blogs ;)
Excellent list Michele. In my experience it's REALLY important to know the HOA rules because some even control the colors of paint that can be used inside the unit. (Hopefully they don't limit owners to just white).
Thanks Ginger! Good advice-- I don't know if many people would realize the inside paint colors may have restrictions.
Great post Michele - I've sold a couple of townhomes in the last year and the biggest problem was "they're all the same" (same community of 100+ townhomes that all look alike). Buyers treat them as if they're exactly the same so they basically look for the cheapest price with the best condition and most recent upgrades. Honestly, I don't blame them because that's what I would do too.
When there are 10 others on the market that are exactly like yours, you absolutely MUST stage and update to stand out. Appliances, new carpet, light fixtures, etc. Sometimes $1,000 spent on a few upgrades can make all the difference.
Ron, it's so true-- they all look alike and we need to help sellers make theirs stand out. A few upgrades definitely make a difference!
Michele ~ these tips will be very helpful to sellers of condos and townhomes. As you pointed out, space is usually at a minimum, and as a professional home stager I always tell my clients that they're selling square footage, so let's be sure to show as much of it as possible.
Thanks Maureen! These properties are sometimes a bit tougher to sell-- mostly because of the space. Most of the time the clients have outgrown them-- and you can tell :)
You have a lot of great ideas.... Its good to see some universal ideas for condos. Since there are so many on market, its important to make sure that our listings stand out!
Thanks Jessica! It's a challenge to make cookie-cutter homes stand out but it can be done successfully!