This is the 4th video in our series on “Preparing Your Alexandria Home for Sale for Photos”. In the last video, I covered setting up your dining room space. This video will guide you through the process of organizing and presenting the living room area.
First: Remove 2/3 of your books from any bookshelf in the space. This is so that the shelves look welcoming like the buyers can put their own books in the space. They know you’re moving, but subconsciously, if there isn’t room for them to put their own things as it is, they feel the space is small. These spaces can be accented with book ends. Put all the books you’ve removed into boxes and move to a storage container. Your home won’t be on the market long enough to read all those books, and you’re moving anyway, so this is one of the first small steps towards your move.
Second: Fluff your cushions, and put out or buy a new throw blanket to drape on your sofa. This will hide the fact that your sofa has had its peak, but is still usable. We will still need a comfy looking furniture piece here, but we want to hide its wear and tear. Your throw needs to be neutral colored and accented with appropriate colorful throw pillows to make the space *POP* in the photos. These don’t need to be expensive throws and throw pillows, they can be from your local Ross, TJ Maxx, etc., but they need to be comfortable looking, and complimentary.
Third: Artwork. You don’t want too much artwork on the walls, we want one piece on each wall. Make sure that these pieces are not taste specific. Pack away your gold gilt frames, and your nude paintings. These are obviously important to you, and should be protected and put up in the new home, but they will detract from the listing photos. Put away religious artifacts, we respect your religious choices, but we want to market your home to the largest possible audience, and displaying religious artifacts in your listing photos will ostracize those outside of your religion, it is likely to make buyers uncomfortable.
This advice is useful in the basement or cellar space.
For additional questions, or to schedule a listing consultation, please contact me, Abraham Walker of Ask a Walker – Your Northern Virginia Real Estate Agent. Abrahama@AskAWalker(dot)com.
About the Author: The above article was written by Abraham Walker, Your Northern Virginia Real Estate Agent, helping clients market their homes to achieve high sales with a quick closing time is my main priority.
He’s the co-founder of Ask A Walker and can be found on YouTube, Facebook, and HERE on this blog.
Abraham can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone at (703)539-2053.
He’s happy to answer all your real estate questions.
Thinking of selling your home? Check out 20+ step process to selling your home. Or contact me now to start the home selling process. Same day appointments are available on a case by case basis.
I help people sell and buy real estate in the following Northern Virginia area cities & neighborhoods: Kingstowne, Island Creek, Cameron Station, Overlook, Alexandria, Old Town, Belle Haven, Fort Hunt, Mount Vernon, Springfield, West Springfield, Burke, Lorton, Woodbridge, Lake Ridge, Manassas, Annandale, Fairfax, Arlington, McLean, Reston, Herndon and of course Vienna.
