Selling Your Home: Getting Front Line Ready

In the car business, dealerships want to put their best looking vehicles on the front line, right by the street to catch the eye of everyone driving by. The dealer wants those cars to look amazing. Only the cars that are “front line ready” will make the cut.

The same concept applies for listing a home. It has to be Front Line Ready and look amazing online. Most people start the process of buying by scrolling through hundreds of listings on their computer or phone. There has to be something in the images or listing that grabs their attention long enough for them to say, “I want to go look at that place!”

Do an experiment for me. Open up your phone and scroll through some listings in your neighborhood right now. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Just type in your zip code.

Now which ones made you pause and take a second look? Which ones did you want to take a look at? Which ones piqued your curiosity?

I bet they were the listings that are Front Line Ready.

To best describe what Front Line Ready is, let’s explore a few things that it is NOT.

#1 Cluttered

I wager that you swiped right on by the listings that were cluttered. When every square inch of a home is packed with belongings, buyers focus on the clutter and not on the home. 

For many people, they have lived with the clutter for so long, they no longer even see it. It’s important to have thick skin and fresh eyes when you are going to sell your place. It’s not personal, it’s business. 

And in the competitive business of real estate in the Pacific Northwest, clutter equals lower asking prices and longer times spent on market.

#2 Dated

When you were looking at listings, did you pass over the ones that looked dated? The listings where it was clear things have not been updated in years, possibly decades?

Without realizing it, most of us have a pretty good feel for what’s on trend. Just by watching contemporary television shows or flipping through a magazine or website, people get an intuition on what is happening in design.

Sometimes a fresh coat of paint, a new light fixture, and replacing some knobs can inexpensively wipe away that dated feel.

A home that is “on trend” will bring a higher price and sell quicker.

#3 Personalized

When a buyer sees a home for sale that has a bunch of family photos, wedding pics, and personal slogans or artwork everywhere, it’s a not so subliminal turn off. It’s difficult to imagine yourself in a home when it’s so clearly someone else’s home.

Buyer’s want to imagine themselves in the space, not imagine having to remove the previous owners from the space. They want to be mentally putting their furniture and possessions around, not being reminded of your personal items.

Listings that are neutral and a “blank canvas” will sell for more.

#4 Dirty

How can I say this delicately? Not everyone has the How can I say this delicately? Not everyone has the same definition of “clean.”

One of the most important things that needs to be done when getting a home Front Line Ready is to have the place cleaned.

Not a DIY clean. Professionally deep cleaned. So clean that when buyers walk in it looks and smells like a model home.

Cleaning is not the place to skimp. The money spent on professional cleaning will be reflected in the offer price.

Selling a home is a beauty pageant. The listing needs to look great, smell great, and have stellar photographs. 

It needs to be Front Line Ready. We will guide you in this very important process when listing your home. 

Ron Upshaw is a Licensed Agent at
Windermere Real Estate Midtown
1920 North 34th Street
Seattle, WA 98103