3 Tips to Keep in Mind When Selling Your Home Online Due to COVID-19

With the coronavirus still a major threat, you may be thinking about waiting to sell your home, but you may not have to. That’s because despite COVID-19 closures preventing in-person tours in many areas, people are still buying homes during the crisis. In fact, they are doing so virtually by utilizing online walkthroughs and 3D tours rather than visiting homes in person. So you can still sell your home but you should keep these tips in mind to prep it for a successful virtual sale. 

Screens Can Pick Even The Smallest Dust Specks 

Have you ever spotted orbs in your photos and videos? If so, you should know that those tiny dots of light are most likely caused by dust, not secret messages from the spirit world. So what does this have to do with showing your home? Well, those same dust specks that can make your photos appear magical can actually take away from the appeal of your home when they show up in listing photos or virtual tours. This is why any good listing agent would advise you to deep clean every inch of your home before you have photos taken or give a tour online. To avoid having to go over the same spot repeatedly, start at the top of each room and work your way right down to the floors. Once you have your home clean, you will also want to keep it that way for last-minute online showings. While this may seem like a chore, especially with kids at home, you can use one simple cleaning hack to keep your home immaculate with less effort.  

Staging & Decorating Can Mean Very Different Things  

While personal touches like family photos can help you feel more at home, they can actually scare off potential homebuyers. That’s because when shoppers are checking out available homes, they are trying to get a sense of what their lives would be like in them. Seeing lots of personal photos and decor can make this more difficult, which is why staging rather than decorating your home is key. If you’re not sure where to start with this sort of design concept, you may want to consider hiring an interior designer to assist you. Since you will only need this  for short-term work, you can use a job board to find freelance interior designers near you that can help you stage and perfect your home. Before you hire any professionals to work inside your home, be sure to ask about their COVID-19 precautions. You can also check out this list of handy interior design resources to get more ideas and tips for staging your home. 

Showing Off Home Offices Can Really Wow Homebuyers 

If you’ve been working remotely due to COVID-19, you may have set up a home office in order to have a place where you can focus and stay productive. If you are also planning on selling your home soon, carving out this dedicated space can actually be good for your home’s value and appeal. This is especially true if your home workspace is set up as a multipurpose room, which is a home feature more buyers are looking for these days. Highlighting these flex spaces in your listing photos and virtual tours has a similar effect to taking down your personal photos: it helps shoppers picture themselves living in your home. Dreaming of turning your current home office into a yoga space or craft room could convince these folks to make an offer. So if you currently have a remote workspace set up in your home, keep it looking organized and stylish. 

With the popularity and effectiveness of virtual home tours and open houses, there’s no reason to put off listing your home. So don’t let concerns about COVID-19 and closures make you miss out on selling your home sooner. Just use the tips and resources above to get your home ready to make an unforgettable first impression with online home shoppers.