Several years ago, I began hunting for an apartment close to my office. Unfortunately, in Dallas (as in most major cities), the closer you moved to the downtown sector, the more skyward the rents climbed. So I had genuine reservations about doubling my monthly rent in exchange for the privilege of living close to work, although there were certainly quality of life advantages to consider.

Early in the search process, I discovered an apartment community diagonally across the street from my office, which would enable me to walk to work. (That's just as well, seeing as how the $810 monthly rent would likely have forced me to sell my car.) Entering the one-room loft apartment for rent, I was shocked and yet amused to see that the current tenant left his home with the full knowledge that it would be shown by leasing agents. There was dirty laundry, an unmade bed, and a sink full of dishes. Such distractions took away from the kitchen's modern appliances and the generous closet.

You can understand that unlike the property owner, the tenant had no stake a new lessee. What interest did he have in showing the apartment in its best light? None. Was there a penalty for sloppiness? No.

The situation with owners is different. When a home is ready to be shown, sellers plainly have an interest in the outcome and follow a set of common strategies:

• Before the property is placed on the market, sell, donate, or toss out things you no longer want or use.

• Straighten up and put away.

• Turn on soft lighting.

• Have soft music playing.

• Bake cookies, and have a fresh batch sitting on the kitchen counter for your guests.

• Make sure the front yard looks neat and presentable. Plant a few flowers.

• Touch up the paint on the front door and shutters.

• Remove dogs and cats while the property is being shown.

Another strategy recommended by some brokers works like this: "depersonalize" your home.

If you've ever been on the market for a home, what caused you to say "No, not this one." There may be clear reasons such as the size or layout of the home, but it's also quite possible that other factors contributed to your negative view: hidden factors not readily apparent.

Let's say a buyer walks into a home and spots a collection of soccer trophies on the mantel, a large assortment of family photographs, ranging from formal to playful group shots, souvenirs from your last family vacation, pictures of the family dog, and other personal items. What happens to buyers when they spot these items?

They're distracted. They focus on the clutter and not on the layout of the home and its architectural advantages. If they've viewed several homes that day, they have trouble remembering which house is which.

More importantly, buyers may have trouble imagining their personal items in the same setting because the home is so obviously an expression of its present owners.

But of course personal items are there, you say. The owners still live there, why not?

The catch is that when you place your home on the market, it's no longer your home; it's a property to be sold. The result is that you've got to take out the emotion content -- the ties to you and you memories.

Why depersonalize? So buyers can "see" the home as it will look with their possessions.

You may have to rent storage space -- and it may be discomforting -- to depersonalize, but remember that your goal is to sell quickly and with the best possible price and terms.

For more articles by Courtney Ronan, please press here.

Published: March 16, 2001

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