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How to Get Your Home Ready for Market During the Winter

A woman sips tea while looking outside at a winter landscape

How would it feel to receive timely, over-asking-price offers after you place your home on the market? Putting in extra effort ahead of time is one way to achieve that goal. It’s hard to imagine wanting to do anything but cuddle up under a blanket during this season, and winter presents unique challenges to placing your home on the market. But putting the following tips to use will give prospective buyers a great first impression!

  • The first step to placing your home on the market during the winter is to keep snow and ice removal under control. Make sure potential buyers have a clear walkway and that any ice patches have been adequately salted. Nothing leaves a worse first impression than a buyer slipping on their way up to your home.
  • Have a designated spot for everyone to place outerwear such as heavy coats, boots, hats, and gloves. You can provide disposable booties for anyone touring your home to wear to prevent snow or rain from getting tracked all over.
  • Keep the thermostat at a comfortable level that is warm and inviting. You don’t want to give buyers the impression that your home is cold and drafty. Winter is also the perfect time to show off the beauty of your fireplace to potential buyers if you have one.
  • Even in the winter you can boost your curb appeal. Clear out all of the leaves from your gutters that have accumulated from the fall and winter seasons, and make sure there is no debris in your yard, such as leaves or fallen branches. Illuminate your home with a warm glow by using a soft yellow bulb in outdoor lighting to give your home a warm appearance. Jazz up your front door with some fresh paint adding a pop of color.
  • Before putting your home to market is the time for a deep, deep clean. This means baseboards, appliances, light fixtures, switch plates, vents, fan blades, windowsills, drawers, cabinets, fireplace – nothing is off-limits. Potential buyers will examine your home and its contents with a fine-tooth comb. A spotless home will send the message that this is a well-maintained property. Hiring a cleaning crew for a one-time deep clean is a wise investment as it can add to your resale value.
  • Getting rid of clutter and unwanted items can free up your home, making it feel bright and roomy. Bring in natural light by making sure light coming in from your windows is not blocked by furniture or other stacked objects. Also, clean windows will allow for more natural light to shine through.
  • You can keep winter germs at bay by only allowing one buyer group to tour the home at a time. You can also limit home tours to serious buyers only. Disinfect your home after each showing, especially commonly touched areas like doorknobs and faucet handles. Have everyone use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer immediately upon entry.

Did you know you can simply and safely store your extra stuff with Zippy Shell while your home is on the market? We’ll deliver a portable storage container directly to your door then store it in our secure climate-controlled facility. We’ll deliver storage to your new home whenever you are ready. It’s that simple!

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What You Need to Know About Virtual Home Tours

A real estate agent does a virtual home tour

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has changed many aspects of our lives. It has undoubtedly changed the way we buy and sell homes. Virtual home tours have become much more popular since the start of the pandemic, and we think their popularity will be sticking around indefinitely. Virtual home tours can give potential buyers a perspective on the layout and flow that can’t be portrayed in still photos. If you plan to put your home on the market, check below to find everything you need to know about using a virtual home tour to get your home in front of more eyes.

  • Before scheduling someone to film your virtual home tour, it is crucial to set the stage. To prevent potential buyers from getting distracted, you should remove all personal memorabilia, such as family photos, collections, hobby items, and personal hygiene items. Your goal is to help prospective buyers visualize the space as their own. Virtual home tours give a 360-degree view which means clutter can’t be hidden in one corner of the room like in still photos, so all the clutter has to go. Clutter also makes rooms look smaller and distracts buyers from seeing the beauty of the space. Make your home look more prominent and more desirable by editing down to just the basics. A perfect amount of furniture and items left on display will give viewers a grasp of how particular objects can fit into the space without creating too much of a lived-in look.
  • Create your virtual tour exactly how you would move through the home, beginning at the front door. This means you need to spruce up your curb appeal as this is your chance to make sure that the first impression is good. As the tour moves through the home, be sure to include every aspect for the viewers. Potential buyers want to see it all in a virtual home tour. Be prepared to show inside closets, storage areas, and cabinets. It is best to show every nook and cranny in the video.
  • Lighting is everything. Open the curtains and let the natural light illuminate your home. Compare footage taken at different times of the day to determine when your home looks its best. You can also layer in some additional light by turning on lamps and accent lights to cast a cozy vibe.
  • Highlight the best features of your home. Think about your favorite features or what attracted you to your home in the first place. Was it the beautiful view, the modern kitchen, the spacious outdoor area, or the custom-designed master bedroom closet? Whatever it was will probably be of great interest to potential buyers. So give extra time and attention to these areas during the tour.

It may prove helpful to store excess items off-site to give the illusion of space in your home before filming a virtual home tour. We can deliver all-steel, weatherproof storage containers to you for all your storage needs. If you want a simple way to store your stuff, look no further than Zippy Shell.

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7 Tips for Receiving Top Offers When Selling Your Home

A couple buys a home with a real estate agent

It is a sellers’ market right now. Homes in many areas are in high demand and are already selling for top dollar. However, even in a seller’s market, it is still wise to show your home in its best light to ensure your home sells quickly and for a high price. Use these tips to receive top offers when selling your home so you can move onto bigger and better things.

Remove Distractions

To prevent potential buyers from getting distracted, you should remove all personal memorabilia, such as family photos, collections, hobby items, and personal hygiene items. Your goal is to help prospective buyers visualize the space as their own. Clutter makes rooms look smaller and distracts buyers from seeing the beauty of the space. Instead, make your home look more prominent and more desirable by editing down to just the basics.

Define Each Room

Potential buyers need to imagine themselves living in your home, so they need to know the intended purpose of each room. When a buyer views an empty room, they have no way of knowing which room they are viewing. Show the potential buyer the purpose of each room by bringing in furniture and accessories to define the room.

Clean and Repair

Buyers are looking for a clean slate. You want every square inch to shine inside and out. So preparing your home for the market is the perfect time to tackle the tiny nicks, scuffs, scratches, and holes that may stand out to buyers.

Refresh the Kitchen and Bathrooms

These are the rooms that sell houses, so any improvements here can make a huge difference. For example, cabinets are highly visible to potential buyers because they are at eye level. For cabinets in good structural condition, a deep clean may be needed to get them in showing condition. If that fails, painting or refacing them is a much cheaper option than replacing them altogether. Reglazing outdated tile is another low-cost update that can dramatically improve the looks of these critical rooms.

Update the Fixtures

Making updates in light fixtures, bathroom fixtures, kitchen fixtures, doorknobs, and cabinet hardware will catch the eye of buyers. Fixtures go in and out of style pretty frequently and can easily make a beautiful home look dated.

Use Virtual Tools

The amount of time buyers have spent searching for homes online has been steadily increasing for years, but this practice sky-rocketed during the pandemic. Therefore, it is now essential to create a captivating online profile with professional photography and a complete video tour of your home.

Personalize the Listing

List all the little bells and whistles your home has to offer, like motion sensor lighting, irrigation system, alarm system, water filtration, composite decking, smart thermostat, camera doorbell, and many others. You never know what little perk will interest a buyer. Also, describe the benefits of your neighborhood and your community because location sells!

To give the illusion of space when listing your home, it may be helpful to store excess items off-site. We can deliver all-steel, weatherproof storage containers to you for all your storage needs.  If you want a simple way to store your stuff, look no further than Zippy Shell.

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10 Tips to Consider When Selling Your Home

Couple looking at a new home with a realtor

Preparing your home to sell will take some work, but the results will make a huge difference in how buyers perceive your home. Outside of the typical maintenance such as cleaning, de-cluttering, touch up painting, etc., we have 10 tips that can increase your chances of a successful home sale!

  1. Enlist a professional: Hiring a great real estate agent is key in selling your home faster and for a better price than doing it on your own. They know the area, what other homes in the neighborhood are going for, and have connections to listing sites and other sellers.
  2. Consider professional cleaning: Make the minimal investment and hire a professional cleaning company. Make sure the most common areas such as the kitchen and bathrooms are spotless. If your carpet could use a facelift, get them professionally cleaned.
  3. Clean up your landscape: Your yard will be one of the first things buyers will see when they pull up to your house. You don’t have to have the neighborhood yard of the month – just mow the lawn, trim the bushes and pour some mulch in the flowerbeds! Help a potential buyer imagine how nice their potential new home might look from the outside. The curb appeal uplift is worth it!
  4. Organize the entryway: Another opportunity to make a great first impression is to organize and tidy up your entryway. Add a small bench, entryway rug or small table with fresh cut flowers to jazz it up.
  5. Address all odors: Smell is powerful and can make or break a home sale. Buyers aren’t impressed if they are walking into a stinky home. We suggest using odor-eliminating soy candles and carpet fresheners. Toss some cookies in the oven or grind a lemon in the garbage disposal.
  6. Remove pets during showings: Remove pets and pet odor when showing your home. Having evidence of your pet, including their odors can kill a home sale, especially if a potential buyer has a pet allergy.
  7. Remove personal items: When arranging your home to appeal to buyers, it is important to remove personal items from the home. This may include personal pictures, knick-knack collections, children’s artwork, etc.
  8. Check drains and repair leaky faucets: Clogged drains and leaky faucets won’t leave a good impression on prospective buyers. Be sure drains are clear of clogging debris and faucets are leak-free.
  9. Clean curtains: These dust magnets can turn off prospective buyers. Make sure curtains are clean and fresh.
  10. De-clutter closets: Storage is always at the top of the list when prospective buyers are house hunting. Remove at least half of the inventory (or everything) from closets, drawers and cabinets.

We understand your goal is to successfully sell your home. Consider these 10 tips and you should be on your way! Be sure to check out website for other useful articles about selling and moving. Zippy Shell looks forward to being a worthwhile partner in your new adventure, whether you are moving to a new home or just need storage while staging your current home. Give us a call today at 888-947-7974 or check out our website for a free quote.

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How to Boost the Curb Appeal of Your Piedmont Triad Home

A Well Kept Home's Front Yard

What exactly is curb appeal? It is essentially how appealing your home looks when first viewed from the street, like a first impression. Of course, we all know first impressions can be nearly impossible to reverse or undo. Increasing your curb appeal can add thousands of dollars to the value of your Piedmont Triad home and cut the time it takes to sell. Even if you don’t plan on selling anytime soon, sprucing up your property can provide a more positive first and lasting impression!

  • The simplest way to boost curb appeal is to have a well-manicured lawn. Set the foundation for great curb appeal with healthy, evenly trimmed, weed-free grass. Next put any dead, dying, or sad-looking plants and shrubbery out of their misery and out of your yard. When bringing in new greenery, mix things up with a variety of plants that will bloom at different times during the season.
  • Create an inviting walkway to the door you use as your main entrance. Pavers or stone are extremely popular options for a beautiful walkway. Flank the area with colorful landscaping and incorporate illumination to finish the look.
  • Speaking of illumination, entryway lighting is crucial for setting a welcoming mood and providing security. A combination of pathway, landscaping, and entryway lighting is the perfect recipe for perfect curb appeal.
  • Add a splash of style to your home with bold, vibrant colors. Go big by painting your front door or front shutters with an exciting color or you can go smaller by adding vibrant accessories like flowers, planters or door decorations. Welcome signs, welcome mats and porch furniture are also a great place to incorporate pops of color.

Inspired yet? Just think of the amazing feeling you will get each and every time you drive up and realize that gorgeously maintained Piedmont Triad property is all yours! If you are looking to make a move to the Piedmont Triad area or need local storage services, give your local Zippy Shell of the Piedmont Triad a call at 336-499-3386 or visit our website to learn more!

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Store your Stuff with Zippy Shell During your Move!

A customer in the Piedmont Triad area needed storage in between home closings. Once they moved out of their home, they needed storage space for the period they were transitioning to their new home. Luckily, Zippy Shell was able to deliver two portable storage containers right to the customer’s home. Our moving and storage professionals loaded up the shells and brought them back to our climate-controlled storage facility.
Once the customer had moved into their new home, Zippy Shell safely delivered their storage units! The shells were unloaded in less than 2 hours and the customer was pleased we had the ability to pick them up the same day. This efficiency allowed the customer to make a smooth transition into their new home.
If you are moving to a new home, have Zippy Shell help you do it.  We can help store and transport your belongings at your convenience.  Get a quote here today!

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How to Eliminate Pet Odor When Selling your Home

You don’t want your house to smell of your pets while trying to sell your home. Use these tips to remove all unwanted pet odors from your house!

Clean off all your home’s floors

Your entire house is most likely covered in debris from your pet. Sweep and mop all your home’s hardwood floors to scoop up all the fallen pet hair and dander. Do this gently to prevent debris from getting swept up into the air. Vacuum every inch of carpet in your home, including small rugs.

Clean off furniture

If you allow your pet to go up on any of your furniture you will want to clean this off. Make a homemade mixture of equal parts water and vinegar and gently rub your leather couches with this on a cloth. For cotton couches, use a small vacuum and/or a vacuum hose to get the hard to reach spaces.

Steam clean

You’ll want to use a steam cleaner on any of your carpets to remove odors that have become trapped in the carpet’s fibers. Make sure the carpets are dry before allowing anyone or your pet back on them.

Wash all your linens

Put all your mattresses, pillowcases, sheets, couch cushions, etc. that could have picked up any pet odors through the washing machine. Air dry these to avoid damaging them in the dryer.

Air out

Change your home’s air filters to allow clean air to flow in and out. Open some of your windows to let the old air flow out and new, fresh air flow in.

Add a new fresh scent

Light some candles or install some air fresheners in each room to create a refreshing smell in your rooms.