Fredericksburg Parent

www.FredericksburgParent.NET 27 Sponsored Material MAKE IT SPARKLE Just because it's a seller's market doesn't mean you can throw your house on the market without getting it camera-ready. And with families spending more time in the home, there's likely to be more clutter lying about that could turn a buyer off. This kind of staging doesn't have to be difficult. The Amy Cherry Taylor and Associates team walks clients through the process of getting their home ready for photography and showings. "We have a room-by-room checklist that clients get prior to going on the market," Taylor said. "The biggest things to address are clutter, items on the floor, items on surfaces." That advice comes with personal assis- tance with staging. "When they are going on the market, we give them the checklist, and then we go out right before the photo shoot and help them stage. If they are open to it, we will spend time with them getting the rooms the way they need to be," she said. OUTDOORS IS IMPORTANT After a year of avoiding indoor gatherings, buyers are more interested than ever in outdoor entertain- ing spaces. Sellers can give themselves a leg up by putting a little TLC into these areas of the home. "I have seen properties without decks and patios have a harder time selling," Taylor said. "We are really paying more attention to staging the outdoor living areas than before." This means addressing cosmetic issues such as cracks in the patio, putting a new coat of stain on the deck or adding some furniture, rugs or cushions to your outdoor setup. "We help our clients with this all the time. They can even text us pictures of items they're thinking of adding and we can help them pick things out," Taylor said. She emphasizes that her team at Amy Cherry Taylor and Associates understands what families are going through right now and work closely with clients to take the stress and anxiety out of the pro- cess of buying and selling a home. "We have 11 people on my team, and 10 of us are moms. We have 21 kids among all of us. Everybody on my team is going through exactly what these families are going through right now," she said. "Coming at it from the family perspective gives us a different understanding of exactly what the client is going through, and allows us to help prepare them. We promise, you can do this." "Put a laundry basket on every level of your home. Keep your home to a point where you can run around and pick up the items that have collected in 10 to 15 minutes. Take your laundry baskets to one room that's out of the way. This makes getting ready for a showing at short notice so much easier," she said. Sellers are also being counseled to leave all of the lights on and open all doors that a buyer might want to look into, to limit the need to touch surfaces. Buyers and sellers can rest assured that Realtors in this market are follow- ing strict COVID-19 procedures to ensure showing visits are conducted safely. To learn more, visit AmyCherryTaylor.com. One pro tip Taylor has developed over the years: CLEAR OUT FOR SHOWINGS Taylor works closely with her clients to ensure they know what to expect. When a home goes on the market, that could mean a chaotic first weekend with many showings. It's extra important in pandemic times for sellers to be out of their home for that time period to ensure buyers feel comfortable, safe and free to speak openly about how they feel about the property. Taylor and her team help clients with children strategize on the best way to stay out of the house without going crazy. She said some clients have taken the opportunity to find an Airbnb and take a mini- vacation, or visited relatives when it's safe. Now that temperatures are warming, outdoor options such as spending the day hiking are becoming more attractive. "You may have a really busy two to three days where you need to plan to go somewhere," Taylor said. "It's not as bad as in past markets, where you'd have showings over a period of months."

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