When the experts make a point of advising that you remove the family photos as part of preparing your house for sale, they don’t mean to criticize your family. Even if Aunt Agatha’s scowl seems to be in every group portrait, it’s not that. It’s also not about the art of photography in general, either.

It’s about YOU.

That may not seem to be a very client-friendly sentiment, but no offense should be taken. St. Cloud homeowners shouldn’t take offense. The overall goal of depersonalizing your home—that is, making the house as ownerless-seeming as possible—is an important part of helping house-hunters envision your property as their own. Removing the objects that reveal your family’s personality—things like awards, family portraits, and vacation memorabilia—serves to create spaces to seem as ownerless as possible. Ideally, the home can feel almost “new,” ready and waiting for an owner to move in.  

The downside of successfully depersonalizing a property is that it may not seem to be very welcoming. A fair number of house-hunters may be more receptive to a home that has more of a neighborly feeling about it. This is one of those conundrums where you’d like to have your cake and eat it, too—to personalize and depersonalize at the same time.

There is one solution that attempts to subtly add a personal touch without ruining the advantage that depersonalization achieves. It’s the ‘welcome to the neighborhood’ approach—a friendly touch that house-hunters can accept or ignore without its becoming a focal point.

The ‘neighborhood’ book can be as simple as a loose-leaf notebook with a collection of takeout menus from the great St. Cloud restaurants they’ll want to try. More ambitiously, it can include community information like shopping centers, sporting and entertainment venues, church and social associations, and the like. Left open on a counter where it’s sure to be seen and examined by those who wish, it can be a clear sign that St. Cloud is a people-friendly place—and open the door to thoughts about how great it would be to live here.

Setting the right tone is an important part of selling your St. Cloud home. Call anytime!  

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