HomeBlogHome SellingHow to Make Your House Stand Out in Manchester, MO Share on Like what you see? Share with a friend. How to Make Your House Stand Out in Manchester, MO Chris Kirshenboim | September 6, 2020 Last updated August 9, 2026 How to make your house stand out is mostly a question about the first sixty seconds. A buyer forms an opinion from the curb and the entry, and nearly everything after that is confirmation of it. So the cheap moves are the ordered ones: clean the front, cut the shrubs back off the windows, replace the porch light, and paint the front door. Inside, the goal is space and light rather than decoration. Pull out a third of the furniture, wash the windows, swap dim bulbs for daylight ones, and take down anything a stranger would read as personal. Photographs do more work than any of it, so shoot on a bright day and shoot wide. That is what it means to set your home apart when selling into a market where three similar houses on the same street are chasing the same buyer. Standing out in a buyers market covers the pricing side, and four staging tips worth the effort covers the rooms themselves. What none of this fixes is a house that needs real work. If the kitchen is thirty years old and the basement takes water every spring, staging buys you nothing, and the honest option is selling as-is instead of spending money you will not get back. Chris runs the company from Webster Groves with a 4.9 rating across 368 Google reviews, and how we buy houses explains what an as-is offer already covers. Address The Senses Of Potential Manchester, MO House Buyers Subconsciously, potential buyers will use all five senses in their decision on whether or not to make an offer on your home. Obviously, you will want the visual appearance to be impressive, but you will also want to think about what these potential buyers will hear, smell, taste, and touch. What they hear - play background music during open houses. If you live in a younger, trendy neighborhood, play something more current. If it is an older neighborhood, classical, big band and the standards can be a great choice. What they smell - you don't want to overpower your home in fragrances. Some people can be sensitive to smells, and you don't want to drive anyone away before they get to see your home. With that in mind, consider fragrances that are universally appealing. Everyone loves freshly baked bread or chocolate chip cookies. Or if you choose to use a candle or incense, keep in light and with a mild fragrance. Vanilla or Citrus are popular choices that won't be too harsh on your guest's noses. What they taste - as mentioned above, the smell of cookies or fresh bread is universally enticing. Maybe you coincidently have some cookies baking along with some other light but delicious hors d'oeuvres. People may not remember the color of your crown molding, but they will remember the best brownie they ever ate. What they touch - your potential buyers may not physically touch many items in the home, but the things they do touch should feel great. Think of the doorknobs, handles on cabinets, glasses, and faucet handles. These things should have a "good feel to them." In addition, use a fluffy, luxurious throw blanket on the sofa. Add oversized feathered pillows to the bed, making it look beyond comfortable. Think of the touches you would find in a high-end hotel, and incorporate these things into your home. Make It A Party Instead Of Another Boring Open House In Missouri So many open houses are all the same. And the odds are, your potential buyers have been to a few of these already. Consider making it more of a BBQ by hosting it in the afternoon or cocktail party by hosting it in the evening. This will not only be memorable to your guests, but it will allow them to get a sense of what living in the home will really feel like. Entertaining friends, serving great food, and creating so much fun within the home, that people don't want to leave is a great way to sell your Manchester, MO home fast! Focus On Your Manchester, MO Home's Curb Appeal The exterior of your home will determine whether or not people even walk into your home. You've likely heard the phrase, "don't judge a book by its cover," but when it comes to home buying, this is often the case. This is your first impression and the first opportunity to make buyers fall in love with your home. Mow the lawn, weed the garden, and keep it regularly maintained. Paint if necessary. By doing the work yourself, you will save a ton of money and completely revitalize a worn out facade. Repair cracked sidewalks and porches and tend to any boards that may have popped up. Make sure the furniture is clean, rust-free, and flows with the exterior of the home. Fix your fixtures. Mailbox, doorknobs, address numbers should all look clean and bold. Don't Take It Personal When Selling Your House In MO Yes, you want to make your home feel like a home, inviting and cozy. But if people come face to face with your Grand Canyon vacation pictures on the fridge, or see a stack of your paperwork on the desk, they are going to feel as if they are intruding. Pick up the clutter and personal items and hide it all away while buyers are in your home. Sell My House In Manchester, MO Selling a property in the local Manchester, MO real estate market can be challenging if you don’t have your ducks in a row. If you’re having a hard time selling your home as quickly as you want, consider doing some of these tips on how to stage your home to make it more attractive to potential Missouri home buyers. Also, if you need to sell your house in St. Louis fast for cash and are having a tough time doing so, connect with us. Chris Buys Homes in St. Louis can help with creative marketing techniques! Are You Ready To Sell Your Manchester, MO Home? Fill Out This Form To Send Us A Message, Or Give Our Office A Call Today! (314) 334-1481 FAQs Frequently Asked Questions What is the cheapest change that helps a house stand out? + Paint and light. A fresh front door, clean windows and brighter bulbs cost a few hundred dollars and change every photograph a buyer sees before they ever drive by. Is professional staging worth paying for in Manchester, MO? + Sometimes, on a well kept house in a competitive price band. On a home that needs repairs, the staging budget is better left in your pocket or spent on the roof. Do I need to make repairs first if I want a cash offer? + No. A cash buyer prices the house in its current condition, so the repair list stays with the buyer instead of becoming a project you manage before closing.