Home for Sale? Pretend You Are a Tourist in Your Town

Every home needs a welcome sign.

If you are looking for ways to make your home on the market stand out, try looking at it with fresh eyes. The eyes of a tourist to your town.  

I checked the stats, and can report to you that according to a 2010 survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, almost 12% of the people who moved, moved to a different state. Almost 17% moved to a different county in the same state.

Even if prospective buyers for your home are from another neighborhood, staging your home to accentuate what's special about your neighborhood, your town or county or state is just plain smart.

I've blogged already about the value of knowing the specialness of your part of the country and your own location.

Last week I spent a few days in another place, a part of my state that is worlds away. Getting there takes just 2 hours by car and then 2.5 hours by ferry.  Yes, ferry. We went to Ocracoke Island, off the North Carolina coast. 

Once on this small strip of sand, surrounded by the sea, life slows down and you can't help but savor the simple things. Fresh, salty air and bright blue skies that reach to the level horizon in all directions. Friendly, honest people who still sprinkle their thick brogue with words that no one has used since Shakespeare's time. Seafood prepared with attention to its real flavors. An appreciation for the way life used to be, when a boat brought mail to you once a week.

We chose the perfect season to visit. Weather was ideal, and beaches were uncrowded.

I did not take pictures of people's homes, but I did take photographs of signs, because I think words painted on wood and words printed onto museum labels tell interesting stories. I hope you'll enjoy the photos I brought home. And I hope you can see the beauty of your own location, if only to help you merchandise your own home on the market.

When you live on sandy shores, and going barefoot is the order of the day, you need this.

From Ocracoke you can go kayaking or go fishing, or just let someone else take you cruising.

The sign gives you the idea of just how small the inhabited section of the island is.

It's a short walk to the lighthouse, still working to signal boats at sea.

In 1942 British soldiers died at sea helping America defend our shores. Locals still honor them.  

Part of a display at one of the small, local museums.

More signage from the museum.

I love any hand painted sign, especially when a skeleton becomes an arrow!

I had the curried (local) shrimp with baby eggplant.

Remember to look at your home not as someone who wants to move, but as someone who appreciates the best of what your location has to offer. Then, be sure that your home staging, as well as any literature emphasizes what's unique and remarkable about where you live.

My ebook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar, helps you stage your home yourself, no matter where you live. You can download it now and start staging today to make your home that one that stands out from the competition.