You want to “wow” your buyer in the first five minutes. If they walk through the door and think to themselves, “I don’t see it,” you have lost a potential buyer. It can be a hassle to constantly have your home “show-ready,” so you in order to get your home sold as quickly as possible while still making a stunning first impression on every potential home buyer who walks through your door, you will want to use the following tips and tools to prep your home for sale.
- When selling a home, first begin with the basics with one of life’s necessary chores – cleaning. You would be amazed how a truly thorough spring cleaning – windows, doors, trim, floors, etc. will make everything in your
home smell clean and look “shiny.” - Inevitably, when you pull out all of your furniture and belongings to clean (which I highly recommend for a complete spring cleaning), you will run into “bruises” on your walls, trim, and paneling. Or, there may be “acceptable holes” around your home which you have gotten used to and may not even notice on a daily basis. If at all possible, small repairs should be done to sheetrock, trim, and wood around your home. If you have loose doorknobs, missing fixtures, broken light globes, or missing light bulbs; repair and replace as much as possible to make the home look in the best shape it can possibly look. It will not look like a new home anymore – no home buyer is expecting that (and if they do, I will steer them to one of our new homes for sale), but it needs to look properly taken care of and in good condition for its age.
- Vivid paint colors can be a distraction for buyers. Remember, you want a buyer to visualize themselves in your space. If they are focusing on the deep burgundy hue of the accent wall in your master bedroom, they aren’t looking at the layout of the floorplan and how the master flows into the master bath. If you have the budget and time, repaint all walls that are vividly painted with neutral colors for a nice clean slate.
- De-clutter your home. Small knickknacks create clutter, which creates “a mess.” I know it’s not messy, but items with sentimental value placed out for display are only beautiful to you as their owner. To other people, they are curiosities which are distracting and can take away from the overall look of a room. Simple clean lines also create a calm inviting feel.
A clean, newly painted, decluttered and depersonalized house for sale will give you an edge over some of your 
competition. After you have cleaned and removed items, you may want to consider doing some Home Staging – adding tasteful decor to enhance the spaces of the room in order to emphasize all of your homes unique features. Click Here to Learn More About Home Staging.
Remember you do not have to completely do an overhaul by renovating your home for sale or remodeling your home for sale. By following the guidelines mentioned, you can accomplish a new look to your house. As a seller you want your home to have the “lived-in-without-looking-lived-in” look. Sellers can expect to experience stiff competition with other home sellers, so they should put their best and most creative “foot forward” when preparing their home for sale.
