Preparing Your House For Sale

In order to make sure your house shows its best when potential buyers come to see it, I have identified 7 critical areas to focus on to make sure your house is looking the best it can when showing it.

1. Curb Appeal
   When buyers come up to your house, that first impression they make of it will have a significant impact on what they will do next. Even whether or not they will make an offer on the property, and if they do.. how much they will offer. The saying “you only get one chance to make a good first impression” is key in selling a house. Decades of being involved in hundreds of sales gives me very good insight into this.
   
   Minimalism is the key. The less you have laying around on the front yard, porch, or whatever is considered the front of your house, must be neat and tidy. Clutter, trash, anything unnecessary must be removed.  
   
   
2. Exterior Repairs and Maintenance
   If your house has any deferred maintenance or is in need of repairs, you will be well served to handle that or pay someone to do it before the house goes on the market. With the price of houses the way it is now, buyers are paying a premium and they feel they should get a house in good condition or their offer may reflect if they think the house needs work.
   
   
3. Depersonalize Your House
   While that fancy trampoline that entertains the children on the weekends, and the custom dog house you have in the back yard may be objects of your affection, not all buyers will share your sentiment about your individual tastes and likes.
   
   It is best to remove anything that sets a tone for a particular profile of a buyer. Religious items, political expressions items, etc. should be removed and stowed away in storage. The last thing you want to do is offend someone who may have a big pile of cash and could just buy your house for top dollar.. except for the altar/flag they saw and now they are off to the next house. 
   
   
4. Clean, Clean, Clean
   The way we live at home is not the same way we present the house to potential buyers. Hundreds of homes sold has definitely shown me that a house that sparkles and is devoid of odors of any kind brings the best offers from buyers. This may seem extreme at times but the good news is, you don’t have to do this forever. In fact, in today’s market, your house should sell in less than thirty days.. otherwise, something is not right. Let’s make sure that the cleanliness of the property is not the stumbling block that keeps it from selling fast.
   
   
5. Organize Bedroom Closets and Storage Spaces.
   Neatly organized spaces makes a subconscious statement that if the visible elements of the home are well kept and organized, the hidden parts like plumbing, wiring, etc. are probably in tip-top shape. This is an unarticulated opinion that is made without rational thought. Buyers “just have that feeling” that it just feels good.
   
   
6. Secure Your Valuables
   It is unlikely you will be present at all showings of your house. For your safety, it is best to make sure jewelry and any other expensive items you have are put away.
   
   
7. Make Your House Light and Bright
   It is not uncommon for some of us to not be fond of light and use black-out curtains or other means to make the house dark to accommodate our preferences. For the vast majority of people, that forms a depressing and gloomy impression. Often, they can’t even articulate what it is about “that house” that doesn’t give them a good feeling. It was simply that all drapes are drawn, lights turned off and dark decor used throughout. 
   
   If you have to repaint some rooms, you will be much better off doing it upfront and not finding out after months of your house sitting on the market.. with no offers.