Preparing Your Home for a Successful Sale

Properly preparing your home will make a huge difference to how much it sells for. Although it requires a bit of planning, the following ideas can be implemented with just a small investment of time and/or money:

• 1. Curb Appeal - Home buyers form their opinions as soon as they pull up so first class curb appeal is key. Create the best first impression possible by keeping the grass cut and the yard tidy. Also, paint or wash the exterior of your home and clean the windows. Finally, replace the clutter on your porch with a few pots filled with bright flowers.
• 2. Comfort - Buying a home is an emotional experience. When people view your home, they need to imagine themselves living there. You want to make them feel comfortable so go through each room and de-personalize it as much as possible. Take down family photos, personal knick knacks, kids' paintings and anything else that'll make them feel like they're intruding on your personal space.
• 3. Declutter - Most buyers can't see past someone else's clutter. Your home will appear much smaller when it's packed full of "stuff". Clean out your closets, garage, basement and attic. Buyers are trying to imagine what they'd do with these storage areas so make them appear as large as possible. If it's stuff you don't want to part with, put it in storage. If it's junk, now's the time to get rid of it.
• 4. Appearance - Repair things like leaky faucets and ripped carpeting so your home won't appear neglected. Buyers will size up each and every room but they'll also be checking out cupboards and drawers -- everything including under the kitchen sink. Hang clothes up neatly so that closets look as roomy as possible. Finally, a fresh coat of neutral paint will revive your home and make it appear fresh and spacious.

It's often the little things that make a big difference when you want to create a winning first impression. If you want to get top dollar for your property, investing a bit of time and money into transforming your home for showings will be well worth the effort in the end!