Potential buyers often drive-by before deciding they want to see the inside of a house, so make sure the front-door area looks nice by cleaning and possibly painting your front door with a fresh coat of paint and planters with vibrant flowers. Since curb appeal is key, don’t forget your mailbox, house number, and front door hardware, which help buyers form a first impression of your home.

 

Clear away Clutter
 

Put away personal photos, knickknacks, boxes -- anything that will distract the buyer from concentrating on the house. People won't buy a house if they can't see the square footage, so clear it out and clean it up.  Remove the clutter from the home – place in storage or at a family or friend's home.
 

Clutter gives the perception that there's not enough storage in the house, plus buyers cannot picture themselves in the home with their personal items.  A basic rule of thumb to decide whether or not something is clutter is - if you can't sit on it, it's not decoration, and you can't eat it, it's clutter.
 

Also, don’t forget to declutter your closets – make sure that closets are not packed to give them a perception of being more spacious.
 

Clean the House Thoroughly
 

Take time to make bathrooms sparkle, wash the windows, and clean kitchen appliances, baseboards, light fixtures, wipe down doors. Don't forget under the sinks!

 

Freshen up Your Rooms
 

A little paint can go a long way in making your home sellable: repaint much-used rooms in neutral colors to make them look clean and fresh and don’t forget about freshening up the doors and baseboards too.  Buyers do notice small details.

 

Show off Your Homes Features


 

Remove extra, unwanted furniture and arrange remaining pieces in a way that creates smooth traffic flow and creates a sense of open space. Good furniture placement can help show off a room and makes a huge impact as a buyer walks through. If you want to make a room look bigger, pull the furniture off the wall because people are allowed to see the perimeter of the room, and it creates the illusion of a larger space.  Add mirrors to give the room more dimension and a sense of extra space.  

 

If you’re selling a four-bedroom house in a family neighborhood, decorate to appeal to families. Whether you really have children or not, one of the bedrooms should be shown as a kid’s room and one possibly as a nursery. Create a comfortable and welcoming family room. Remember, you want buyers to imagine their lives in your home. If they can’t visualize where the kids will play, they’ll move on to the next listing.

 

Strategically use Art
 

You’ve probably heard you should remove all family photos and diplomas when staging a home so buyers won’t focus on who you are instead of imagining your house as their home.  Replace these with art.

Avoid religious pieces, most nudes, and anything else that could be offensive to prospective buyers. Use pieces appropriate to the size of the wall, and hang your art at eye level.
 

Do All You can to Reduce Odors
 

People never forget smells when they walk in the door. Try your best to remove odors caused by pets, smoking, and cooking. Nothing is worse than a smelly home, so make it fresh!
 

Before an open house, open up all of the windows and air the house out. Boil cinnamon, bake cookies, bake bread -- do anything you can to have the air smelling fresh and clean.  Here is a great tip - you can actually buy, from the paint store, scent packets, which you add to the paint before you paint the walls. As time goes by, they will gradually release a scent.  Or add air fresheners through the home but be careful to not overdo it – the home should smell fresh and inviting.

Perform any Necessary Repairs and Updates


 

Take a hard look around your home and see it from a buyer's perspective: oil door and window hinges, fix loose handrails, etc. Deferred maintenance – for example, large cracks in your sidewalks on the way up to the door -- send red flags to buyers. It costs you less to fix it than buyers might deduct from their asking price. So do the math, and fix it yourself. Give a dated kitchen or bathroom an instant facelift with new cabinet hardware, taps, and faucets. Try to be consistent with the type of metal used throughout the house, but especially within the same room. Oil-rubbed bronze hardware is well suited to a traditional home and works well in a space with dark countertops. Brushed or satin nickel or chrome work best with stainless steel appliances and in homes with a contemporary feel.

 

Replace outdated light fixtures – Light Counts when Selling
 

Wall sconces, recessed lighting, or pendant lights are good alternatives to that single old-fashioned overhead fixture. Lighting counts!
 

Keep drapes open for showings, use higher watt bulbs, and if updating fixtures, keep them consistent with your home’s price point. If your home will be listed for more than $700,000, don’t use $20 builder’s fixtures, which reduce your home’s perceived value. Using the same reasoning, don’t put an expensive crystal chandelier in a $500,000 starter home. 

 

Clean the Carpeting or Replace Carpet
 

Unless it's extremely worn, you may be able to avoid replacing the carpet before you sell. Buyers often prefer to choose their own new carpet or opt for hardwood floors. But if need to replace go with hardwood which will provide you with the best return on your investment.



 

               

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