How to Prepare Your Home for Selling

When you decide to sell your home there are a few things you can do to increase the positive feedback of buyers.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Cleaning supplies
• Boxes
• Paint

1. Clear the clutter! Your family pictures and sentimental knick-knacks make your house a home, but to a buyer they look like nothing more than clutter. Choose a handful of favorites to display and then pack up the rest.
2. Remove old magazines (donating them to a nursing home would be ideal). File old bills and paperwork.
3. Clean. Make sure you scrub every surface. Dust and vacuum daily. Make sure you make the beds before you leave in the morning. Make sure there are no dirty dishes left in the sink. Take out the trash as you leave for the day.
4. Clear the counters in your bathrooms and in your kitchen. Clear counters translate into spaciousness.
5. Clean your yard. Make sure the grass is mowed and the clippings and leaves are picked up. Add fresh mulch and new flowers to your flower beds. Pull the weeds. Sweep your sidewalk and driveway.
6. Clean out your garage. We all use our garage for storage, even the prospective buyer touring your home. However, having boxes everywhere makes the garage look small and cramped. Move things to your attic or to an off-site storage building.
7. Paint. A fresh coat of paint in a neutral color is a quick and easy update to any home. Avoid bold colors. While you may love the deep sea blue that matches your throw perfectly a buyer will see just another room they will have to paint before moving in. Also update the paint on the outside of your home.
8. Clean any siding on your home. This can be done with a diluted bleach solution. Another option is to hire a pressure washing company to do the job.
9. Hire a professional home stager (if your budget permits). These are people who will come in your home and prepare it to be shown in the best light possible.