Preparing Your Home For Sale

De-Personalize.

Pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms. Buyers can't see past personal artifacts, and you don't want them to be distracted. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls, and they can't do that if yours are there! You don't want to make any buyer ask, "I wonder what kind of people live in this home?" You want buyers to say, "I can see myself in this home."

De-Clutter.

People collect an amazing quantity of junk. consider this: If you haven't used it in over a year, you probably don't need it

• If you don't need it, donate it or throw it out!
• Pack up those knickknacks.
• Clean off kitchen counters
• Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use.

Rearrange Bedroom Closets and Kitchen Cabinets.

Buyers love to snoop and will open closet and cabinet doors. "Think of the message it sends if items fall out! Now imagine what a buyer believes about you if she sees everything organized. It says you probably take good care of the rest of the house as well.

Rent a Storage Unit.

Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room's purpose and plenty of room to move around. you don't want buyers scratching their heads and saying, "what is this room used for?"

Remove/Replace Favorite Items.

If you want to take window coverings or fixtures with you, remove them now. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great grandmother, take it down. If a buyer never sees it, she won't want it. Once you tell a buyer she can't have an item, she will covet it, and it could blow your deal. Pack those items and replace them, if necessary.

Make Minor Repairs.

• Replace cracked floor or counter tiles.
• Patch holes in walls
• Fix leaky faucets
• Fix doors that don't close properly and kitchen drawers that jam
• Consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if you have grown accustomed to purple or pink walls. (Don't give buyers any reason to remember your home as "the house with the orange bathroom.")
• Replace burned-out light bulbs
• If you've considered replacing a worn bedspread, do it now!

Make The House Sparkle!

• Wash windows inside and out
• Clean out cobwebs
• Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks
• Polish chrome faucets and mirrors
• Clean out the refrigerator
• Vacuum daily
• Wax floors
• Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures
• Bleach dingy grout
• Replace worn rugs
• Hang up fresh towels
• Clean and air out any musty smelling areas. Odors are a no-no

Scrutinize

• Go outside and open your front door. Stand there. Do you want to go inside? Does the house welcome you?
• Linger in the doorway of every single room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer
• examine carefully how furniture is arranged and move pieces around until it makes sense
• Make sure window coverings hang level. Tune in to the room's statement and its emotional pull does it have impact and pizzazz?
• Does it look like nobody lives in this house? You're almost finished.

Check Curb Appeal

If a buyer won't get out of her agent's car because she doesn't like the exterior of your home, you'll never get her inside.

• Keep the sidewalks cleared.
• Mow the lawn
• Paint faded window trim
• Plant flowers or group flower pots together
• Trim your bushes
• Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number.