Shannon Lyon Overland Park Homes Leawood Homes, Olathe Homes

Kitchen Clutter

The kitchen is a good place to start removing clutter, because it is an easy place to start.

First, get everything off the counters. Everything. Even the toaster. Put the toaster in a cabinet and take it out when you use it. Find a place where you can store everything in cabinets and drawers. Of course, you may notice that you do not have cabinet space to put everything. Clean them out. The dishes, pots and pans that rarely get used? Put them in a box and put that box in storage.

You see, homebuyers will open all your cabinets and drawers, especially in the kitchen. They want to be sure there is enough room for their "stuff." If your kitchen cabinets, pantries, and drawers look jammed full, it sends a negative message to the buyer and does not promote an image of plentiful storage space. The best way to do that is to have as much "empty space" as possible.

For that reason, if you have a "junk drawer," get rid of the junk. If you have a rarely used crock pot, put it in storage. Do this with every cabinet and drawer. Create open space.

If you have a large amount of foodstuffs crammed into the shelves or pantry, begin using them - especially canned goods. Canned goods are heavy and you don't want to be lugging them to a new house, anyway - or paying a mover to do so. Let what you have on the shelves determine your menus and use up as much as you can.

Beneath the sink is very critical, too. Make sure the area beneath the sink is as empty as possible, removing all extra cleaning supplies. You should scrub the area down as well, and determine if there are any tell-tale signs of water leaks that may cause a homebuyer to hesitate in buying your home.

Uncluttering the House

This is the hardest thing for most people to do because they are emotionally attached to everything in the house. After years of living in the same home, clutter collects in such a way that may not be evident to the homeowner. However, it does affect the way buyers see the home, even if you do not realize it.

Clutter collects on shelves, counter tops, drawers, closets, garages, attics, and basements. You want as much open clear space as possible, so every extra little thing needs to be cleared away.

Take a step back and pretend you are a buyer. Let a friend help point out areas of clutter, as long as you can accept their views without getting defensive. Let your agent help you, too.

Make Your Home "Anonymous"

If there is a new home subdivision near your home, go visit. It doesn't matter what size the homes are. What you will find are some wonderfully (but sparsely) furnished homes that anyone could live in -- with the emphasis on "anyone." They are anonymous. There may be a baseball glove in the boy's room, but no family photos on the walls.

There may be "personality" - but no person.

The reason you want to make your home "anonymous" is because you want buyers to view it as their potential home. When a potential homebuyer sees your family photos hanging on the wall, it puts your own brand on the home and momentarily shatters their illusions about living in the house themselves.

Put away family photos, sports trophies, collectible items, knick-knacks, and souvenirs. Put them in a box. Rent a storage area for a few months and put the box in the storage unit.

Do not just put the box in the attic, basement, garage or a closet. Part of preparing a house for sale is to remove "clutter," and that is the next step in preparing your house for sale.

Disconnect Your Emotions

When conversing with real estate agents, you will often find that when they talk to you about buying real estate, they will refer to your purchase as a "home." Yet if you are selling property, they will often refer to it as a "house." There is a reason for this. Buying real estate is often an emotional decision, but when selling real estate you need to remove emotion from the equation.

You need to think of your house as a marketable commodity. Property. Real estate. Your goal is to get others to see it as their potential home, not yours. If you do not consciously make this decision, you can inadvertently create a situation where it takes longer to sell your property.

The first step in getting your home ready to sell is to "de-personalize" it.

Kansas City Star

Read more MO and KS Homes For Sale | Real Estate

Posted on Fri, Jan. 28, 2011 10:15 PM

Cedar Creek: Former Colorado residents make their home in welcoming, amenity-filled community

Cedar Creek Realty

Forner-La Voy Builders' Nantucket plan is available in North Shore Estates at Cedar Creek. It is priced at $1.495 million and has 6,270 square feet of living space.

<!-- /mi/pubsys/story/asset_list, include_asset_type=>"factbox" -->

More News

• Cedar Creek: Former Colorado residents make their home in welcoming, amenity-filled community
• Midwest Standard LLC: Quality homes offered at affordable prices
• Legacy Wood: Parklike community has steady sales in 2010
• The Winston Churchill: Last opportunity to buy new condo in Plaza landmark
• Highlands of Weatherby: Northland community ends year on high note
• Quality Hill: Open house from 2-4 p.m. today

When David Gaboury's job transferred him to Kansas City, he and his wife, Beth, began the search for a new home. Beth said the couple "looked everywhere" and visited Cedar Creek thanks to a recommendation from their Realtor.

"We loved Cedar Creek," Beth said. "We lived in a similar development in Colorado, so it already felt a little like home."

Located off of Kansas 10 in Olathe, Cedar Creek features 15 resort-style neighborhoods, each of which offers a different lifestyle and aesthetic. Some, including The Links, are maintenance-provided, giving homeowners the peace of mind to travel or spend more time enjoying Cedar Creek's extensive amenities package.

Prospective buyers interested in building a custom home can choose from a number of available home sites, as well as several builders who comprise Cedar Creek's award-winning building team. Cedar Creek homeowners Sonja and Lance Midyett opted to build a home, and said the experience was "wonderful."

Speculative homes are also available and can accommodate a variety of move-in dates. The Gabourys opted for a home on the lake in The Estates of Shadow Lake, an ideal location for David, an avid fisherman.

For prospective homeowners like the Gabourys who are seeking an already-built home, Cedar Creek offers several options in varying stages of move-in readiness.

Within the Woods of Southglen, several homes await. Highland Park Builders offers its Marissa floor plan, a four-bedroom, 3 1/2 -bathroom home priced at $361,172 at 11454 S. Carbondale St., as well as its Biscayne II floor plan, a four-bedroom, 3 1/2 -bathroom home priced at $449,970 at 11639 S. Carbondale St.

Two four-bedroom, 3 1/2 -bathroom Bailey floor plans are available from Roeser Homes, one at 11704 S. Sumac St. priced at $469,150 and one the other at 11660 Sumac St. priced at $433,550.

KC Builders & Design features two homes, both Sequoia XP layouts with four bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms. One at 11525 S. Carbondale St. is priced at $439,950, and the other at 11462 Carbondale St. is priced at $435,000.

Tabernacle Homes has its Deer Brook two-story plan available for $395,440 at 11457 S. Carbondale St. The home features four bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms.

Luxury awaits within Cedar Creek's North Shore Estates, where Bryant-Ratliff features a Monaco floor plan at 27586 Highland Circle with more than 7,000 square feet. The reverse 1 1/2 -story home is priced at $1.495 million and is on a wooded bluff backing to Cedar Creek Valley.

Or opt for Forner-La Voy Builders' Nantucket plan, priced at $1.495 million. Located at 27584 Highland Circle, the home boasts 6,270 square feet of living space and backs to Cedar Creek Valley on a wooded bluff.

Those who would prefer maintenance-provided surroundings have two choices. In The Links near Shadow Glen golf club, Dakota Inc. offers a four-bedroom Edgewood home at 10140 Shadow Circle, priced at $399,950.

And in the Villas of Shadow Glen, B.L. Rieke Custom Home Builders presents the Bristol, a three-bedroom ranch floor plan on a cul-de-sac home site priced at $449,000. Highland Park Builders offers a four-bedroom, three-bathroom reverse 1 1/2 -story priced at $384,950. Both builders' plans include tile roofs and stucco siding all around.

The stylish, eye-catching homes of Cedar Creek are one of the primary benefits to living in the community, according to Cedar Creek Realty. The extensive amenities package is another. Amenities include a 65-acre sailing and fishing lake, two-story clubhouse with indoor gymnasium, four lighted tennis courts, two swimming pools, exercise room, sand volleyball court, playground equipment, picnic tables and mulched walking trails leading to various private parks and ponds.

The amenity package is one of the things the Gabourys enjoy most about Cedar Creek, as well as the friendly, hospitable environment that Beth said is ideal for those who are new to the area.

"It's a great community for people who are transplants like us," she said. "You don't have to be lonely. There's so much to do, you just have to pick up the phone."

Cedar Creek is served by the Olathe School District, including Olathe Northwest High School, Mission Trail Middle School and Cedar Creek Elementary School. The community is also near St. James Academy, a Catholic high school.