Preparing Your Home

Our homes are filled with objects we love and cherish. Look in just about any home and you'll find a shelf stuffed with favorite trinkets, walls covered in family photos, and crowded mantels. But when it comes time to sell a home, those items we love so much may look like just plain clutter to prospective buyers.

In today's market, curb appeal goes a long way. Creating an ideal home for buyers can be as simple as painting the walls, rearranging furniture or clearing the countertops. Setting up your house to sell, or home staging, is not about remodeling or making your home look sterile. Home staging is the process of preparing a home for sale, regardless of price or location. Staging focuses on simple steps to make your home show like a model without spending a lot of money.

Even though it's your home and you have to live there, it's a good idea to get used to the fact that your house is now a product. It has pluses and minuses, as well as competition. To be competitive, your house should be priced right and look better than the others. It's essential to present your house in the best possible light. Remember how you felt when looking for a home and how many you passed over because they didn't look good.

"You have to look at your home with buyers' eyes." "The house needs to be as perfect as you can afford it to be."

First impressions: Never truer is the statement "you never have a second chance to make a first impression" than when trying to sell a home. From the moment a potential buyer drives up, they should see a manicured lawn with no debris in sight; a clean entry, carport or garage, and clear gutters and downspouts in good repair.