How to prepare your home for sale

Here are a few tips on how to prep your home to make it market ready and more attractive to buyers.

Disassociate your self with the home. Say to yourself, “This is not our home, it is a house. A product to be marketed and sold. Focus on the future and the reason you are selling your house. Most likely it is to purchase your next home..

De-personalize- pack up those family photos and heirlooms. Buyers need to picture their personal things in the home.

De-Clutter! Pack up things your do not need or use. Clean out closets, cabinets, attics and garages. Rent a storage unit if you have to. Think of this as a head start with your packing. You have to do it anyway.

Remove fixtures you do not intend on selling with the home. If the chandelier in the dinning room was your grandmothers and you intend on taking it with you, take it down now. Buyers will not want it if they do not see it. And trust me, they will ask for it and I have seen many deals fall apart because they ask for things you are simply not willing to negotiate on.

Make minor repairs or have a professional inspect the home and get those items taken care of. Most buyers will not purchase a home with out having their own inspection done and are most likely going to ask for these repairs to be done anyway. May as well get a head start in order to speed up the process.

Clean, clean, clean. Make the house sparkle. The home must be in showing condition at all times. You never know when the next appointment will be.

Check your curb appeal. You want the house to be as neat and appealing on the outside as it is inside. Clean the windows, paint and caulk, keep the lawn and bushes trimmed, sweep the sidewalks and porches. The color yellow has been said to evoke a buying emotion, plant some flowers or use potted plants, marigolds are very inexpensive. Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number.