OVERVIEW: Today's housing market can be a challenge to home owners looking to sell their home.  Existing homeowners are facing stiff competition from home builders who are discounting homes in order to move excess inventory.  Every home owner wants their home to sell fast and bring the most money possible. It's not luck that causes this to happen. Properly preparing and pricing your home for sale can make all the differnce between selling your home or not selling your home. The following recommendations are provided to assist you in selling your home in the shortest time for the most money.

 PREPARING YOUR HOME FOR SALE: Almost all home owners personally identify themselves with their home. When it comes time to sell you must treat the sale of your home as a business and become emotionally detached from it. Look forward to the future and not backwards.

1. De-clutter and De-personalize Your Home: Most of us have an amazing tendency to collect items over time.  This also includes personal and family heirlooms. Buyers  don't want to see your home decor or family pictures hanging on the wall. They want to picture their own decor.  Almost every home shows better with less furniture.  Remove furniture that blocks or hampers walkways. Store empty bookcases. Leave just enough furniture to show the purpose of each room.

2. Rearrange Bedroom Closets and Kitchen Cabinets: Many buyers love to poke around and look in closets and cabinets. You can send the wrong message if they open a closet or cabinet door and things fall out. If everything is organized and neatly maintained it sends a message to the buyer that the home has been well cared for.

3. Rent A Storage Unit: Have you ever visited a friends or relatives home and had a sense of being overwhelmed by the decor.  Homebuyers are the same way.  If they walk into a home that is over furnished they have a tendency to dismiss it as a posibility within the first two minutes. They want to picture what their decor would do for the home.  So it is recommended that you look at your home as a buyer would and put anything that may detract from the home in a storage unit.  As a rule of thumb "The cleaner or more open the home" the quicker it will sell. 

4. Make Minor Repairs: Complete all repairs and maintenance on the home that has accumulated over time. Don't give buyers any reason to remember your home because of something negative.

    -  Replace cracked floor or counter tiles

    -  Patch holes in walls

    -  Fix leaky faucets

    -  Fix doors and drawers that don't close properly or jam

    -  Consider painting walls in a neutral color

    -  Replace burned out light bulbs

    -  Consider replacing worn carpet, curtains or bedspreads  

5.  Make The House Sparkle Both Inside And Out: Scrutinize your home both inside and out.First impressions are lasting impressions that start at the curb. Buyers usually make that decision within the first 60 seconds of pulling up to the home. if the buyer(s) don't like the exterior of the home when they first pull up you'll never get them inside. You want the "WOW FACTOR"  to kick in as soon as they see your home.

    -  Mow the lawn 

    -  Keep the sidewalks cleared

    -  Paint faded window trim

    -  Trim the bushes

    -  Plant inexpensive yellow flowers since yellow evokes a buying emotion

    -  Group flower pots together

    -  Make sure the house number is easily visible

    -  Clean the windows both inside and out

    -  Get the home pressure washed

    -  Clean the gutters

    -  Clean out the cobwebs

    -  Re-caulk showers, tubs and sinks as needed

    -  Polish chrome faucets and mirrors

    -  Dust furniture, light fixtures and ceiling fan blades

    -  Clean out the refrigerator

    -  Vacum daily

    -  Bleach dingy grout

    -  Replace worn rugs, towels, bedspreads etc....

    -  Clean and air out must smelling rooms

    -  If you have pets, keep the litter box clean and yard policed

    -  Repair damage caused by pets to include the yard 

6.  Scrutinize Your Home As A buyer Would:  Go outside and start at the curb and look at the exterior of your home as a buyer would.  Does the home have a pleasing appearance. Then go to the fron door and open it.

    -  Does the home give you a sense of welcome

    -  Stand in the doorway of every single room and view it through a buyers eyes

    -  Look at the furniture and visually move it around to different parts of the room

    -  Give in to the rooms emotional pull. Does it have an impact on your senses.

    -  Does the home seem to be staged properly for buyers

    -  Invite some friends over and get their opinions and suggestions

Once you've done this and your satisfied  you are ready to market your home.