Do you know how to get your house ready for market?

Preparing a house for sale is not complicated.   Most of the time it requires elbow grease, packing items away that are really not used and still needed, donating items to charities, and staging the house so it looks new.   From the moment potential buyers drive up to a property, they have a feel for your home.   Is there pine straw in all the flower beds?  Are the shrubs trimmed?   Does the front door need a new coat of paint?  Do the gutters need cleaned?  Are there flowers on the front porch welcoming you in?   Little touches can really be the difference in how someone feels about your property.

Getting the inside ready is another story because the magnets on the refrigerator were made by your grandchildren.   No one wants you to permanently get rid of the magnets, photos, or artwork.  Just pack them away for your new home.   Buyers want to imagine themselves living in the house not you living in it.   Once you decide to put your home on the market, remember it is now a commodity just wood, bricks and mortar.  At this point, take a field trip to a model home in a new construction neighborhood to see a good example of what your staged home should look like.  

When you finally get to work, start with one room at a time.   Look at the closets, remove the clothes that are out of season, make sure the closet is not over stuffed with items, organize the shoes in a neat manner.  When walking in a room, make sure the pathways are clear.   You should not be storing items on the floor.   Everything should have a place.   Do the walls need a new coat of paint?   Remember neutral walls will help the buyer picture their furniture in the house.   If you have children, pack up excess toys and then rotate them every other week so the children aren’t bored and you have less to pick up.  

When staging a home for sale, take away all the nick knacks and family pictures.   Less is more.   Your house should not be filled with silk flowers or overflowing with ferns.   Even expensive collections are distracting to buyers if they monopolize the room or area.   You want a prospective buyer to picture this as their new home and to remember the special features and details of your property.   When moving to Atlanta sixteen years ago, my Realtor asked me how I liked the wonderful master bath with the jetted tub and beautiful imported tile.   I looked at him and questioned him about the master bath because all I could remember were the candles surrounding the tub and on the double vanities.   I read a lot of mysteries and that master bath was staged for a suspense thriller.  

Buyers will look in your closets and under your sinks.   If you have a spare work room in the basement or an area of the garage,   pack your excess there in neat labeled boxes.   This will just appear that you are preparing for the move not that the house is busting at the seams with all of your stuff.   Remember to pack excess linens and then neatly fold all the towels and sheets in your linen closet.  

This process is going to make your house appear larger and more like a model home.   The next step is to make sure everything is clean and dusted.   Even removing the screens on nice clean windows, give a better appearance both in and out of the house.  You can hire a stager to help you through this process if it seems overwhelming.     Also, a good Realtor will be able to walk through your house and give you pointers on any other items that may need to done.     For more information on the home selling process, feel free to visit my website:  http://www.pam.santoro.harrynorman.com/.