There are many things you, as a seller, can do to help us sell your home quickly.  This list of tips are things you should consider doing before putting your home on the market.  

Get rid of all your extra stuff!  If you’re selling your home, you will also be moving.  You don’t want to spend the time or money moving all that extra stuff you no longer need.  Have a yard sale, donate to your local charity or rent a storage unit.  Rooms and closets will look much bigger to a prospective buyer if they aren’t packed full of stuff. And you’ll feel so much less stressed if you don’t have to pack all that stuff up when you move.

Neutral colors sell faster than bold colors which can seem harsh.  Neutral colors also give rooms a larger appearance.  Some buyers simply can’t see past a bold colored wall.

This goes back to #1 – declutter.  Refrigerators that have an abundance of “decorations” can make a kitchen feel messy.  So go ahead and pack all those things away until you get moved into your new home.

Before we come to photograph your home, take a weekend to deep clean your home top to bottom, inside and outside.  

Keeping your yard mowed and the outside of your home maintained adds curb appeal to your home.  Keep weeds pulled, add some mulch and maybe even plant some fresh shrubs or flowers. 

Nothing leaves a first impression better than fresh flowers.  If you don’t already have potted flowers or hanging baskets on your front porch or by your front door, stop by your local nursery to get some.  Be sure to keep them watered and looking fresh. 

Walk around both the inside and outside of your home and make a list of things needing attention.  OR use painters tape and put a small piece of tape on anything needing repaired whether it be a leaky faucet, broken drawer handle or a wall that needs touched up with paint.  These things will come up in a home inspection, so it would be better to fix them before your home goes on the market.

Whether its your mail, magazines, the kids’ homework or makeup keep everything in its place and out of sight.  These types of things shouldn’t be in listing photographs, nor should strangers be able to see them when your house is being shown.  Get in the habit now to keep these things picked up so when a last minute showing is scheduled, its not a mad dash getting your home ready.

This should be done before your listing pictures are taken and EVERY DAY until your house is sold!  In case a last minute showing is scheduled and you don’t have time to go home and make your beds, just do it every morning instead.  And if your kids don’t know how to make their beds yet, there’s no time like the present to teach them!

Whether its clean clothes or dirty clothes make sure its all put away and out of sight at all times!  Here’s another tip – if you have alot of dirty clothes and you haven’t had time to wash them – go ahead and throw them in your washer before a showing.  Chances are potential clients won’t open your washer and look inside.  Now the dirty laundry is out of sight and also not making your closet or bathroom smelly.

Switch out your light bulbs to make your home look bright! Bright lights will make your rooms look bigger.

Hang up all your jackets and bags and organize shoes that tend to get dropped inside the door.

Natural light brightens rooms and makes them look bigger.  Bigger rooms = Happy Buyers!

Hang up towels, wash clothes, put a little basket of soaps on the counter.  You could even splurge and purchase white towels (they don’t have to be expensive) to truly give your bathroom a spa-like feel.

Nothing gives your home a more welcoming feel than throw pillows and blankets – not only on your sofa but also in your bedrooms.

Setting your table with dishes, placemats and a center piece will also give your home a welcoming fee.  It doesn’t have to be extravagant.  Just something homey. Don’t like your dishes or silverware?  Just a nice center piece and a table runner will do. 

Need I say more?  Also – stash all your garbage cans out of sight before showings.  This includes bathrooms too.  Just stick them under the sink.

Just grind up some lemons to take away the funky smell garbage disposals will sometimes give off.

If your home is being shown, you don’t want to leave a candle burning when you’re not there and room fresheners can sometimes be too “perfumy”.  Instead, place a few essential oil diffusers strategically around your home. Try using lemon, lavender or rosemary.  This will also help eliminate smells from that garlic bread you cooked last night. 

While artificial flowers are nice, fresh flowers make a great impression.  Stop by your local grocery store to pick up a fresh arrangement and set them in a nice vase on your entryway table, kitchen table or your kitchen counter.

While your family may be pet loving, a buyer looking at your home may have a strong allergy to pet dander.  Make sure pets are put up and litter boxes out of sight when your home is being shown.  You don’t want your home smelling like a wet dog or a little box take care of these tasks daily.

make sure you home is ALWAYS accessible.  When a potential buyer wants to see your home, even if it is last minute, let them see it.  Even though you’d prefer to have a 24 hour notice, last minute showings will be requested at some point.  This is why it is so important to have your home in “Show Condition” at all times.  You don’t want to lose a buyer because the appointment time wasn’t convenient for you.  And this does happen…all the time!  Want more tips on how to stage your home to make it appealing to a buyer.  Read more here  .