Let’s be real, selling your home can be a daunting task. The thought of strangers coming in and out of your home; all while looking at your home with a critical eye can be nerve wracking. You want to ensure that you and your home are well prepared for the potential buyers. Here are a few tips that will help ease the stress of listing and help ensure you get top dollar.

• De-clutter, de-clutter, de-clutter: We cannot say it enough times. If you don’t do anything else, make sure you de-clutter. Clear off all surfaces of your home, including kitchen, bathroom and even dressers in bedrooms. As soon as a prospective buyer sees items stored on surfaces they may think the home has a lack of storage, which may or may not be true.
• Remove family photos: When prospective buyers enter your home, you want them to start picturing their lives in it. It’s easier for potential buyers to picture their lives in a house if they don’t feel like they’re standing in someone elses home. The easiest way to do this to remove family photos, you don’t need strangers looking at pictures of your 2013 trip to Cancun, that’s what Facebook is for!
• Patch up dents/scratches, tighten loose drawers, fix that dripping faucet: It’s time to bring out the tool belt and do a little handyman work. Simple things to make sure your home looks well cared for. Remember buyers can be very critical when looking at homes to buy, so a drippy faucet to them may make them think the home isn’t cared for. These are all easy enough fixes that can be done on a Saturday afternoon, so do them!
• Wipe down sinks and counters before leaving the house: Sometimes you will get short notice for viewings of your property, therefore it is important that when you are leaving home in the morning it is ready for someone to view at a moment’s notice. Make this as easy on yourself as possible, if your facewash typically sits on the counter and you have a spot in the medicine cabinet put it away once you are done using it. Keep some Lysol wipes in each bathroom under the sink. When you are done brushing your teeth wipe out the sink and countertop so they show in their best squeaky clean state.
• Make it as welcoming as possible: Make your home feel inviting and cozy, think show home! Use throw pillows and blankets on couches and beds. If you are aware of an evening showing, prior to leaving your house, turn on lamps to create a warm ambiance in your home.
• Empty rooms seem smaller: Many people assume that rooms feel larger when they are empty, in fact they feel smaller. It can be hard for many people to picture how furniture would fit into an empty space. If you have any empty rooms in your house, see if you can round up some spare furniture to fill the space. If you cannot borrow furniture or don’t have some extra stuff in a storage locker, staging may be worth the price!

All in all, it cannot be denied that it is a lot of work to sell your home. However, we are here to guide you through it and let you know exactly what to do to ensure that you get top dollar for your home. We will walkthrough your home and let you know exactly what to do in order to prepare your home for sale and to show it in all its glory!

If you are in need of some further tips check out our sellers page for some first steps prior to selling.