To sell your home fast and for top dollar, you will need to prepare your home for sale. I have a saying: “The way you live in a home and the way you sell a home are two different things.”

Now your home is on the market. Now you are competing. If you want to beat the competition your home needs to be in better condition than the competition. Try to scrutinize your house through the eyes of a buyer.

First, let’s go to the exterior of the home. First impression and curb appeal are very important. So many times a Realtor will drive a buyer prospect to a home and the buyer prospect is so turned off by the outside of the home that they tell the Realtor they don’t even want go inside. Don’t let that happen to you! Your yard needs to be cut, the driveway needs to be edged and the bushes trimmed.

Make sure your yard is not an eyesore. Put up all the junk which might include tools, lawnmowers, hoses, and kids toys. Make sure the exterior of the home is all clean and nicely painted. This is especially important at the front door area. The front door should be clean or freshly painted as should any railings. If you have vinyl siding, have it pressure washed. If your roof has black stains on it, have the pressure washer clean that, too. Remember that “cosmetically pretty” is what sells.

On the interior of the home, painting and carpeting are the two best investments you can make in getting your home sold fast and for top dollar. Try not to look at the two items as an expense but rather as an investment in getting your home sold.

Keep the carpet and paint colors neutral. Off-white for the paint and tan or gray for the carpet. Too strong of a color here can turn buyers off. It’s different strokes for different folks. I would rather have a house boring white all the way through than different colors.

It’s the perception of roominess that sells. For some home sellers that means re-arranging the furniture, or removing some furniture so that the room flows better. Needless to say, you need to unclutter and that includes closets. Look at it as packing these things up in advance because you’re going to be moving anyway.

Your home needs to pass the white glove test. This includes cleaning the windows. You’ll need to fix all the small things that might need to be repaired. This could include light fixtures that don’t work, door knobs that stick, leaky faucets, broken door bells, and caulking around the tub. There is some psychology behind this. Buyers may think, “You know, if the seller doesn’t take care of a lot of these small things, what big things are lurking behind the scenes that we don’t know about?” So, make sure you take care of all the small things in your home.

Let’s don’t forget about odors. I have another saying: “If I can smell it, I can’t sell it!” Eliminate all smoke and pet odors from your home. And, speaking of pets, some people are allergic to pets and uneasy around animals. You need to get them out of the way while your house is being shown.

Hopefully, we have given you some time-tested tips and ideas to help prepare your home for sale. For further detailed information, call for our free 6 page report “Preparing Your Home For Sale” which includes a bonus page on 25 low-cost ideas for increasing the value of your home. Call 770-487-9195 and we’ll get the report out to you with no cost or obligation.

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