Selling your home?  Get it ready first!  You only get one chance to make a first impression…. make it a good one!

How you live in your home is very different than how you sell your home.  Your home is a reflection of your style, taste and life. Everyone has their own vision for what a “perfect” house would be… but quite often YOUR style may not be what potential buyers want.  That doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with how you live or how you decorate, it just means that its different from theirs.

From the moment they arrive at your home until they leave, they are trying to envision themselves in your home.  If your home screams country, but they’re more modern – it may be a turn off to them and make it difficult for them to see themselves in the space.  Make it easier for them to see your home’s full potential and it’s features, instead of your decor and belongings.

Preparing your home for sale doesn’t have to be difficult or costly, but in a competitive market, you want to stand out from the crowd.  Here are a few ways to prepare your home so that it leaves a great first impression that will hopefully lead to that SOLD sign on your front lawn.

CURB APPEAL: Make sure that your lawn and garden are tidy, trimmed, weeded and presentable.  Broken steps, falling down fences and kids toys and equipment are all turn offs.   While these prospective buyers are walking up your path, they’re taking note of how well your home is maintained – indicating whether there is pride of ownership or not.  If they have a negative first impression, chances are they will be less interested in coming in.  Make your front warm and inviting so they can’t wait to see what’s inside.

CLEAN: It’s a fact.  People don’t want to see dirty houses.  Soiled carpets, dirty windows and fingerprints down the walls is a big turn off.  Bathrooms and Kitchens especially.  Get out your cleaning supplies and give everything a good scrub – don’t have the time or energy?  Invest in having a cleaning service come in and get it done for you.  It’s well worth it.  Odour is one of the number one turn offs when buying a home.  Pet, cigarettes and cooking smells need to be eliminated.  However don’t go too overboard and fill your home with scented sprays and fresheners – too much perfume may also bother more sensitive buyers.

DECLUTTER: Your stuff takes up space.  The more stuff you have, the less space there is. Too much stuff shows not enough space.  When buyers open a closet that is stuffed and overflowing… their thoughts would be that the closets are too small.  Counters that are cluttered and messy indicate that the kitchen won’t be functional for them. Remove excess furniture to make rooms feel more spacious and pack up your knickknacks.  A tidy and organized home will have the buyers seeing the space and it’s great features… not your mess that was left behind.

DEPERSONALIZE: You want buyers to imagine themselves in your home.  If it is filled with your family photos, collections and mementos, it makes it more difficult.  Remove your personal items and create a blank slate for buyers.  A few personal touches are fine, but the wall of family photos going down the stairs has to go.

REPAIR: Cracked walls, stained ceilings, drippy faucets… they all lead the buyer to see what’s WRONG with your house instead of what’s right.  Do yourself a favour and fix up the repairs ahead of time.  Touch up the paint, oil the squeaky door, replace the burnt out lightbulbs.  Minor problems will have the buyer having doubts and worrying about potential major problems.  Invest in getting repairs done correctly if you aren’t able to do them yourself.

Clean and Uncluttered Bedroom

STAGE: Staging has become one of the new hot terms for getting ready to sell.  Really, staging is all about making your home look fresh and inviting. Once you’ve got your place clean and ready, see what’s missing.  Perhaps its a sunny pot of flowers on your coffee table or a bowl of fruit in the kitchen, what about some new towels folded nicely in the bathroom?  These little homey touches will make your home feel warmer and more comforting.  Add a few throw pillows, a rug or new bedcover to jazz up a room.  But remember… less is more.  Don’t add more stuff if it’s not needed.  If you’re unsure, ask a friend or hire a professional to help you out.

The most important thing to remember is that you are not selling you.  You’re selling your home.  Make it clean, uncluttered and show off it’s best features.  Once its up for sale and the showings begin, be sure to keep it up and don’t let things slide. You’ll want to be ready to welcome any potential buyer at a moments notice.

How you live in your home is different than how you sell your home. It may be an inconvenience to maintain it for a few weeks, but if you can make your house stand out from the others, you’ll be putting that sold sign on your lawn in no time.