You have decided to move. You can’t wait to get to the new city or just a new neighbourhood. You just want to pack up, pick up and go. But before you do, you have to sell your house first and that means you have to open the doors of the house that you have over the years turned into a cozy home, and welcome a parade of complete strangers, the prospective buyers. Preparing your house for sale means taking a step back and taking a deep breath. Once you have made the decision to move, you need to stop thinking of your home as ‘your home’ and focus on making your home into a product to sell. Before potential buyers arrive, take the time to take a number of actions to make your home look its market-ready best.

Give your House a Workout

Start by looking at your house from the outside in. Creating curb appeal with an attractive and well maintained exterior will encourage buyers to stop and go through the steps to arrange a viewing of the interior. Depersonalize your space. Remove as many of your personal items as possible. This helps the buyers see themselves living there. As well, decluttering allows the buyers to see the full size of the home and visualize how each room will function. The simplest way to start is by considering the colour of your walls. Bright or unusual colours can turn a buyer off, sending the message that they will have to go through the inconvenience and expense of painting. Instead, opt for warm, inviting, cozy colours that have a broad appeal. Finally, heed your spouse’s frequent requests and complete updates and repairs on the house. It has been proven again and again that buyers are willing to spend thousands of dollars more for a house that has been properly prepared and maintained.

Keep your House Clean

The one thing that is a definite no-no is for the prospective buyers to walk into a busy, messy house. Regardless of how you have kept up your house prior to putting up for sale, while it is listed you need to discourage clutter and try to present the house as clean and tidy as possible. By seeing that the house is beyond the mere surface clean, you create greater trust with the buyer – that the house is loved, well maintained, no surprises lurking anywhere and ready to move in.

Take the Time to Stage your House

Furniture placement is critical. Furniture shouldn’t block traffic or a large window with a beautiful view or partially obscure a cozy fireplace. If a piece of furniture doesn’t fit or serve a function, remove it. You are never going to lose by making the room look larger. Remember, you are selling the lifestyle that that the buyer’s family can lead in the house, not the furniture and the decorations. As a final touch, be prepared for the buyers to look everywhere – drawers, storage spaces, closets. If they open a closet door and an avalanche of items spills out, they will think there isn’t enough storage space or that you have been a messy owner.

First Impression

As the saying goes, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Make sure you create a great first impression both inside and out. In the home staging and decoration, appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers. The goal is to create an image of a life style that creates in the buyer a desire to move in. This approach will help to sell the house quickly and for the best possible price.

Author Bio: Peter Diamant. Outstanding service, proven results backed by dozens of referrals and years of experience in buying and selling Richmond Hill homes. Please visit http://www.buysellyorkregion.com/richmond-hill-homes-for-sale.html or http://www.buysellyorkregion.com/richmond-hill-condos-for-sale.html

Category: Real Estate
Keywords: real estate, home staging, home buying