Show, Sell, Succeed ~ From the Inside Out

Preparing the inside of your house for sale can make a great difference in the success and speed at which the property is sold. When people search for a new house they want to see themselves in that house, not see you in that house. There are several simple things you can do to make showing your house successful.

• Begin packing your home once you decide to sell. This is not only a great way to get a jump on packing but will make the house less full and easier for buyers to envision their belongings in the house.
• Get rid of all your personal photos and things that are related to your family directly. Again, buyers want to see themselves, not you. This will also ensure that your favorite ‘things’ are not taken.
• Simplify your decor to the bare minimum. While you may love your decor, everybody is different; so make it simple.
• Consider painting your house in neutral colors if you have loud or bright colors that are unique to your tastes. Buyers may get turned off if they dislike your colors and think they have to immediately put a lot of effort into repainting.
• Keep your rooms clean and free of clutter for surprise showings. A cluttered house is not appealing and can signify that perhaps if you’re messy buyers may think you haven’t cared for the house in other ways.
• Make arrangements to have pets out of the house when there are showings. This is not only for the safety of pets and buyers but can be a hassle and simply detract from the buyer’s visit.
• Ensure that closets, cabinets, medicine chests, and the like are organized because buyers will look inside.
• Make minor repairs before showing your house: drywall holes, paint touch-ups, leaky faucets, burned out light bulbs, etc. 
• Be sure the lawn is mowed regularly during the selling process and that you have trimmed bushes and removed weeds. 

Making your house visually appealing is a huge factor in attracting bids from buyers and shows that you have cared for the house. These simply steps will increase your effectiveness and will also make your final move a bit faster and smoother. Next week we will cover preparing your family for selling the house. Please stay tuned and we wish you a successful transaction.