Preparing Your Home to Sell

Preparing to sell your home first involves an emotional separation from your home. If you visit any new home development and visit the model homes you will notice some wonderfully (but sparsely) furnished homes that anyone could live in - with the emphasis on "anyone." They are anonymous. There may be a baseball glove in the boy's room, but there are no family photos on the walls.

Your main goal is to want buyers to view it as their potential home, not your home that they are visiting.

Put away family photos, sports trophies, collectible items, knick-knacks, and souvenirs. Rent a storage area for a few months and put them in the storage unit. Do not store the boxes in your home. Part of preparing a house for sale is to remove "clutter," and that is the next step in preparing your house for sale.

As far as repairs go, do not do anything expensive, like remodeling. If possible, use savings to pay for any repairs and improvements – do not go use your credit cards or take out a loan. You are preparing to buy your new home, so don't do anything that will affect your credit scores or hurt your ability to qualify for your next mortgage.

Painting can be your best investment when selling your home. It is not a very expensive thing to do and you can do it yourself. Choose neutral paint colors.

Unless your carpet is old and worn, hire a good carpet cleaner or clean it yourself instead of replacing. Be sure to repair or replace any cracked or broken floor tiles.

Pay special attention to the outside of your house, as many people will be driving by to see if they are interested. Good curb appeal is one of your most valuable assets.

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