All indications are that we are entering a great time to sell.  But is your house really ready to go on the market?  If you have maintained your home and kept it clean, then the answer is probably yes. But how can you gain an edge over the house down the street?  It’s pretty basic, really.  The first step, the hardest step, is to stand back and look at your home from a different perspective.  It’s not yours anymore. It now belongs to a public who wants to make it their own. Check out the pictures on Houzz or in home magazines.  It’s a great way to get inspiration. Think about how you feel walking into someone’s home that’s for sale.  What do you look for? What things stand out, both good and bad? Can you see yourself living there? Why? Why not? What could be done to make it the perfect place for you to walk into and make your own? Now go home and walk through your front door and have the same conversation but try it as if you were a buyer looking to make it your own.

You’ve heard it all before…de-clutter, lose the red wall, etc.   And that’s all true.  But now you need to go the extra mile.  In your moving budget you should allocate funds for staging your home.  You don’t have to completely redecorate or paint every wall beige or put away every nick-knack and patty-whack. But you should weed through them and only leave a few out.  Go through the photographs you have out and do the same.  If the walls seem a little tired and old, paint them!  Paint is the cheapest and easiest way to change a room or give it new life.  And people will notice!  If the children have colored on the rug or the dog has decided he needs to use the corners for flossing, go ahead a replace it.  It doesn’t have to be expensive, just a bit less loved! Throw a few new pillows on the sofa to liven up the space.  Replace the knobs on the cabinet doors if they’ve seen better days.  Make your home warm and inviting but leave room for someone’s imagination to come in and take over! And don’t forget the outdoor areas. Plant some fresh flowers or plants in the beds. Put out pots with seasonal flowers.  Put in some fresh gravel between the stepping stones. And make sure the leaves have been raked!  Nobody wants to see how much work it takes to keep the yard beautiful. They just want to see the finished product.

You don’t have to hire a decorator or a landscaper to get ready to go on the market.  Do a little research and spend a little time looking at your home from a different perspective.  Less usually is more and common sense rules!  Your home will show better if you put in the effort and that means a quicker sale for more money than the house down the street!