10 Steps For Preparing Your Home For Sale

Charlottesville, Virginia has a large number of homes on the market right now giving homebuyers a lot to choose from.  In order for your home to sell, in addition to being priced properly, it is important that it is in the best possible condition.  What should you do before you put your home on the market to help it make a good first impression?  Here are 10 tips to help you make sure that your home is the one that buyers will want to make an offer on.

1.  Clean the entire home from top to bottom.  Don't forget the garage, inside closets, cabinets and the pantry.  Remember buyers will examine every nook and cranny.

2. Polish and wax floors.  If you have carpets, clean any dirty carpets and restretch if necessary.  If the carpet is worn, it should be replaced.  Even if you are thinking of offering a carpet allowance most people would rather not be bothered with having to replace it themselves.  Remember to choose a neutral color.

3. Repaint.  Nothing makes a house look new and bright like freshly painted walls.  Again neutral colors are important.  It is easier for people to imagine their possessions in a home if the walls and carpets are in a neutral shade.

4. Fix any nailholes and blemishes on the walls before painting.

5. Make sure all closets and cabinets are neatly arranged.  You may want to put items that you are not using in storage.  If closets are not crowed it will give the impression that you have plenty of storage space.

6. Remove any pieces of furniture that you can do without.  Also put any pieces that are oversized for the rooms in storage.  It is important to make the rooms look as spacious as possible.

7. Clean all of the light fixtures, ceiling fans and wash the windows.

8.  Take down family pictures.  You want potential buyers to imagine themselves and their family living in the home.

9.  Declutter.  Remove knick knacks from shelves and table tops.  All of these objects can make a room appear smaller.  Also if you have many interesting objects around your house, a buyer can get distracted from looking at the actual features of the home.

10.  If you have pets, make sure that the house does not smell like pet odors.

Your realtor will be able to walk through your home with you and give you tips on what you can do to your particular home, to ensure that it is the one that sells.