Tips For Selling Your Home

Preparing for a home staging is like creating a resume. The goal of resume writing is to create a concise document that highlights all your skills, previous accomplishments and references. You do not want it filled with useless information that does not pertain to the position you are applying for. You want the reader to be impressed by the first scan and satisfied with a deeper read.

The same characteristics apply to home staging. You want your house to look its best when it is shown. You want your home's best architectural features to shine. When a potential buyer wanders through your home, you want them to focus on the rooms themselves, not the items in them (they have their own furniture). You want the buyer to be impressed with the details and excited with the larger view.

To create that personal excitement, it is important to format your home for public viewing.

Here are a few quick tips for home staging preparation:

1. Paint

Fill all picture holes, scratches and cracks with putty. Then paint your entire wall. If you only have a budget for touch-ups, have a professional*match your wall colours.

2. Hire a handyman/woman

Have them fix all those small issues you have been neglecting. Have the faucet fixed and the step repaired.

3. Improve the Lighting

Install modern fixtures and increase the wattage in your bulbs.

4. Spruce the Exterior

Have the grass mowed, the leaves raked and the bushes trimmed.

5. Clean Everywhere

Vacuum, dust, polish, wash and scrub every corner of your house. You need it to shine! Appliances often get overlooked. Stainless steel looks great on the counter-tops, so put your old coffee maker away and bring out the stainless steel food processor you never use.

Make all of the beds with fresh, clean sheets. Try to eliminate all offensive odours. Lightly scented candles are an easy quick fix.

Maintain this atmosphere.

6. Neutralize Your Home

Remove all religious or political symbols. Borrow or buy some neutral pieces of art. Put your family pictures in storage.

7. De-clutter

Remove all unnecessary items and put them in storage. Do not stuff them in your closet. Every nook, closet and crawl space is fair game; so if you need to, rent a storage locker to hide all your excess clutter.

8. Open the Windows

No one enjoys walking through a stuffy house, open up windows to make clear air routes.

9. Have a Friend Do a Walk-Through

Ask them where their eyes naturally travel. Use this information to re-organize your space.

10. Flowers

It's an oldie, but a goodie. Fresh flowers are a sign of vitality and growth. Place a large bouquet on the living room table. Make sure to replace them every few days.

For more selling tips, speak with Vancouver real estate agent Anthea Poon, http://www.antheapoon.com