Preparing Your Home to Sell

9 simple things you can do to prepare your home to sell in any market. As seen on Kansas City's own KMBC channel 9 news tonight, I thought I'd share these very useful tips, with my own editorial comments and suggestions as well - just in case you missed it....

1. Spiff up the exterior. This is where your house makes it's first impression, and believe it or not, many home buyers do a "drive by" before even making their list of the homes they want to see.
2. Add exterior (and interior) lights. Again- buyers will drive by the houses of interest and more times than not, they'll check it out (and the neighborhood too) at night. I also suggest replacing light bulbs with new brighter ones and cleaning or upgrading light fixtures as well.
3. Touch up your paint- inside and out. Pay attention to detail- it's not just the walls, but the window sills, trim, moldings, etc.... And clean them too- kids and pets tend to leave their marks everywhere...
4. Neutralize! Although beige, tan, white and off-white may not be your favorite colors, they are the preferred color of buyers. It helps "depersonalize" the home and let's them envision it as their own.
5. De-Clutter, De-Clutter, De-Clutter! Spic and span, neat and tidy, any way you say it, make sure it's clean! You're moving anyway- pack it up and get rid of it, put it in storage, give it away, whatever it takes- space sells!
6. Pay attention to the front door. Fresh paint and a bright and shiny new handle can make a world of difference. Remember, this is their first up close and personal impression.
7. DEEP CLEAN! It's not just your mother-in-law coming for dinner, but strangers rummaging through your things. Just kidding. But seriously, this is one of the single biggest investments a person/couple/family is going to make in their lifetime- MAKE IT SHINE!!
8. Straighten up the basement. Like I said before, space sells. If they can't see it or if it's too creepy, there is NO value. Give it value!! Show the potential!!
9. Pre-home inspections. Many home sellers are now opting to do the inspections upfront. This gives them the option to go ahead and address any issues that may arise- it also elliminates any potential surprises. Plus it really gives your house a more attractive appeal to buyers.
10. If they can smell it, you can't sell it!

Ok, so that last tip wasn't really one of the 9 tips they gave.... I threw it in, just for fun.