As you prepare to show your home to potential buyers, remember that people like homes that are clean and uncluttered, light and airy, peaceful and quiet. Here are a few tips to help show your home at its best!

Disassociate yourself from your home. Once you make the decision to put your home on the market, it’s no longer yours. It is a product to be sold. Let go of your emotional ties to the house, and focus on selling it. Don't get mired in old memories… look toward the future.

De-personalize your home. Pack up your personal photographs and family treasures. Buyers have problems seeing past your personal items. You don't want them to be distracted; you want them to imagine their own photos on the walls! You want buyers to say, "I can see myself living here."

De-clutter! People collect a lot of stuff. Potential buyers don’t need to see it. They need to see empty closets and clean cabinets. So, get to de-cluttering. Have a garage sale. What you don’t sell, donate or toss. The less “stuff” that’s around, the roomier your house will seem. If there are essential items that you’ll need every day, put them in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use. Think of this process as the beginning of all the packing you’ll be doing eventually.

Organize closets and kitchen cabinets. People love to snoop. Do you want them to see a messy coat closet or an over-stuffed kitchen cabinet?  Instead, imagine what a buyer will think if she sees everything neatly organized. In the kitchen, arrange pantry items (jars, bottles, cans) in some semblance of order, and neatly stack the dishes. In the closets, hang similar items together and facing the same direction. Line up your shoes.

Let the sun shine in! Raise the shades. Open the curtains. Turn on the lamps. Rooms that are bright and airy seem larger and more inviting than those that are dark.

Take a deep breath… Smells can be very potent. And it’s very common for people to be unaware of smells in their own homes. (Tobacco, pets, mustiness, cooking odors.) Open the windows, and thoroughly clean rugs, floors and walls. Put out fresh flowers. Bake bread or cookies.

Rent a storage unit. Homes show better with less furniture. Remove furniture that blocks paths and walkways and put them in storage. Remove the now empty bookcases. Remove extra leaves from the dining room table. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room's purpose.

Remove anything you’re taking with you.  If you want the window coverings, appliances or lighting fixtures, remove them now. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your great grandmother, take it down. If a buyer never sees it, she won't want it. Once you tell a buyer she can't have an item, she will covet it, and it could blow your deal. Pack those items and replace them, if necessary.

Make minor repairs. Don’t give buyers reasons to disregard your home. Replace cracked floor or counter tiles. Patch holes in the walls. Fix leaky faucets. Fix doors that don't close properly and drawers that stick. Replace burned-out light bulbs. And don’t underestimate the value of a fresh coat of paint. Stick to neutral colors.

Clean the house – top to bottom!

·      Wash windows inside and out.

·      Rent a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks and exterior.

·      Clean out cobwebs.

·      Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.

·      Polish faucets and mirrors.

·      Clean out the refrigerator.

·      Vacuum daily.

·      Wash & wax floors.

·      Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.

·      Bleach dingy grout.

·      Replace worn rugs.

·      Hang up fresh towels.

Send pets and children away.  If prospective buyers are coming to have a look, you don’t want them to be intimidated by your dog or distracted by your children.

Scrutinize. Go outside and try to look at your house the way a stranger would. Walk up the front path. Open your front door. Does the house welcome you? Linger in the doorway of every room and imagine how it will look to a buyer. Re-examine how the furniture is arranged and move pieces until the room feels right. Make sure window coverings are level.

Check your curb appeal.  A buyer’s first impression of your home comes the second they pull up to the house. If a buyer doesn't like the exterior of your home, you'll never get her inside. Keep the sidewalks cleared, and the lawn mown. Spruce up the siding and window trim. Plant flowers if you don’t have any. Trim the shrubs and bushes. Make sure visitors can clearly read the house number.

Good luck!

Sunrise Homes is South Louisiana’s new construction home builder, with master planned communities and On-Your-Lot custom building. Drop us a line with feedback or questions or call 985.639.1958. Don’t forget to check out our Facebook page, too!