Preparing to Sell Your House - What You Need to Do Before Putting Your Home on the Market

So you want to sell your house today, get top dollar, have an approved buyer, close on time, get through all of the inspections, and make money?

Before you start running your newspaper ads, sticking out for-sale signs and waiting on that perfect buyer to come along, you need to prepare your home for the market..

When it comes to putting your home on the market some sellers use the "hoping and poking" approach. Meaning they post a for-sale sign and hope for the best. When the market is slow and you're trying to get the best possible price, your home needs to stand out from the rest.

Before you let anyone see your home or host an open house, you need to prepare your home to be put on the market. What this means in many cases is taking yourself out of your home. Cleaning out some of the clutter and letting some light in will do wonders. There are plenty of websites and TV shows that offer tips on how to do this (www.hgtv.com).

Another option is to hire staging professionals to help get your home ready. Usually they use many items you already have and can offer tips on how to make your home more inviting. If your home is vacant, they may offer packages that include furniture, pictures, greenery, lighting etc, which the buyer may choose to purchase or rent. Many will rent a home staging package to you and will give you a price it is for sale, incase you have a buyer that wants it.

You may think you need to completely renovate your home to be able to sell it. In most cases this is not true. Sometimes just painting and cleaning can make a world of difference. Remember to use light, neutral colors when painting, this will appeal to a wider range of prospective buyers.

Sometimes there are sellers who do extensive renovations only to find that when their home is sold the new owners tear out everything they just put in! There are always buyers in the market looking for a home that has the potential for them to turn it into the home of their dreams.