Of course you have to deal with the basics in your home first: those large glaring items that no one can overlook like broken windows and leaky roofs. Buyers in this market don’t even want to think of replacing a roof or a furnace!

But one important key, once the basics are taken care of is to stage your home right:

Put on its prettiest face!

• Get out the clutter and all those family pictures so that when you have a potential buyer they will be able to see the potential of the house not a lot of old furniture.
• A fresh coat of paint
• Landscaping
• New appliances
• New carpet or if the carpet is still in good condition
• A good carpet cleaning will all give you an advantage over the bank owned and short sale homes.
• Be sure to keep your home clean and tidy.
• Do any dishes before you go to work.
• Make the beds every morning.
• Pick up pet waste if you have animals.
• Mow the lawn and trim the shrubs and bushes.
• Buy some inexpensive room scent wicks to make you home smell good.
• Buy some flowers and put them in vases in a couple of rooms in the home.

With the interest rates going up, we may start to see many homes sold due to fear that cost will be going up. With this winter season, sales have declined and potential buyers are more critical. Most of the buyers will want to wait until they can see your backyard and so that they can make there move on school vacation. But the ones looking now maybe can’t wait because of a job move and may be willing to overlook a few imperfections if they get a better price.

So take a critical look at your home or have me do it with you and see what you can’t do now to encourage those buyers to sign on the dotted line.