Stage Your Home

You've done the market research and know how much your house should sell for.

You’ve done your homework and chosen CMESELL.com to facilitate the marketing of your house.

Now you’re ready to sell your house!

Staging your home – from the exterior to the interior - will help your house show well, bringing more buyers to your house and will also bring in top dollar.

Here are several home-selling tips that can help you focus on the things that make a difference.

TIP #1: CURB APPEAL

House hunters typically judge a book by its cover . . . or, in this case, a home by its exterior. Curb Appeal and neighborhood are two biggest factors that will get house hunters interested in YOUR home.

You can’t do anything about the neighborhood, but you can focus on the exterior of your home. Making the exterior of your home as attractive and inviting as possible will bring more buyers into your home!

Start by removing anything that isn't attached. This includes old tires, broken bikes and unsightly garbage cans. Take all broken, old and unused items to the dump or donate them.

Next it's time to manicure your yard. Mow, edge and fertilize the lawn. Trim hedges, pull weeds and plant flowers if space permits. Use flower pots for additional color if desired. Just adding extra color to the front of your home will attract more buyers!

The amount of time and effort spent here will pay off in large dividends by bringing more buyers into your home and those buyers bringing top offers.

(Note: If this much yard work seems overwhelming, there are many inexpensive landscape services available to whip your yard into shape in a single day.)

Sweep sidewalks and power wash the driveway. Paint the fence if you have one and it needs it. Same goes for the front porch. Look at the front door. Does it say “Welcome”? If not, paint the front door.

Add a Welcome mat to the front door. It's not only inviting, it helps remove dirt from shoes before it can enter your home.

Clean anything and everything in plain view. This includes window exteriors and rain gutters.

Does that do it?: When you're finished with the outside of your home, take pictures from across the street and have them developed or printed. Do they "sell" your house to the best of your home's ability? If yes, you have successfully created curb appeal and are ready to move inside.

Tip #2: Invite Prospective Buyers Inside

Tip #1 should give your home good curb appeal - this is the primary factor that will invite potential buyers to come in. Once inside, meet expectations head-on by delivering a warm and inviting interior.

The more time a buyer spends in a house, the better. By spending time in a house, buyers are “moving in.”  Make buyers feel welcome by creating a spacious interior so they can visualize their belongings and furniture in the space.

Removing clutter should be your number one priority. Eliminate paper piles and excess items on countertops. Keep items on kitchen and bath countertops to a bare minimum.

Since you are planning a move, now is a great time to go through your house and clean out drawers, cabinets and closets. Box up and donate any usable items; otherwise, take everything else to the dump.

Minimize knick-knacks and box up off-season clothing. don't stash things in the garage because you need to de-clutter that as well. The key is to make your home look as spacious as possible.

In bedrooms, make each room seem like a mini-retreat. Keep items to a minimum on the nightstands next to the bed. Add some candles and fresh flowers. Take down most posters or other items hanging in teenager’s rooms. Make the bed every day.

After eliminating clutter, your next priority should be cleaning. Wash windows and mini-blinds. Adding a fresh coat of paint to walls is a good idea, but at the very least, wipe down the walls with a damp cloth.

Scrub the bathrooms and kitchen top to bottom. Kitchens and baths should shine all the time. Dust every surface imaginable. have the carpets professionally cleaned if needed. Again, the investment here will pay off with dividends.

Although odor control could be lumped in with cleaning, it is important enough to warrant its own mention. Let's face it, things like pets, cooking, smoking and baby diapers are smelly subjects.

Often, when living in a house with pets, baby or a cook, you get used to these odors. If you are concerned, have a friend or neighbor come for a visit and ask them for an honest opinion. This is an important subject – and could eliminate buyers who won’t want to spend time in the house.

It is vital that you eliminate or neutralize these odors as much as possible. Here are some suggestions: make friends with Febreeze(R); empty kitty litter and kitchen garbage daily; open windows when weather permits; burn candles when you're home; and bake cookies or bread just before an open house.

Does that do it?: If you have a friend with a particularly beautiful or stylish home, ask her to give your house the once-over. Ask them for honest feedback regarding cleanliness, odors and overall appeal. If you like their style, you can even ask for suggestions on how to improve what you've already done!

Following these few simple tips may seem like a lot of work at the time. The energy and effort put into making your home shine will be worth it when soon, Your house will be sporting a SOLD sign!