How To Prepare Your House For Sale

Every seller wants to sell their house at top price and great speed. With some careful planning and knowledge about what makes a house more attractive, you can be sure to inspire home buyers to rush for their checkbooks in a matter of seconds! Here's a selection of top tips on how to professionally prep the house for sale.

Depersonalize it

First of all, you need to be mentally ready to let go of your house. Say goodbye to every room and realize that a house is just a space, not your real home. Start to look towards the future, picturing yourself handing over the keys to someone else.

The second step is depersonalization proper. Remove all personal items like family heirlooms or photographs. They only serve to distract the buyers and you don't want that – instead of picturing themselves occupying the house, they will start to get curious about the family that lived here before.

Clean, and then clean some more

A marketable house simply must be clean. Dust places that aren't easily reached, wash all windows and polish appliances and faucets. If you've already moved out, think about hiring a professional cleaning service.

If you're still living in the house, make sure not to cook anything on showing days – the smell lingers and nobody wants a home that smells. Unclutter your space – stacks of mail, piles of shoes and bundles of unwashed clothes will distract buyers from their goal.

Lighten up the space

Keep the decor simple by getting rid of all decorative pieces that you think might turn off people who have different tastes. Leave the classics and hide the avant-garde.

Open up all windows to let lots of natural light get in. This is something buyers always look for and appreciate in a house. Besides, bright rooms look more inviting and bigger. If there are dim areas in your house, light them up with floor or table lamps.

Raid your closets

Storage space is an important selling point, so if buyers see your closets are full to the brim they might think the house has too little storage space to offer. And you don't want that. Invest in dividers, boxes and other solutions to keep your stuff organized. Remove items you don't need and store them somewhere else.

DIY renovation tricks

Every house wears out after years of use, but with these simple tricks you can fix that. If your kitchen is clearly outdated, you can improve its look by adding new fixtures, hinges and faucets. Dealing with living room furniture that looks beaten up? You can throw modern-looking slipcovers over them and a few small cushions to refresh the look.

Give your bathroom a makeover

Turn your regular bathroom into an inviting spa-like room by adding special bath mats and towels in matching colors. Buy scented candles and nice washcloths tied with a ribbon to create a sense of a luxurious and relaxing atmosphere.

Selling your house isn't easy, but these tricks will ensure that your house looks marketable, attracting many buyers and inspiring them to envision themselves living there.

Monique Craig is an Australian blogger and marketing specialist who works for Oneflare, an online marketplace which connects customers with local service providers.