Fixing Up Your Home to Sell

Fixing up your home to sell is a big responsibility.  The way you go about decorating your home can be a big factor in the selling power of the house, adding up to 20 percent to the selling value of your home, although you may not see that much yourself.  A lot of newbies to the home selling business can be under the common misconception that making your home as "homey" as possible will make people want to buy your property.  Supposedly, seeing a home the way you have it should cause them to wish that they lived in such an environment and this is not the case.

It is strongly recommended that you keep your decorating prowess to a bare minimum when fixing up your home to sell.  One's natural impulse is to clean up the entire house, rearranging things and making everything look nice, and that is all well and good.  When fixing up your property to sell, put yourself in the shoes of your prospective home buyers, who will be walking around your house and sizing it up for themselves.  Most people are looking to purchase a home for themselves, to raise a family in and all that jazz.  In that respect, while they may like you and your family just fine, they are not going to want to see your son's cement handprint hanging over the doorway, or your daughter's kindergarten art project framed over the mantel.  It is to your benefit, as the seller, to remove as many visible personal items from the home as possible, especially the living room and dining room, or other areas where the prospective buyers, agents, or others may congregate to discuss your property.  Take down your wedding pictures, and if you just can't bear to do such a thing make sure they are straight on the wall.  Arrange sofa pillows, ottomans, and other objects neatly.  Having too much clutter in the home when you are showing it to prospective buyers can hurt your chances of selling the property quickly.  When your personal items are in the way, prospective home buyers may sometimes find it hard to envision their own belongings and their own family in the house.

It is also recommended that you bake cookies, a cake, a pie, or even just set potpourri dishes around the house.  Aroma does a lot for the senses, and baking in particular brings a homey, personal effect to the property.  Furniture placement can mean a lot as well.  Less is more! Once again, give your prospective home buyers the opportunity to envision their own belongings in the home.  A small sofa, loveseat, and table is more than enough in this case.  Of course, if you are still living in the home you must be able to continue doing so, but grandpa's easy chair, the old out-of-tune piano, and the bean bag chair can all be temporarily stored in the basement or attic.  Yes, parting with belongings like that, especially if you are a pack rat, can be such sweet sorrow, but it will pay off in the end when you sell your home for your asking price.