There are actions every home owner should take to help maximize the chances they have to sell their house. The following are the 6 measures we have found to be most important when trying to sell your house. These are things that are simple and easy to accomplish with very little or no money at all.
Remove clutter
It is very important to clear all the clutter from a house when showing it to a perspective buyer. This may seem like common sense, but let me assure you I have seen houses in all sorts of conditions and there is nothing worse than the house that physically has nothing wrong with it, but is a mess throughout. So pick up all the toys your children were playing with, make the bed, and check that the laundry hamper is not overflowing. Remove obstructions from hallways and narrow spaces that would get foot traffic, such as stairwells. By removing all the clutter from a house it has the ability to make the house seem a little bit bigger, not to mention more well kept. You want to give of the impression that everything in the house runs smoothly, even though it may not. Your main goal is to make the buyer feel at home.
Keep it clean
Even more common sense than keeping the clutter out of a house is to keep the house clean. This point is a sort of continuation of the point above. Nobody wants to live in a dirty house and if your house is in not in tip top shape the buyer may feel like you don't properly take care of the house. If a buyer feels you don't keep a clean house they may wonder what other things you are not taking care of around the house. You do not want to give any perspective buyer any reason to think you do not take pride in your house. Try to keep the house clean when a buyer is coming to see it.  Rearrange the furniture Most home owners arrange their furniture is based on how they use it. This is great when you live there, but when you try to sell your house the most utilitarian arrangement is not always the best. When trying to sell a house the furniture should be arranged in a way to make the house seem larger. You should try to leave as much open space as possible. This may be done by pushing the television further into the corner or moving a sofa against a wall. You may even want to go as far as removing some furniture all together. If you have a lot of furniture because you have a lot of “stuff†the furniture might not be needed and may just have collected over the years. Only keep furniture for looks and not for use. This is easier said than done when you are still living in the house, but it should help.
Refresh & beautify
If your walls are white or a light color than you have nothing to worry about. If you decided to go a different route when living in your house you may have a little problem. You have to keep in mind that not all people have the same taste as you do. You do not want to get in a situation where buyers are turned away from your house simply because of the wall coloring. As a seller you do not want to turn away buyers. If you have dark paint on the walls or interesting wallpaper you may want to paint the wall white. Fix it up. The house does not have to be perfect but it is a good idea to be in good condition. Consider painting, fixing things in the house. This will allow your house to look fresher and newer.
Depersonalize your home
Remove all traces that there is a personality that lives in your house. Remove the photos, pictures and other items from the house. You want the buyers to picture themselves in the house and the best way is to make the house neutral and without personality. Make it look like a professional showroom house and the buyers will be more receptive to it. Turn the lights on & open shades It is important when you show a house to a perspective buyer to make sure you have all the lights on and shades open. The reason for this is that the lighter it is inside a home the better it will show. A home that appears brighter seems more cheery and people notice and comment on it right away. Houses that are dark give off a gloomy feeling and make the home seem less warm. If you have a lot of natural light this is even better. Sunlight gives off a warm feeling and buyers do notice it. If your house is dark and does not have a lot of light it may be in your best interest to purchase a lamp or more powerful light bulbs for the darker areas of your home. Stay out of the way Most buyers like to look at the house by themselves and would rather you did not follow them around. It is best to stay somewhere in the house where you can stand near something unimportant such as an area of the kitchen counter top. Buyers like to talk amongst themselves and comment on the house they are looking at. They are less likely to do so if you are around. They will also know where to come if they have any questions about the house. Let your consultant to show the house because he knows more about the buyers and they have also some “inside information†about buyers needs. The consultant can present the house from the right perspective.
More visits
It is better to hand over a key to the house to your consultant. It will be easier for you because you don't have to be present when we show the house. To find a buyer it may take a couple of visits. It will be more convenient for us to visit the house with buyers on short notice and at any hour, not depending on your schedule.