Preparing Your Property For the Sale.

• Fix the little things (cosmetic); leave the major renovations for the buyer.
• Remember, the major renovations will definitely cost you a lot of money, and a potential buyer may have never even noticed it, so it didn't add any perceived value to them.
• Clean, clean, clean! The cheapest and most profitable fixes you can make are done with a little elbow grease.
• De-clutter your home, the less you have in a room, the bigger it looks. Don't forget to clean off counter tops and closets as well.
• Have a friend or neighbor walk through your home to see what they notice. Most likely, you'll have overlooked a few things that you've grown accustom to.
• Make sure that the exterior (for curb appeal), the kitchen, and the bathrooms are in tip-top shape. These areas can make or break a property.
• Focus on making changes the buyer will notice.
• When talking to the buyer about the imperfections of the property, present them as potential improvements that could raise the value of the property instead of presenting them as pitfalls that decrease the value.
• Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when giving a potential buyer a tour of your home.
• Make sure your house is quiet; turn off all TV's & radios so the buyer isn't distracted.
• Make sure that your home smells good; clean the litter box, prepare aromatic baked goods, light a candle, or warm some fragrant potpourri.
• Make your home as bright as possible; turn on lights, replace lower watt bulbs with higher watt bulbs (up to the max allowed), open window shades.
• Don't have children or pets around during the tour.