So you have your house for sale. It's always best to get your old house sold before you go looking for another one. But selling an old home is sometimes very hard. A potential buyer wants his or her vision of perfection.

How can you make your house meet their expectations?

Don't make it too complicated.

Before you put your house on the market step back and look at it as though you are a buyer. Buyers will open every door and cabinet and closet and look!

What will they see?

What they see (and smell) will dominate their reactions to your product.

What is your realtor telling you about lookers reactions to your Property?

Does it show well? Is it clean, uncluttered and fragrant?

It's incredibly hard work to keep your house in show condition, especially if you have kids and pets. You want your house to look like a 5 star hotel suite. But guess what?

A hotel suite gets cleaned every day. There is staff to cut the grass, clean the rooms and arrange the flowers and make sure the guests are comfortable and happy.

Meanwhile you and your family are going to be miserable. It's really great if you can do the right things to make your suffering short and effective.

In this context, potential buyers ARE your guests.

So what are they seeing?

Do you have surfaces overflowing with unfilled papers?

Do you have hobbies and collectibles everywhere?

Are the kid's rooms a mess?

Is yours?

Is the laundry room a disaster?

All your stuff dominates the buyer's thoughts.

He might not even be able to SEE your house because your STUFF is in the way. If your stuff is too bad you might be better off if you just move out of your house, rent a few pieces of furniture and let the realtors have at it.

If you aren't ready for that, pack all the stuff up and store it somewhere. Make your space as impersonal as a hotel. if it seems a bit on the empty side it will look larger.

New paint, tidy spaces (including closets) and a general cleanup inside and outside could make your space far more attractive to a buyer. You might even invest in some new furniture. Remember you take it with you when you leave! It could make your place look a lot better, too.

If you have things an inspector would make you do when the house sells, go ahead and get them done before a potential buyer sees them.

Buyers who are interested in fixer uppers don't pay top dollar. They want bargains.

Most potential buyers want a home in PERFECT CONDITION.

What does that REALLY mean for YOU when you decide to sell?

You want to make your house look as new as it possibly can.

Don't try to do the impossible. Spend a little money on the right projects
that will make your house look as good as it can. You can clean, paint, pack up and store your junk and collectibles, do a little updating and careful editing. Serene decorating will make your home sell faster and for more money in any market, good or bad.

Why is this necessary? Mainly because most people cannot see what isn't there.

They HAVE NO IMAGINATION! They come in the house and see what's there. They cannot even imagine their own stuff in your house, much less the potential in your property.

They smell your pets, see your ragged furniture, walk fast through your worn family room and dirty bathrooms, stumble over your junk ... and move on to another property.

That's the worst case scenario! To avoid that disaster what you want to do is create a serene background and complete the picture that your potential buyers can't see.

What do you want them to see? They want to impress people so you have to make them feel your home will make them look good.

Don't fight an uphill battle. Give them what they want. Give them something that looks new and uncluttered. Think 5 star hotel suite. The elegant uncluttered background doesn't require anything of a buyer other than getting comfy. They don't have to have an imagination or work hard.

Most people are working too hard already. Help them relax and don't forget to ask for the sale. You'll get it.