House selling tips.

• Clean it up - While this may seem overly obvious, you'd be shocked at the number of homes I have seen with my own eyes that didn't follow this, the "Cardinal Rule" of home selling. Things to look out for? Kids clothes, shoes, tracked in dirt, dusty vents, and toilet seats in the open position (no one wants to look at your toliet bowl, no matter how clean).
• Update it - While most home sellers aren't looking to spend a fortune to ready their home, there are a few quick fixes you can do. Touch up/re-paint worn surfaces, replace old faucets, add a few inexpensive curtains to replace metal blinds, change lighting fixtures (old brass and gold make your home look dated in today's market), and re-stain or re-paint the front door and add new hardware. None of these will cost a fortune, but they can change the age of your home in an instant.
• Curb appeal - You've heard this phrase a lot since came along. Overgrown trees, bushes, and grass are the first things that should be fixed. Plant some flowers, rake those leaves, clean those gutters! Buyers are known to pull up in front of a house with their agent and say "no thank you" without ever stepping foot inside. Don't let your house become the scene of a drive-by.
• Organize and remove - You're moving anyway, right? Why not remove some of the junk from your closets, pack away the winter clothes, give the old toys to Goodwill (it's tax deductible) - cleaning out the extras make your home appear neat and clean. Buyers tend to think if your home is organized you're more likely to have taken good care of the home while you lived there.
• Lighting - In addition to changing out some of the old fixtures, be sure that all the lights have working bulbs in them. Clean the shades and glass covers and make the light shine through. Raise the blinds, throw open the curtains and let the sun shine in. A little sunshine spells a lot of happy faces. Turn on all the lights before a showing - don't leave the buyer in a dark corner of the house.
• Smell - One of the stronger senses in the human body, smell can sell. You don't have to make it smell like fresh baked apple pie, just don't make it stink. Avoid cooking foods with strong odors, open windows as often as possible for fresh air, use candles or air fresheners to scent the home, and please, please please…clean the cat box!
• Price - In any market (especially the current one), price is king. Price will determine whether a home is seen or not seen. The laws of supply and demand determine how buyer's will react to your price. If you're overpriced, forget it. If you're priced right your home will get noticed. Talk to your Realtor® and review a CMA (comparative market analysis) with them.
• Showing availability - If you put a million conditions on how and when your home can be shown, you're risking losing potential buyers. You want (and need) your home to be seen for it to be sold. Having stringent rules about viewing times, advance notice, or denial of appointments can all lead to buyer's looking at another house in the neighborhood. Have your agent use a lockbox and a showing service and let other agents show your home whenever possible.
• Extras - Offering any incentives or extra inclusions can help sell your home. Don't want to move the stainless steel refrigerator? Tell the buyer's they can have it. Don't need a riding mower where you're heading? Make sure the agent includes it in the listing. Residential service contracts (also known as home warranties) are also a great part of any listing. Most buyers ask for one in their offer, so wy not attract them with an offer of one yourself?