Few things are more important than the perception that your home shapes in a Buyer’s eyes. In today’s contentious market, you need to make sure that you are appealing to the most buyers possible. What might be acceptable and even attractive in a Seller’s eyes might not be that important to a prospective buyer. In fact, plusses in a Seller’s mind might actually be a negative in a prospective buyer’s mind.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as the old adage goes. Such is the same in terms of selling Real Estate. Selling is a numbers game. In order to consummate a sale, a seller needs one thing—a willing and able buyer. In order to make a sale, the home must appeal to one buyer who has the monetary ability and will to buy the home. Finding this singular entity requires exposing your home to the most people possible.

As such, selling can be distilled to a numbers game. The more people your home appeals to, the more potential offers you can entertain. That color in the master bedroom that you love so much might actually be a distraction from the goal of selling your home. Remember, your taste isn’t necessarily the same as a Buyer’s and as such, you need to neutralize in order to appeal to the buying masses.

Your very first step should be to remove all traces of clutter, to organize and clean your home. A messy home will detract from the value of your property. Even though cleaning and organizing can be an absolutely free enterprise, the value it will bestow on your home is innumerable. I cannot stress this enough—nothing will cost you less nor affect the selling power of you home more than cleaning and de-cluttering. Not only will the lack of clutter increase your home’s appeal, but it will also make it appear larger and more spacious.

Deep clean kitchen counters and cabinets. This includes clearing all cabinets of silverware, glassware, and flatware, and scrubbing the interior of your cabinets and drawers. A home that has missed some other types of maintenance can diffuse the potential detriment of such neglect than having a clean and dust-free surrounding. Make sure the exterior and interior of all your homes corners can pass the “white glove test.” I assure you your Buyers will be checking.

Deep cleaning will also tell your Buyers that you’ve taken great efforts to keep your home well maintained. A ten year old furnace will look much better to a potential buyer in a clean home than one that is the same age in a messy, cluttered place. It stands to reason that one who cares for the cleanliness of their home will also take great efforts in its maintenance. The subconscious power of suggestion in this respect can be more powerful than the actual age of your home.

Another important point is not to leave personal items in plain view. This can be the hardest part of preparing a home for sale, especially for individuals or families having lived in a residence for a long time. Not simply for the fact that the longer we stay in one place, the more chances we have of increasing our inventory of personal chattel, but emotional connections to a space can grow over time, becoming harder to break.

Keep in mind that when it comes to selling your home, it’s not the emotions you have for the place, but the emotions that you invoke in your potential buyers that brings your real estate selling power. Buyers need to be able to visualize themselves in your home in order to sell it to them. Photos of the kids, grandparents, and extended family on the walls will only distract Buyers from the emotional connection you need the space to evoke in the qualified Buyers that you entertain. Beyond pictures, personal items like trophies, plaques, children’s artwork, memorabilia, etc ., should all be removed from view. 

Imagine a high-end hotel. It can remain warm and inviting while still staying completely neutral. Anyone can fill in the space with their own memories and make their own emotional connections. Sellers would be keen to keep this parallel in mind when preparing their home for sale and showing.

A home for sale should appeal to all five senses. Professional stagers are keen to this and largely justify the fees that they charge based on this principle. Keeping the senses in mind when preparing your home for sale can bring the look and feel of a professional staging.

• Sight – Open all blinds and allow as much natural, ambient light in. It will make your home seem larger and more inviting. Subconsciously, it tells the buyer you have nothing to hide—everything is in the open for the Buyer to inspect. Colorful bowls of fresh fruit and such can add extra flair, freshness, and splash of natural color.

• Taste – Think about having a fresh pot of complimentary coffee and cookies for your visitors, especially in an open house. Invite your potential buyers as guests into your home and they will react positively.

• Touch – Make sure that all surfaces are clean and free of cracks and defects. Drywall has the tendency to dry out and reveal cracks in walls and ceilings. Although a home can be 100% structurally sound, these cracks can lead buyers to believe that there are other problems below the surface. Putty fill and paint all holes and cracks in all your walls and ceilings. Put your most comfortable seating and upholstery front and center.

• Smell – If you are a smoker, remove this element from your home. Regardless if your potential buyer is a smoker, a foul-smelling abode will translate as a negative for smokers and non-smokers alike. Neutralize all pet odors and more importantly, if you have a pet, make sure they are never present when the home is being shown. Nobody wants a carpet that smells like cat urine or wet dog, even if they are pet lovers. Put out candles and flowers in the main rooms and neutralize all cooking odors.

• Hearing – If you have loud neighbors, make sure they are aware that you are selling/showing and ask them to act in all prudence when such showings occur. Turn off the sounds of all computers, televisions, washing machines, or anything else that will add baseline noise.

When selling, you are putting your home on display. If you find that you have difficulty separating yourself from the home you’ve built, have a friend or relative come in and help you remove the personal items that may have become fixtures to you. If you cannot bring yourself to perform these duties, by all means pay a professional to handle it for you. The money you will pay for such services will come back to you in a consummated sale and higher sale price. I cannot stress this enough—if you can’t do it for yourself, pay someone to do it for you. Remember also, that when staging a home for sale, you are preparing for someone else, not yourself. If this is in the forefront of your mind when preparing a home for sale, you’ll have much better results.