Selling a home is always a huge undertaking. We hope these 15 tips will help simplify the selling process for you and your family!

1. Declutter & Clean.

While it’s important that your home looks lived-in, it is extremely important to simplify and clean your home for prospective buyers. How simple? Each closet, drawer and cabinet should be at least 25% empty, and make sure your kitchen and bathroom countertops are almost completely bare – these two spaces can make or break a sale!

 

2. Don’t hang weird artwork.

We are all about expressing your beliefs, world travels, and niche style, but a lot of people aren’t. Remember, you want prospective buyers to envision your space as their space. A large nude painting of a woman may not entice a mom of four.

3. Update your flooring.

Steam clean carpets and refinish floors when possible. Again, people feel more comfortable and at ease in a clean home. Taking attention away from flooring will bring their attention back to the overall house. Can’t afford it? Invest in area rugs!

4. Float furniture away from walls.

Your space will instantly feel larger and yet more intimate if you follow this trick of the trade. Shift couches and chairs around so they are in comfortable conversational groups.

5. Have a fresh and clean scent.

Pet odors, old food, and strong perfumes are just a few of the smells we notice when we enter people’s homes. Most homeowners are unaware that they carry their own unique scent. We encourage our clients to always have fresh scented flowers, candles, or diffusers in every other room to be on the safe side.

6. Add value wherever possible.

People want to get the most bang for their buck. Have a room that isn’t used or is ambiguous? Make it serve a purpose! Rent furniture or borrow from friends to fill up an empty room. We especially love using the area below stairs as a quaint office space!

7. Keep them exploring.

Most prospective buyers are busy looking at lots of homes. It’s important to make yours stand out to keep them walking throughout your home, instead of becoming disinterested and stopping halfway. Add a piece of beautiful artwork at the end of a hallway or a unique light fixture at the top of your stairs to capture their attention.

8. Have good lighting.

When it comes to illumination, dimmer switches are your best friends. You can instantly set the mood of a room plus they save energy and extend the life of light bulbs! Make sure you leave all lights ON when showing your home.

9. Make every room and closet look and feel bigger.

Paint a small room the same color as it’s adjacent room to give the impression of more space. We also recommend opening up your closet and making it extremely organized. Remember, try to reduce 25% of the content in closets.

10. Think in threes.

Odd numbers create a tension that is actually visually appealing to the average eye. It also creates a focal point without feeling overpowering. So when you want to put accessories on a counter, arrange them in a triangle. It’s always a good idea to add a simple tea light candle and solo hydrangea next to a lamp on an end table!

11. Master bedrooms should be gender-neutral.

Choose sophisticated, neutral colors for your master bedroom and bath. Again, each buyer should envision your master bedroom (perhaps the most important room of the house) as their own! Don’t be afraid to add a pop of color to give it some life.

12. Display fresh plants and flowers throughout your home.

This will bring a fresh scent and liveliness to each room.

13. Complete unfinished projects.

Leave no stone unturned! If you’ve started a garden in the backyard, finish it. If you started repainting your kitchen cabinets, finish them! Again, you don’t want to draw any attention to where you don’t want it.

14. Turn your bathroom into a luxury bath.

Looking at a grimy or unkempt bathroom is a huge turnoff. While a guest bath may feel like a small thing to you, it’s important to many people. As we always say, make your guest bath feel like a luxury hotel bathroom!

15. Rev-up your curb appeal!

While this is last on our list, it is actually one of the most important tips to selling your home! How many times have you driven up to an open house and immediately driven away by a “first impression” was less than appealing? A few areas to focus on: wash the front windows, repaint the front door and front shutters, mow the lawn, plant blooming flowers, and power wash walkways and the front stoop.

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Do you feel more comfortable trying to sell your home now? Are you interested in having your home staged? Let us know!

Share this post with your friends and see what they think! Have questions? We’ve got answers! Feel free to comment, tweet, facebook, or email us anytime!

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Disclaimer: This post is written by Deidre Guillory and was originally posted on idesignbyjulie.com. e’LAN creative was formerly known as Inspired Design by Julie, LLC. The new DBA name has recently been added to encompass all of the new services and designers working within the company.