Good First Impressions!

Have you recently decided to put your home for sale? If so, then you have to remember that buying a house is the most important purchase that a consumer can make.

When approaching home buyers walk through your house, know that your home will be heavily scrutinized. We all know that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression, so think about utilizing the following cost-effective suggestions, before you enlist a real estate agent and entertain any potential buyers.

Think about the view that people see when they first drive up. Think about what real estate agents will tell their clients.

To make certain that you don't send any prospective buyers and their real estate agents running away before they even make it inside the house, make sure the exterior of the home is spick and span. Give your home a fresh coat of paint or give it a thorough wash, but make sure it's clean. And don't forget to cut the lawn and spruce up any outdoor greenery, like bushes or shrubs. Remember, real estate agents work on commission, and the easier you make their job to sell your home to their client, the more the real estate agent is going to try and sell your home for you!

What are real estate agents and their clients going to see upon entering the home?

It's possible that you may have a room that makes a bold statement when you walk in, or say walls that are painted in a very bright color. Maybe the style of your furniture is eclectic. The point is that potential buyers may have a hard time imagining their own furniture and stuff in the room. Recommendation: Apply a fresh coat of paint in a neutral color to the walls in your home. It's an inexpensive, but proven, technique for making any home more attractive to prospective buyers. Additionally, a fresh clean smell is a major ingredient to making a good impression. So place air fresheners in closets to eliminate musty smells, for example. In fact, the smell of freshly baked bread does the trick every time. But, don't go to the extreme! The strong scents of potpourri or incense may attract some real estate agents and their clients, but may repel others. Basically, think bright and clean. This will help you sell your home. So, scrub, clean and wash all of your windows, walls, floors and tiles, and don't forget to shampoo dirty carpets and rugs. Because in the end, you're also making an impression on the real estate agent, who may have other clients. Maybe you won't impress the real estate agent's first client, but he or she make like your home so much, that he or she will tell her other clients.

Don't forget to clean underneath your sinks and fix your leaky pipes. And make sure that you get rid of toilet, tub and sink stains by using a special cleaning agent. If you happen to be a clutter bug, make sure you put away or hide all of your stuff lying around because it's hard for prospective buyers to get a really good look at what their potential future home may look like. Plus less clutter around will make your home seem bigger and more spacious. Real estate agents love selling homes with open space. So go ahead and store your various items somewhere, making sure to keep the garage, basement, attic and any closets tidy. Again, you want your house to look more spacious and clean. Make any and all repairs that you can. For example, if the baseboard around the cupboard is loose, take a hammer and fasten it securely. Do you have closet handles that are wobbly? Then use a screwdriver and tighten them up. Would-be buyers don't want to have to worry about a bunch of minor things when they move in and they may subconsciously be noting all the little repairs they'll have to make.

Potential buyers might reject your house because they'll think that all the tiny repairs will add up to a lot of work. So by following the simple tips here, you can make sure that your house will sell as quick as possible. Your real estate agent will appreciate this also!

This article was prepared with the help of John Carle & Sharon Gregresh.

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