5 Tips to Help Your Home Sell Faster

1. Paint - by far the cheapest and most effective way to transform a room. Cover scuffs, scratches and your child's artwork. Don't stop at the walls... paint cabinets, handrails, the front door and even ceiling fans if it helps spruce up the house and create continuity. Pick colors that are complementary. The easiest way to do this is to choose a color card at your local paint store and let that be your palate. Keep it simple and light. I also want to mention that if you have a "themed room", it's time to get back to a neutral palette. It's difficult for a buyer to imagine his home office in your nursery when it's plastered with pink flowers.

2. Let There be Light - Want your home to look and feel bigger? This is one of the best ways. The creative use of light can trick the eye into thinking that a room is larger and more open. Maximize natural light in each room. Open or remove blinds ( in some cases instead of cleaning it fast may be easier to replace them on the cheap - stores like IKEA and JC penny have huge selections that won't break the bank) In basements add lamps to brighten the room. Put them in spots that your overhead lights might have missed so there are no dark corners. If you have track lighting use it to highlight a feature such as your mantle.

3. De-Clutter- I know you love your Snowbabies but trust me collections and knickknacks (no matter how nicely displayed) turn buyers off. I can tell you from experience that your home could be perfect but all the potential buyer might remember is how much your spoon collection in the master bedroom reminded them of their Grandmothers house. This actually ends up being a positive for sellers because it removes any concern of things getting broken. If your goal is to sell then there should be no issues packing away the collection. It's also important that people understand even though a home is clean and things are put away, your home can still appear cluttered to potential buyers. Packed closets, crowded cupboards,bursting basements and stuffed drawers give the impression that there's not enough space in the home. Consider renting a storage space or POD for 3 months. I know some people cringe at paying for storage but look at the alternative: Three months rent for a storage space is significantly less than three months of mortgage payments because your house is sitting on the market.

4. Remove as much furniture as possible - I know this sounds like a difficult task so again, consider outsourcing. I work with a lot of home stagers and the statistics show that staged homes sell faster. I'm not advising that you run out and hire a stager, the idea is to do as much as you can with what you currently have. Some simple steps: Unless your master bedroom is larger than 13x13 take out a piece of furniture. Removing the big dresser will create space and open up the room. In the living room only keep a few key pieces that coordinate (couch, coffee table and end table). Removing large bulky pieces will show how much space is actually available in the home. A positive for sellers is that it's one less thing to do on moving day. Here is an example at a house I recently sold in Minneapolis: The dining room was left empty to show off the space and highlight the built ins. If they would of put a table in the room it could have appeared much smaller and potential buyers would be forced to walk around the table to get to other rooms.

5. Remove all personal touches: I know that your children are the cutest in the world(mine are too) but when a potential seller walks into a home and is inundated with photos of your son it's hard for them to imagine their family in the home. Pack away your photos before showings. A good time to do this is when painting. If you took it off the wall to paint don't put it back! Keep this in mind for other types of personal items. Try to remove your "footprint " from the home.

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