Home owners who want to sell their home need to get serious. Repairs always come up when you get ready to list your home. Cosmetic problems are usually worth fixing so your home shows better.

Major repairs are a different story. Older and dirty Air Conditioner units that have past their normal life expectancies, leaky roofs, and termite/pest control problems will turn up in the home inspection. Buyers may then ask you to remedy the problems or to give cash back at closing and/or lower the home’s price so they can do so themselves.

If you have to live in your home while showing it to buyers, remove unneeded toiletries in the bathroom and take down the family photos and magnets on the refrigerator. De-cluttering helps buyers get a sense of the actual size of your home or of the storage options. An emptier, neutral space looks bigger and is a much better canvas for buyers to paint their own lives on.

Think like an artist and you can create that canvas—even if you’re still living in the home. First impressions count! Rake those leaves, replace mulch or decorative rocks, pull the weeds and cut back the scraggly plants. While you’re at it, polish up your address numbers, which tend to get dingy with time and exposure to the elements.

Above all, your home must be priced well for the location and market conditions. I can show you all the latest sales data on nearby homes of similar size; together we can assess all the factors at play in choosing a price point and get your home sold.