Home Sellers Checklist: How To Turn Your Home Into A Buyer's Dream

You are ready to move! You've found the perfect new home for you and your family, but you need to find a buyer for your old house. Here are two lists, one inside and one outside, of quick fixes and inexpensive ways to make your home more appealing to the traffic walking through the door. Curb Appeal:

• Weed your gardens
• Plant some inexpensive pops of color
• Put down a couple of fresh bags of mulch
• Trim and shape your trees and bushes
• Mow your lawn
• Sweep your walkways, decks and porches
• Wash your windows
• Clean all the spider webs and dirt from around your doors
• Use some glass cleaner on your outdoor light fixtures
• Make sure all hoses and the like are stored in decorative or hidden tubs
• Fix any issues like detached shutters, popped siding, or dirty areas

Most of these list items can be taken care of with lots of elbow grease and little money, but it makes a huge impact on how your home is perceived from the first impression. The 2nd first impression happens as soon as you walk through the door. Key changes that can be made with little or no money will greatly improve the sale ability of your home, and limit the number of days on the market so that you can move forward with your plans to move into a new home to suit the needs of your family. Interior Appeal:

• De-clutter
• Remove personal items
• Move out bulky pieces of furniture
• Make sure everything is clean
• If you have bold or warn out wall colors consider re-painting with neutral colors
• Open shades and blinds and let the sun light in
• Make sure light bulbs aren't burnt out to provide nice light in every room
• Clear all the magnets and junk off the refrigerator
• Clear the counters in the kitchen from useless clutter and put all appliances away
• Organize your garage, make sure it looks like you can and should store a car there
• Make beds
• Pick up and store toys
• Organize closets

A rule of thumb for getting your home's interior ready for sale, is if in doubt, get it out. The more crisp clean, open, calm and clear your home is the more likely a buyer will be able to envision themselves buying the house and making it their own home. If you have clutter everywhere they will begin to see the house as a small cramped area not large enough for their own needs. By going over your home with a fine-toothed comb with special attention to the items of this checklist you won't spend a lot of dollars but you will put out a lot of energy. It may seem like a lot of work, but it will pay you back with less time on the market and a higher return on your investment. Image source: ©PhotoXpress.com