Moving is tough, it is a lot of work. Selling a home and maintaining it’s clean look with kids and pets in the house is even harder. Here are some tips for staging and preparing your home for sale.

Simple and easy ways to please potential buyers when selling your home:

• turn on all of the lights
• open the windows or air out your home prior if possible and NO artificial air-fresheners
• put away loose papers
• all magnets and papers should be removed from the fridge (clear off the top too)
• open all the window coverings to let in maximum light and space

A tea kettle or coffee maker is a good thing to leave out on the counter as it creates a feeling of ‘I could live here’ for the potential buyer.

Did you know that it takes the potential owner a mere minute to decide if the house is right for them or not when they walk through the front door?

First impressions really are everything when it comes to selling your home. Curb appeal is huge too, of course.

Closets need to appear spacious – empty them until they are half-full. The buyer should be able to see through to the back wall of every closet.

A buyer will purposely (if only subconsciously) look for clues around your home as to why you are selling, so do not leave personal information or loose papers lying around.

Place a few boxes in plain site in the basement so the buyer sees that you are prepared to actually move out. This is the last room they will see in the home and it’s important for them to visualize you leaving the home to make room for new homeowners.

Clean out those closets to prepare for showings:

• Donate anything that you do not love, have not worn in the past year (aside from special occasion items), or makes you feel amazing.
• Buy plastic bins to replace any old cardboard boxes you are using as storage. Stacked bins look a lot more organized plus the items inside are more protected from water or other damage.
• If time, plan a garage sale or list items of value for sale on Facebook Swap pages or classified sites like Craigslist or eBay.
• Place all hand-me-down clothing in labeled bins by size so it’s easy to grab and go when that season or size arrives.
• If you are a bulk buyer, now is the time to stop. Do not keep adding to your collection of shampoos or tissue. Donate it, give it away or use it all up before showing your home.
• Store all out-of-season jackets, boots, ski gear in bins and get them out of the closets. Remember, your closets need to be half-full for the buyer to see the back walls of your storage spaces.

You can donate household items, clothing, toys, games, stuffed animals and books that benefit local and national non-profits at Value Village.

This post is brought to you by Value Village.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock