It's been on your mind now for many months. You have patiently waited through the ups and downs of recent economic uncertainty and now feel ready to put your house on the market. You've done your homework and know that now is the time to get a jump on other potential sellers by listing early in the year for the Spring market. So YOU are ready, but is your house?

It's a difficult thing to disassociate yourself with your home. After all, who wouldn't love your cheery, bright yellow paint color in the kitchen or your beloved pictures of your 1 year old. These are the things that MAKE your home, your home. The key is to understand that the person looking at your home needs to be able to visualize it as their home.

We travel through our homes so breezily every day that we notice less and less the little things that may have gotten shabby with time. Scuffs on baseboards and lower parts of the walls, smudges and marks that found their way to the inside of the stair spindles, paint boo boo's long forgotten. These small things are so close to us, we no longer see them and are exactly the things that a new buyer will start forming their opinion on.

If you are really ready to put your house on the market, here are some things you need to do.....

Try to disassociate with your home

Perhaps the most important and most difficult of all the to do's, but it is the thing that will enable you to tackle the rest.

Declutter and depersonalize

Go through your rooms and edit the decor to get rid of anything that might make the rooms look busy. You want people to easily see the space, not your stuff. If there is too much furniture in a room that might hinder how people will see their own furniture in the space, remove some things. Put them in your basement or into storage. If you are like many people and find it hard to identify what changes to make, consider hiring a home stager to come in to optimize your homes potential.

Remove most of your personal photos. Personal items such as these are a way of claiming ones space, so remove them to allow someone else to mentally see themselves making it their own.

Make your house shine!

Leave no nick-nack unturned!  Make sure that every surface is clean and shining. Also, be aware of 'smells' in your house and try to neutralize them as best you can without making your house smell too perfumy.

Organize your storage spaces

We don't like to think of people opening closet and cupboard doors, but it is a part of the process. Be organized and tidy at every turn. This will lead the prospective buyer to think that if you are this conscientious about the state of your home, you have likely taken good care of the home overall while you have had it.

Finish your odd jobs

They eat up our weekends but they have to get done! Those little jobs like fixing a leaky faucet or a squeaky door are going to pay off. When a prospective buyer sees little things that need fixing, they immediately think of the work they will have to do and start to take a more critical look at the property to see what else they are going to find.

Scrutinize your curb appeal

It's the first impression and can make or break a persons opinion about your home. Make sure your property is tidy and well manicured. If there are broken pieces of trim or paint is chipping, fix those things. Plants and flowers around the front door always warm up the entryway. If there is snow, make sure your driveway and walkway are clean and safe. Be sure your street number is visible!

It may seem like a mountain to climb but the work will pay off. Your agent is there to help so call on them for their expertise! Check out our Dress Your Home help sheet.

If you have suggestions for preparing your house to sell that you would like to share, email me at perri.craig@century21.ca and I will post them to our site.