Are you about to put your home on the market?  Selling a home in Seattle can be a daunting process, but with the right Seattle realtor by your side (yours truly!), it can be a smooth and hopefully financially rewarding process. Here are some tips and ideas to help you create a great first impression that will appeal to home buyers. 

Before putting your house on the market, take a step back and look at your house from the perspective of a potential buyer.  What do you see?  Perhaps you’ll notice that your front door and stoop need a fresh coat of paint, the windows need washing, and the shrubs in the front yard need trimming.  Whatever it is, it’s worth taking the time to attend to minor home improvements before listing your house.  

Home buyers are either turned on or off by their first impression of a home.  In a recent survey of real estate agents, almost 90 percent agreed that home improvements can help sell a home faster, and almost 75 percent thought home improvements could boost the sales price - depending on the improvement.  

Declutter your home

Not all home improvements need to cost a lot of money.  In fact, the biggest impact on a buyer’s perception of your home costs nothing at all.  Start with decluttering your home. Start by going through each room of your house, including your closets, cupboards, storage rooms and garage, and sort through which items to keep, donate, recycle, or toss.  Then, take any mementos, keepsakes, and photos and box them up and store them neatly or take them to your new home. 

Q-tip clean

Next, go through every corner and every surface of your home and clean it, q-tip clean.  Check the corners, the walls, the windows, the blinds, the shower stall.  No potential buyer wants to see dirt, mildew or cobwebs.   Be prepared to roll up your sleeves and apply a little elbow grease.  If you are not the world’s best cleaner, hire a cleaning company to do it for you.  

Inexpensive Improvements

Basic, inexpensive improvements such as applying a fresh coat of paint can make a huge difference to potential buyers. If you are choosing paint colors, choose a neutral palette.  While a striking color can “wow”, it can go very wrong and distract buyers from seriously considering your home.  Most buyers want to be able to move into a home without having to do a lot of redecorating or remodeling.  

Also, the flooring of your home may need updating.  If your home has carpeting that’s a few years old and is looking worn, consider putting in new carpet.  Like paint colors, you should choose carpeting in neutral colors.  If you have hardwood floors, refinishing your floors can do a lot to appeal to buyers. 

Other small improvements like cleaning up the landscaping around the home, replacing faucets or light fixtures, updating knobs and handles, repainting or refinishing the front door, and making sure things are in good working order can help inspire buyers.  

These easy, low cost fixes can help you score top dollar for your home.  The toughest challenge for a lot of homeowners is to emotionally detach themselves from their home and see the house through the eyes of a potential buyer.  As a Seattle realtor, I can give homeowners that objective-perspective.  Creating a good first impression, many times with simple and inexpensive improvements,  can help you maximize the value of your home.