So you’re thinking about selling your home.  Before you pick up the phone and call a Realtor and set up an interview (yes, you should interview us…maybe several) there are a few things you should attend to first.

1.  Take down 90% of your family photo’s, especially if someone will feel like they attend your reunions while walking up the staircase.

2.  See your kitchen…lots of stuff on your counter tops and the fridge?!  I don’t care that your grandma gave you a bread maker, mixer, blender, a new 4 slice toaster or the fact that Harris Teeter had a special on muffins and you bought 4 boxes!  Clean, sleek and simple is the mindset to go with, period.  Another silly tip…if you don’t have a built in microwave, move yours off the counter and store it somewhere else.  Buyers will notice one is NOT installed if they see it sitting on half the counter space but not pay attention to it NOT being there when they see LOTS of counter space.

3.  Have you looked in your closets lately?  Would it take half a day to find the back wall?  CLEAN IT OUT…Do you really needs towels with holes from 1987?  I’m guilty of this too, but I ain’t moving right now!

4.  “Walk space”-  What do I mean by that?  Can you actually walk around all the rooms?  How much furniture can you fit into one room?   If you walk around a room with your arms out and hit something everytime you turn, there is too much stuff in that space.  This is not a contest for hoarding…cut it in half.

5.  Smell factor-  If it stinks, it won’t sell!  This is true.  Soooo, while you’re cleaning out all your closets and losing half your furniture, vacuum, wipe down baseboards and blinds.  Those curtains that haven’t been taken down for 3 years need to be washed too!  A fresh smelling home is wonderful but don’t make the mistake many folks do.  Keeping Glade in business by plugging something in every 5 feet won’t solve the problem!  Get on your knee’s and start scrubbing…

Check in next Friday for Part 2-  The dreaded Realtor walk through…(We aren’t always nice)