Once your home is listed for sale, it's important to get it ready for showings.  You want to show off your home in the best condition and encourage buyers to see your home as theirs - not yours.  This means sprucing up your home beyond the normal dusting, vacuuming, and picking up clothes off the floor. 

Here are the most important things to do to prepare your home for showings:

•   De-Clutter:  Go around your rooms and store away knick-knacks or personal items that take up too much space on your shelves, counter tops, tables, fridge doors, etc.  This gives the impression that your home is clean and spacious. 
  

Less is definitely more, so if you're not sure if the faux plants on top of the cabinets should be taken down, do it.  It may look like empty space to you, but not to the buyer.

• 2.  De-Personalize:  VERY important!  We all love to hang pictures of our family on our fridge, walls, and shelves, but leaving these items in your home for buyers to see discourages them from envisioning your home as theirs.  Instead, they will see it as your home, and therefore less inclined to submit an offer. 

• 3.  Clean Interior Walls:  If you can re-paint the walls of your home a light, neutral color - GREAT!  Lighter color walls gives the illusion that the space is bigger than it really is, but if you don't have the time, or money to hire someone to do it, then at the very least, make sure they are clean and have an even paint color.  Dirty walls can be a real turn-off to buyers.

• 4.  Spruce up Front Yard and Front Entrance:  You don't have a second chance to make a first impression, and buyers develop their impression of your home within the first 10 seconds of seeing your home from the street.  Therefore, your lawn should look healthy and well-manicured.  Buyers love to see blooming flowers, so plant some, or add potted flowers if you don't have any. 

Buyers usually spend a few moments at your front entrance as they wait to enter your home, so make that space is attractive as possible.  Re-paint your front door, if the paint is chipping or fading.  At the very least, it should be clean.  Polish any door knockers, door bells, or other embellishments.  Sweep out any leaves, spiderwebs, or other debris around the door and entrance.  A new welcome mat is also a nice touch.

• 5.  Turn on A/C:  Buyers, especially on Maui, love to walk into a home to escape the outside heat.  A cool home is comfortable and inviting.  If you don't have an air conditioner, turn on the ceiling fans and open windows to allow a nice breeze.

• 6.  Don't Be Home During a Showing:  When you have an appointment for a buyer to see your home, it is best to not be home.  Buyers will feel like they are intruding or invading your space if they see you there.  Again, you want the buyers to see your home as THEIRS, not yours.

• 7.  CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN:  I am not a neat freak or a clean freak, but I notice dirt, dust, and grime in other people's homes more than my own.  Buyers do, too.  So clean beyond your normal routine.  Better yet, hire a good cleaning crew to really tackle the job.  After that one good cleaning, it'll be easier to maintain it yourself.

These are the main points.  All homes are different and may require special attention to different areas.  My job, as your Realtor, is to help you make sure your home is in the best showing condition.  If you need to sell your home on Maui, please contact me.

I would be happy to assist you!