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5 Steps to Selling Your House Quickly
Is your home prepared for the market?
When It's Showtime

So you've decided it's time to sell your existing home, and you're getting ready to put it on the market just in time for the nicer weather to hit. Before the "for sale" sign hits the front yard, have you taken the time to really look the old place over?

Remember that you live there and you're used to overlooking those little problems and idiosyncrasies that many homes have, so be sure and look at your home from the perspective of a potential buyer. Get those little repairs out of the way now, and showcase the pride you have taken in your home
Take a good long look at your home, using an unbiased eye.

5 Steps for Helping Your House to Sell Quickly
	*Prepare yourself* to sell your house**. Do your best to see the house, no longer as your home, but as a product to be marketed. This takes some work, especially if you have been in the home for a number of years and have many memories there, but it is necessary if you want to maximize your potential.
	Consider a professional whole house inspection. An inspection will most likely uncover any major defects before they can cause trouble with a potential buyer. It also is a signal to buyers that you are a responsible seller.
	Prepare the house. Stand back and look at your house as objectively as possible. Would you buy this home? Ask friends and neighbors to do the same, asking them to be totally honest. Overlooking flaws could cost you money! Get them fixed before you put the house on the market.
	Do what is necessary to make your house stand out from the competition. Make certain that your house is fresher, cleaner, and better maintained. Familiarize yourself with effective marketing and advertising techniques.
	Remove most of the "imprint" that you have made on the house. Having a few family pictures around is fine, but if your house is a "shrine" to your family--walls full of personal pictures--you should take some steps to depersonalize it. Buyers must be able to envision themselves in the house, which is nearly impossible if everywhere they turn they stare at you!

Is Your Home Prepared for the Market?
When getting your home ready to sell, you need to look at your house in a new way. Think of your house as a product about to go on the market where it is probably competing with brand new housing. It needs to show well–which means clutter-free and well kept.
Today’s homebuyers lead busy lives and may not be interested in taking on major repairs or improvements upon moving in. You need to make your house a “10”. This will give you the opportunity to take needed corrective action to ensure your house looks fresh, clean and well maintained when the “for sale” sign goes up.

Fix It First
If you need to make improvements to your home, do the work before it goes on the market. Potential buyers are not interested in hearing about your good intentions to look after defects before a transfer of ownership takes place. Even if fix-up work is underway, buyers may not be able to visualize what your home will look like when the work is finished. They will just remember it being in a state of disrepair.

Professional Inspection, Yes or No?
A serious buyer will want to have a professional home inspector check your house from top to bottom before making an offer. Even though there are many things you can do to identify problems on your own, hiring a professional home inspector will save you time and money and can help seal the deal. An inspection before putting your home on the market is a great idea. It is your best way of finding and taking care of serious deficiencies before an inspector hired by a potential buyer discovers them and ruins the impression the buyer initially had of your house.

When It’s Showtime!
You have inspected your house and taken care of problems. Now you are ready for showings. You will need a plan of action that assigns duties to each family member so the place can quickly be whipped into shape.

• Open all drapes, blinds, etc. and turn on lights to make the house bright.

• Air out the house to get rid of cooking, pet odours, etc.

• Have fresh flowers in view.

• Pick up clutter, and empty garbage.

• Make sure everything is spotless.

• Set your thermostat at a comfortable level.

• Remove pets from the house or put them outside.

• If you have an agent, leave when the house is being shown. If you are selling it yourself, you need to strike a balance between being helpful and crowding the buyer.

• In poor weather, provide a place for boots, overshoes and umbrellas.

• Display photos of house in summer to show landscaping if selling in winter months.

• Leave out heating and water bills.

• For those on a septic system and/or well, leave out inspection and maintenance information.