Everyone keeps telling you “It’s a buyers’ market,” and, while the real estate market may not be at its strongest, there is no need for you to settle on a selling your home at a fraction of the price that it’s worth. There are many things you can do to make sure that your home looks its best and is ready for future buyers from the moment you put it on the market. The best part is that most of the things you can do cost little to no money and only require a little of your time.

1. De-clutter your home. The first thing most people notice when they walk into a home is how cluttered it feels. Don’t let your little messes prevent the sale of your home. It could be as simple as throwing things away and putting anything else in drawers or folders, but definitely away from buyers’ eyes, or consider renting a storage unit if needed.
2. Hide or store overly personal items. Don’t simply put away the hair dryer. Take down as many family portraits as you can and rid rooms of any artwork that isn’t neutral. Art is subjective and, while you may love your abstract paintings, a prospective buyer might find them distracting while they look through the house. You want buyers to be able to imagine themselves living in this home, so removing any trace of your family helps them do this.
3. Paint your walls neutral colors. Again, to prevent distraction, make sure all of the walls in your home are painted neutral colors. This can be white, beige or brown. It’s alright to add some accent colors, but make sure they aren’t too bold and serve to accent selling points of the house.
4. Organize the closets. Whether you like it or not, people will be looking in your closets when they walk through your home. This means they are not a good place to store all of the little things that you want to keep out of site. Organize your closest and keep them clean. It may seem trivial, but disorganized closets can really turn customers off to a home.
5. Make sure countertops, floors and appliances sparkle. When you decide to put your home on the market, take the time to do a thorough cleaning of the house, and then keep it that way. This means nightly counter wipe downs and almost daily mopping in some of the high traffic areas. But keeping these surfaces clean will appeal to potential buyers, who want to see the home at its best.
6. Make minor repairs. It’s the little things that make a big difference. Before you sell your home, take time to check some of the small repair tasks on your honey-do list. Patch up holes in the walls, replace cracked tiles, regrout the tiles in your bathroom and fix those leaky faucets. These small repairs instantly make your house more attractive.
7. Clean up your front yard. Curb appeal is incredibly important when you’re trying to sell your home. When people pull up to your house, they are already making judgments about it. They’re considering the neighborhood and how nice your home looks in comparison, so make sure that you clean up the front yard as much as possible and, if you can afford it, get the exterior of your home power washed and add a fresh coat of paint.
8. Get your carpets professionally cleaned. Carpets can add so much value to a home, but they can take a lot away if they look old, dirty or worn. Invest in professional carpet cleaning to remove any stains, wear patterns or pet smells.
9. Add a fresh smell to the home. Speaking of smells, the last thing you want a potential buyer to do when they enter your home is wrinkle their nose when they smell something funky. Open up the windows and air the place out. Add some freshly cut flowers to several rooms and put a few plug-in air fresheners around the house. A home that smells good is a house that people want to live in.
10. Leave your house when a potential buyer visits. It’s so important that a buyer feels comfortable talking openly about a house while they’re in it and if the current owner is in the house, they can feel uncomfortable talking about the features of the home. While you may mean well, it’s best if you leave the home when potential buyers come to see it.