How to Sell Your House in a Soft Market

In most areas of the country the home sales market is "soft," which means there are more houses for sale than families looking for new homes. Give yourself a big advantage when putting your house on the market by following these simple tips:

First, do research on your neighborhood. Find out for what prices houses similar to your home sold.

Take a critical look at your "curb appeal." Does your house need a fresh coat of paint? Are your shrubs and plantings overgrown and need replacing? Something as simple as washing all the windows inside and out can make a big difference to prospective buyers' first impressions of your house.

Expressive colors like purple for your teen's room are fun, but people looking at your home won't see the charm. If you have any "unusual" paint schemes in your home, you can quickly and cheaply change things to a neutral, prospective client friendly neutral color.

Are your light fixtures from another era? This is another inexpensive way to put some punch in your rooms. If your dining room chandelier is right out of the 1970s, you can change the look of the whole room by changing it for less than $200.

The kitchen is THE seller of the home. No matter how nice the rest of the house may be, if the kitchen isn't up to snuff, people will not buy your house. Any improvements made in the kitchen will come back to you when the offers for your home come pouring in. One thing most people love is a kitchen that has a lot of light. A convenient floor plan is also important, as are cabinets and plenty of countertop space. Before upgrading your kitchen, get an idea of what is the norm in your neighborhood. If most the homes in your area have laminate countertops, installing expensive granite isn't going to increase the sale price of your home.

Cleanliness is said to be next to Godliness, and nowhere is this more appropriate than when you are trying to sell a home. Deep clean your house. Remove all furniture from a room if you need to, and clean, clean, clean until everything is shiny and sanitary looking. This is especially important in the kitchen and baths. Clean oil stains off the garage floor. Run a humidifier in your basement to make sure it smells fresh and not musty.

If you have too much clutter, and almost any clutter is too much when your home is on the market, consider renting a cheap storage unit for a couple of months. A few decorative touches sitting on mantels and tabletops, a few art pieces hanging in strategic places, adds much to the ambience of your home. Too many things, especially personal knick-knacks and family pictures detract from the salability of the house. Prospective buyers like to look at a home and imagine their own things decorating it. Also, an uncluttered home looks cleaner and bigger.

Of course, it's important to repair anything that needs attention. A cracked piece of tile in the shower or a non-working range hood may give prospective clients the impression that you were lax in general in maintaining your house.

Staging your house just before an open house can be the catalyst to getting several offers quickly. If your furniture has seen better days, you might consider renting a living room suite or a bedroom set for a week from a local rental store. Place fresh flowers in a few different places in the home. Hang new matching towels in the bathrooms. Be sure any pet or baby odors are eliminated before the open house begins. Make sure all window treatments are clean and in good repair, especially blinds. Open all the window treatments to let as much light as possible into your home.

Although it seems like a lot of work to prepare your home for sale, you'll reap the rewards when it comes time to consider the offers that come pouring in.