Easiest and Quickest Ways to spruce up your Home

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Not everyone can afford to have their home professionally staged. The following tips are things that can easily be done in just hours, and they can make a huge impact.

CLEAN - Not just the normal dusting and running the vacuum. Deep clean like you are going to have someone give your home the "white glove" test. Pay attention to areas that don't always get looked at like the laundry room and dark corners behind the doors. Shampoo carpets, dust ceiling fans and light fixtures and scrub appliances. (Yes, people who tour your home will open and look in the dishwasher and oven!)

GET RID OF CLUTTER - Go ahead and pack up anything that you don't NEED on a daily basis. You are going to have to pack to move anyway. Why not go ahead and get a head start? Plus, this is a good time to clean out closets and storage and go ahead and throw stuff away or donate it to charity.

PAINT - If the paint on your walls is dirty or scuffed, now is a good time to paint. Painting is one of the easiest ways to spruce up a room. Stick to neutral colors in order to appeal to the widest number of buyers. Changing a distracting color, like a bright pink or lime green that may be in a child's room can really help while your home is on the market. If you paint that room a neutral color instead, it will be easier for buyer's to imagine their furniture and décor in the room.

EDIT FURNITURE - Do you have a huge master bedroom suit or a sectional that takes up a lot of space? Any room that is overwhelmed with furniture can appear small to the people looking at your home. Go ahead and put some of the furniture in storage, so you can see more of the floor space in a room. The more floor and wall space a buyer sees, the bigger the room will feel.

CLEAR AWAY PERSONAL ITEMS - Buyers want to be able to see themselves living in your home. That is hard to do if there are things like family photos everywhere. Pack up tabletop picture frames with family photos; replace the family photos in hanging frames with art or pretty pictures you have taken of things like landscapes. The outside of the refrigerator should be clear. Find a kitchen drawer or cabinet to put things like sports schedules, school notes and other paperwork in.

SPRUCE UP THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE - This is the first thing people see. See if your front door could benefit from a new coat of paint or new hardware. Place some pretty potted plants or flowers on the porch. Tend to any garden areas and the front lawn. Buy a fresh new welcome mat.

If you have any questions about what you should or should not spend time and money to upgrade or fix, just ask your Realtor. A good Realtor would be happy to tell you what their experience has shown them.

Don't forget: FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE EVERYTHING!