Getting Your House Ready to Sell

It can't be overstated-when it comes to buying a house, the first impression is everything. If you're selling or getting ready to sell in the coming months, one of the easiest and most dramatic ways to enhance that first impression is with paint.

Fresh paint makes your house look clean, bright, and inviting.

The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute, an educational resource for paint and paint-related coatings, offers the following tips for painting before selling:

• If nothing else, paint at least the door, door frame, and foyer or first room the would-be buyers will see.
   

• Use fresh, neutral colors. If you're painting the exterior, make sure the color blends in with the neighborhood. Opt for whites, creams or neutrals. The PQI says these colors appeal to the greatest number of people.
   

• Whether you paint yourself or hire someone, make sure all the prep work is done-washing all dirt away, and patching and repairing any necessary areas on the surface before it is painted.
   

• Paint railings, window frames, trim, and other accents to freshen up the exterior.
   

• Promote any recent painting in your ads, flyers and online descriptions of your house. Homeowners and buyers place a high value on the painted appearance of a home. Include the date the paint job was completed and the quality of paint that was used.

It is very important to have a home looking its best and that starts as soon as a buyer drives up to the home.

Another important tip is to get all your painting done before potential buyers view the house.

It is important to have all the repairs and paint done before going on the market. You need that bam experience on day one on the market. Anything less than bam and you're just helping the other homes in the neighborhood sell first.

In addition to making the exterior sparkle, it's important to get rid of clutter on the inside.

From the prospective homebuyer's view, clutter translates into an undesirable home. Cluttered homes often appear smaller. They look darker, and tend to smell from the excess dust. The excess stimuli can be an immediate turn-off because the combined effect suggests that all of the home's other features will be rundown, decayed and in need of much repair.

The converse is also true: homes devoid of clutter and kept clean give the impression of being well maintained and not requiring much work.

If you're selling your home, it could be a wise investment to spend a little upfront and hire a professional clutter clearer and/or home stager. This initial cost will be recouped by way of a higher selling price and faster sale.