HAVING THE RIGHT MINDSET:
When selling your home it is important to put yourself in the position of the buyer.  You must organize your house in a way that is most appealing and comfortable to the buyer and not what is most enjoyable and convenient for yourself. If you are able to achieve such a mindset, it could potentially lead to a faster sale of your home for more money.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
The key to successfully selling a house begins with first impressions. You only have one chance to strike a positive lasting impression with potential buyers when they view your home.

CURB APPEAL:
The first time prospective buyers set eyes on your property they will begin forming an impression. According to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) 49% of homes are sold based on curb appeal.  There are several easy ways to improve the buyer’s impression of your home:

~ Keep the front yard relatively tidy by removing any tools and toys to reduce
    clutter
~ Sweep the stairs if necessary
~ Clean windows if they are dingy
~ Clear away visible weeds while keeping your plants and lawn healthy
~ Apply a new coat of paint where necessary
~ Replace your old doormat with a new one
~ Consider pressure washing the exterior of your home giving it a newer and
    brighter look

CREATE SPACE AND FLOW:
When prospective buyers enter your residence they should be able to feel a sense of space and flow. Try the following tips:

~ Make sure that the entrance and hallways are free of clutter
~ Make the effort to reposition furniture to generate a more spacious and
    natural feel
~ In a small room try switching to smaller furniture to create a feeling of
    more room
~ It is important to have matching accessories that complement the décor of
    the home
~ In darker rooms be sure to have all the blinds and curtains open
~ Move any unwashed dishes into the dishwasher
~ Hang up any loose clothing
~ Clear kitchen and bathroom countertops
~ Organize closets and other storage spaces as buyers DO look inside

REVITALIZING YOUR WALLS:
Often the best solution is not to repaint your walls. Simple touch ups can improve the appearance of your home and can take years off your walls. Here are several techniques you can use to improve the appearance of your walls:

~ If your home has wallpaper, instead stripping it, which is often expensive
    and damaging to your walls, just paint over it – to paint over wallpaper
    keep in mind to first use an oil-based primer
~ To fix holes in your wall that are often left by family portraits or paintings
    simply use spackle to fill the hole and then use a wet sponge to wipe the
    surface
~ If interior paint is required, reduce cost by avoiding painting the whole
    house, only paint critical areas
~ To rid yourself of painted dry wall ceiling stains use a spray bottle
    containing a mixture of half bleach and half water, applying the
    spray to the stain - often a second application of the spray will take
    out the stain and you might not even need new paint

DEALING WITH ODOUR:
Every home comes with its own unique scent – it could be the smell of new carpet or the smell of a pet. To combat undesirable odours you can try the following:

~ Open windows to let fresh air in and the stale air out
~ Minimize pet odours by vacating your pets prior to showing and
    vacuuming to remove pet odours from furniture and carpet
~ Running a lemon through the kitchen garburator can remove unpleasant
    garburator smells
~ Using scented candles would be a good idea as many people enjoy vanilla
    based scents, such as French vanilla, crème brûleé, and scents related to
    baking, which enhance the potential buyer’s first impression of your home
~ Other scents that might also be pleasant to buyers are the scent of clean
    laundry and citrus smells which indicate a clean home

Occasionally, one can see "For Sale By Owner" signs, and some owners think that selling their own home will not only save them money, but believe they have an advantage over the sellers that have their home listed by a reputable Real Estate sales professional. Before you decide to take on this very important and legally complicated process…remember not even most Real Estate Lawyer's recommend selling your own home yourself in today's market. Here are a few of the reasons why:

1. You are limiting your exposure to potential buyers (less than 10% of what a good real estate broker will generate) which theoretically means your home will take ten to fifteen times longer to sell on the market.

2. The longer a home is on the market the lower the selling price is. Why? Because most buyers think that if the home has not sold after this long... there must be something wrong with the home.

3. The selling/buying process begins AFTER the buyer leaves your home. Most sellers think that all it takes is for someone to see their home, fall in love with the great decor... and the offer automatically will follow. Remember that the buying process begins after they leave your home. If a real estate sales representative does not represent the buyer, and they are looking on their own…they usually leave the home and start to talk themselves out of the buying process. Real estate professionals are trained on how to overcome buyers remorse--a very common occurrence.

4. Because of the limited exposure you will very likely end up with a lower selling price. Remember, in order to generate the highest price possible for your home… selling means exposure. You need the maximum exposure possible, to generate the highest price possible.

5. Most buyers find it extremely awkward to negotiate or even to talk directly with sellers and therefore avoid FSBO properties.

6. Lack of negotiating experience and lack of pertinent information often will result in a lower selling price, or worse yet, a bungled contract and possible lawsuits.

7. The majority of qualified buyers are working with experienced real estate professionals.

8. Many serious buyers will pass by a FSBO home merely because they recognize that it is not in the real estate mainstream, this can some times make them wary.

9. As most local buyers now retain an experienced real estate sales person to represent them as their buyer-agency, you will probably be negotiating against an experienced professional.

10. Expected savings in broker's fees will also be greatly reduced if you offer a selling commission to entice real estate sales representatives to bring potential buyers.

11. If you are planning to use a Lawyer to help you negotiate the offer, then your lawyer's fees will be considerably higher.

12. Only real estate sales representatives have access to the up-to-date market information. News reports cannot approach the timeliness or specificity available to real estate sales people. Further, real estate sales representatives are involved in home sales much more frequently than the average homeowner is. This familiarity leads to a degree of expertise that provides an edge on negotiating and successful selling.

13. You only pay the commission to the real estate broker, if they successfully sell your home at the price you are happy with.

14. Accepting an offer is one thing, ensuring a safe and successful closing is quite another. Real estate transactions usually always have problems on closing. At times, expecting the Buyers and Sellers Lawyer's to fight it out or resolve the problems, can sometimes mean the deal is lost. This is the time that your experienced real estate professional, can be the most important. Your Real Estate professional can act as a great mediator. Lawyers MUST act only on their client's instructions and are not paid to negotiate.