When thinking of putting a home up for sale, sellers need to consider all of the small details that attract consumers. A buyer’s first impression needs to be the WOW moment: This is my dream home!

Most people buy with their hearts so they need to experience a desirable, warm and welcoming space where they can envision creating a lifetime of their own memories. For sellers out there, when deciding to list your home, you need to first take yourself out of the equation.

Here’s how to do it:

• Depersonalize and Declutter: Remove any personal items and clutter. Consumers need to feel like they can envision themselves walking into a home they can call their own. When the rooms are open and spacious, it attracts buyers right from the front door. You need that positive attitude from the beginning. Place all personal items such as family portraits, toys, knickknacks, newspapers, etc. in a storage facility or garage that can be hidden during a preview of the home or an open house.
• Repairs: Fixing any minor repairs goes a long way such as patching holes, tightening/replacing door handles/knobs, apply a fresh coat of paint to walls and trim or updating the kitchen and bathroom. This will have a greater impact and show how the home is properly maintained.  
• Cleaning: Make sure the home is cleaned thoroughly. Polish hardwood flooring, steam clean carpeting and use fresh linens/ bedding. No one wants to enter a dirty home, it detracts potential buyers.
• Interior Staging: Stage rooms appropriately with proportionate furniture that will complement the layout. Using neutral wall colors, accent pillows, art work, window treatments, fresh flowers are all ways to spruce up the home.  
• Exterior Staging: Curb side appeal to exterior is extremely important. People who explore website photos will often times preview the neighborhood and home in person. Be sure to keep the outside patio, porch and outside brick/siding or stucco clean. The lawn should be nicely landscaped and any trash bins or hoses kept out of sight.
• Pleasant Smells: It’s always welcoming when there is a fresh baking smell of brownies/cookies to draw in the customer. Strong pet smells will deter people so please be sure to rid the house of bad odors.
• Photography: Having professional photos done really enhance and showcase the home properly.  Trulia statistics shows that 92 percent of the buyers do all of their beginning property searches through online websites before even contacting a realtor so potential buyers are seven times more likely to inquire further about a home when there are several enticing photos presented on the websites.
• Choose a professional realtor: Buying or selling a home is one of the most important financial decisions a person will make in their lifetime so it’s really important to be selective when choosing a professional realtor. That person should provide the best quality in service and marketing strategies needed to get the home sold as quickly as possible and at the highest net value. Find a person who you can establish a good rapport with and is trustworthy. This is a big decision and you deserve to have a confident and competent person working on your behalf.
• Price it right: The price position is designed to stimulate the buyer’s pool, drive in traffic and get multiple offers. People choose to buy when they see a perception in value. Homes that are overpriced will lie stagnant and may eventually expire or be withdrawn from the market. It’s in the seller’s best interest to net top dollar for their property in the shortest time period.

Good luck to all of the sellers who are getting ready to begin this process!