If it’s your first time selling a house, there’s a lot you need to know about. Here are some tips for selling your home so you can get the best price.

So, you’re ready to bid farewell to your current and get it on the market. Whether you’re happy or not about a move, once you decide to sell your house, the goal is for a quick and easy sale. It can be nerve-wracking imagining people traipsing through your home, inspecting it, opening closets and drawers. And in a competitive market, it’s natural to worry about how your house will stand up against others up for sale. Use these tips for selling your home so you get the easy sale you want. They are bound to make your house present itself in the best way and get you the quick sale you desire.

1. Get a Good Real Estate Agent

Don’t underestimate the value of an experienced real estate agent. This person can make the process of selling your home so much easier. You want an agent who will be forthright in telling you where you have issues to fix before going on the market. You want an agent who knows your particular market well. Don’t be afraid to shop around, interview agents, and ask friends and family who have recently bought or sold for referrals. 

2. Price the House Correctly

Sure, everyone wants to get top dollar when selling their home. And what you actually paid for the house matters very little. Again, this is where a good agent will help you to determine the value of your home by doing a thorough market analysis. If you underprice your home hoping for a quick sale, you miss out on potential profit. If you overpriced it, you may lose potential buyers who recognize it’s overpriced. Your house will sell based on what the market is willing to support. Just because you think it’s worth more may not be enough to get more. 

3. First Impressions

What’s that saying about never getting a second chance to make a first impression? This couldn’t be more true for your house. Curb appeal matters greatly when attempting to sell a house. If the outside of your house looks run down or messy, already a potential buyer is put off. Make sure your yard is well kept. Trim the bushes. Plant some flowers or put pots on the front porch. Consider giving your front door a new coat of paint. 

4. Professional Photographs 

Ask your real estate agent about getting professional photos taken for all of the advertising done on your home. The truth is that many people do lots of their home shopping today online before ever actually looking at a house in person. Getting professional photographs done in your house will help to show it in the best possible light. 

5. Declutter

This can’t be emphasized enough. Before you list your home and before any photographs are taken, it is time to go room by with a critical eye and declutter. You definitely don’t want any piles of things out. Nobody wants to imagine living in someone else’s messy house. Remove knick-knacks and memorabilia you have sitting out. While you might like it, it might distract potential buyers and turn them off on the house. You want to present a clean slate so the buyer can imagine their own things in the house.

6. Depersonalize

In the same spirit as decluttering, you need to remove evidence of you from the house. It’s hard for a buyer to imagine themselves living in a house if they see your family photos sitting all around. Remove your collections, family photos. Remove any mail or piles of things that identify there is another family living there. When you create a clean slate, the buyer can imagine their own things in the house. 

7. Address Closet Space

Storage and closet space are important to buyers. They want to imagine themselves living in your house and having plenty of space to put all their own things. They want you to have big closets. Even if you don’t, give the impression you do. Clean out your closets. Even go so far as to get them half empty and put your things in storage. When potential buyers start opening closet doors, the open space in the clean closets gives the impression of lots of space. 

8. Lighting

Get as much natural light into your home as possible. Make sure windows are clean and nothing is blocking natural light. If you need to take down distracting window treatments, do it. Also, when you know there is a showing, light up your rooms. Turn on lamps so prospective buyers walk into a lit room and can get a positive first impression. Also, make sure all lighting is clean and dusted and doesn’t have burnt out light bulbs.

9. Kitchen

For many prospective homebuyers, the kitchen can make or break a home sale. Kitchens matter to buyers because they are expensive to renovate. If your appliances are old and look dated, consider adding in a new stainless steel appliance. Give your kitchen a fresh coat of paint. Consider changing the hardware so it’s up to date and clean and fresh looking. 

As you update and refresh, keep it as neutral as possible. Going back to decluttering, remove anything you can from counters. Give the illusion that your kitchen has tons of counter space by keeping them open. An outdated, frumpy kitchen can take thousands off the price of your house. Putting a little money into it, so it looks clean, neutral and up to date will almost always get you the money in return.

10. Be Accommodating

If someone wants to see your house at the drop of a hat, you let them. Take your pets out of the house and make it available for the showing. If you make the house unavailable, they may just go to the next listing and find the house of their dreams without ever touring yours. This also means you need to keep your house clean and ready to be shown at all times once you list it on the market. 

Try using these tips for selling your home so you can land the quick sale. Rely on your real estate professional to give you advice about how to present your house and to price it, so you can land the quick sale.