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Let’s face it. When you visit a home during a scheduled viewing or open house, you’re usually seeing it at its best. The rooms are tidy. The sinks are clean. The closets are organized and uncluttered. Even the lighting is set to its brightest.

That’s just good old-fashioned marketing.

However, not every house you see will actually look this way. For any number of reasons, a house on the market may be less than tidy, poorly decorated, and even in need of minor repairs. You may open the front door in anticipation, only to be immediately turned off by stains on the carpets, faded paint on the walls, cluttered hallways, and more.

First impressions form quickly. It’s easy to make quick judgments and move on. But, you may be passing on what could be a dream home.

Don’t make that mistake. Make your purchase decision based on a carefully considered second impression, not just your first.

When viewing a house, imagine how it will look with a fresh coat of paint, some redecorating, the minor repairs completed, and your furniture adorning the rooms. You might just find that a home that doesn’t show well is really a diamond in the rough.

(One caveat: Be careful of houses that don’t look like they’ve been well maintained. There could be issues lurking that require expensive repairs or renovations. Always make a professional home inspection a condition of your offer.)

There are advantages to buying a home that doesn’t show well. They attract less interest and, therefore, less competition from other potential buyers. The listing price may be lower too.

You’ve heard of curb appeal. It refers to the good impression buyers tend to get when they first see your house “from the curb”. The greater the curb appeal, the more enticing your house will seem.

But there’s another type of appeal you may not be aware of: Foyer appeal. That’s the impression buyers get when they first walk in the door.

Think of what happens when someone visits your house for the first time. Chances are, they stand in the foyer for a few moments, look around, and take in the view of your house from that perspective.

That’s why, if you’re preparing your property for sale, it’s important to make the foyer look as attractive and inviting as possible.

Obviously, you want to make sure it’s clean and free of clutter. You don’t want potential buyers to trip over shoes or catch a glimpse of an over-stuffed coat closet.

If you have a welcome mat, make sure it’s clean and in good shape. Or, better still, buy a new one.

Finally, make sure that the rooms that can be seen from the foyer look attractive.

The impression you want to make is, “Wow. I can’t wait to see the rest of the house!”

Remember the last time you were in a furniture store or other major home retailer? Remember the fully decorated displays of furniture, appliances and other products? Some of those may have even been organized as model rooms.

What did most of those displays have in common?

Chances are, they were well lit.

In fact, in the retail industry, there are professionals who specialize exclusively in display lighting. It plays such an important role in showcasing and selling home products successfully that the stores are willing to absorb the expense.

And the same holds true for your house.

If you want to show your house well, and sell it quickly and for the best price, make sure every room is well lit.

There are probably some rooms in your house where the lighting is adequate, such as the kitchen and bathrooms, and perhaps the foyer. But there are other areas where the lighting may be mediocre. Take a close look at:

• Closets
• Storage areas
• Bedrooms
• Laundry rooms
• Hallways
• The garage

If there are areas in your house that are dark or shadowy, the solution may be as simple as installing higher wattage bulbs, provided your fixture can accommodate them. Keep in mind that brightness can vary significantly from one type of bulb to another. For example, a 40-watt energy efficient bulb may not give off as much light as a comparable standard bulb. So do some experimenting. Your goal is to make the room feel bright yet comfortable on the eyes.

Also, don’t forget to open drapes and blinds. Often the best and most pleasant source of light for a room is the sun shining through a window.

It’s great when you have lots of time to prepare for something important. But life doesn’t always happen that way. Sometimes you have to move quickly, and do the best you can with the time you have.

Say, for example, you had to get your house ready for sale, and you only had a week to do so. What could you do in those few days to make your home as attractive as possible to potential buyers? Here are some ideas:

• Clean the house from top to bottom. Make it look “guest ready”.
• Get rid of as much clutter as possible. If necessary, put some things in storage. Try to make every room look organized and spacious.
• Get all minor repairs done.
• Paint. It’s the fastest and cheapest way to dramatically improve the look of any room.
• Don’t forget the outdoors. Prune the hedges, sweep the walkways, and deal with any potential eyesores – such as a rusted old bike stowed in the side yard.
• Place some fresh flowers in the dining room and outside next to the front door.
• Depersonalize your house as much as possible. For example, stow away family pictures. You want buyers to imagine themselves living there, not you.

This is just a partial list of ideas. A good real estate professional can help you with more tips on preparing your house so that it sells quickly and for the right price.

Do you sometimes review the real estate ads in your local paper? Do you drive by an open house sign and feel the urge to stop and check it out? Those are common indications that, at least on some level, you’re thinking about the possibility of making a move.

But how do you decide if you should actually move?

The first step is to consider whether there are any practical reasons to consider buying a new home. What’s pushing you in that direction?

• Is your current home too small for your needs?
• Is the commute to work, for you or your spouse, too long? (Perhaps longer than you expected when you purchased the home?)
• Are there property features you would now like to have, such as a larger backyard or a more spacious kitchen?
• Has the area changed in an undesirable way?
• Do you have personal reasons for wanting to move, such as a desire to be closer to relatives in another area?

Carefully consider those things that can’t change unless you move. For example, if a major highway was recently built near you, the ongoing sound of traffic isn’t going to go away.

If there are no practical reasons for moving, there may still be other reasons for wanting a new home. You may want to move your family to a better area, with better schools or you may simply want a bigger home, with a larger backyard, more rooms, and a wider driveway.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with simply wanting a better place than the one you have now. In fact, that is a common reason why many people make a move.

The point is, if you’ve been thinking about a new home for a while, perhaps now is the time to take the next step. A good real estate professional can help you understand your options.

If you were going to sell your car, what would you do? Well, you would probably check to find out how similar vehicles to yours are priced. Then you would set your advertised price within that range.

What you would be doing, perhaps without knowing it, is determining the “market value” of your car.

Market value is simply what buyers today are willing to pay for a particular product.

When you decide to put your house up for sale, one of the first things you and your real estate professional will do is determine the market value of your property. That’s important to know because if you price your home too much above its market value, you probably won’t get any offers. Alternatively, if you price your property too low, it might get snapped up quickly but you’ll have left a lot of money on the table.

How does a real estate professional help you determine your home’s current market value?

He or she will look at a variety of factors, such as the desirability of the area, the features of your home, how well it has been maintained, renovations and other improvements you’ve made, and of course, its location.

Your real estate professional will also review what similar homes in your area have sold for recently – which is, perhaps, the strongest indicator of current market value.

Once you know the market value of your home, you can make an informed decision as to how to price it so that it will attract the right type of buyers and the best possible price.

Should you price your home high above its market value in the hopes that some unwary buyer will purchase it? Unfortunately, that rarely works.

The good news is, your property may be worth more than you think. One of the best ways to find out is to invite a good real estate professional to your home to do an assessment.

When preparing a property for sale, homeowners often focus on the things that will impress buyers, such as clean and uncluttered spaces, well lit rooms, staged furniture designed to maximize appeal, and so forth.

But it’s equally important to pay attention to those things you don’t want buyers to see… those little turn-offs that, although seemingly minor, can distract buyers and cause them to lose interest in your property.

For example, you don’t want buyers to see these things:

Pets. Although many people love pets, some don’t. Others are allergic to them. Dogs, in particular, can take a keen interest in new visitors, jumping and barking excitedly. It’s best to take pets for a walk during viewings.

Unfinished repairs. Dripping taps. Gouges and marks on walls. Broken tiles. Squeaking gates. Home buyers will notice, and may mistakenly think there are other deficiencies lurking in your home. Do as many repairs as you can. Then be upfront about those that are in progress.

Clutter. It’s common for main rooms, like livingrooms and kitchens, to be clean and uncluttered during a viewing. But buyers who become interested in your property will take a closer look, and check out the garage, cupboards, backyard shed and other places where things tend to accumulate. The more you de-clutter, the better your property will show.

Smells. Obviously not something a buyer will see, but he or she will definitely notice lingering smells associated with pets, garbage, exotic cooking, and smoking. Scents have a strong influence on emotions. That’s why perfume companies do so well! So make sure your home is as scent-free as possible.

You. Nothing personal. When buyers view your home, they want to visualize themselves living there, not you. So let your REALTOR® be the host. Remove as many personal items, such as family pictures and trophies, as possible.

You probably know there’s more to selling a home than putting up a FOR SALE sign. But if you don’t understand the process in detail, you might feel intimidated and stressed when it comes time to put your property on the market.

Fortunately, the home selling process isn’t that difficult to understand. There are basically six steps.

Step one is selecting the right REALTOR®. You need a knowledgeable, trusted expert who can guide you through the process, take care of all the details, and help sell your home quickly and for the best price.

Step two is preparation. You need to ensure your home is clean and uncluttered. It’s also important that you take care of any needed repairs, even minor ones like wall dents. You may also need to consider a home improvement, such as replacing worn carpeting.

Step three is the listing price. You need to select a listing price at or near the fair market value of your property.

Step four is promotion. How will buyers find out about your property? Will they see it on MLS? Will they come across an ad in the newspaper or on the internet? Will they receive an invitation to an open house? An effective promotion plan is critical.

Step five is dealing with offers. Ideally, you’ll get several. But the best offer is not necessarily the highest one. An offer can fall through for many reasons, so dealing effectively with offers is, perhaps, the most important part of the home selling process.

Step six is the transaction. Once the sale is made, you want to know that you have the right professionals in place – your lawyer, mover, etc. – to make sure all the after-sale details are taken care of properly.

Want more ideas for making sure the home selling process goes smoothly for you? Call today.

One of the best things you can do to ensure you get the home you want is to arrange for financing before you go shopping. This is often referred to as getting “pre-approved”.

Getting pre-approved simply means that your lender has calculated how much of a mortgage they’re willing to offer you, depending on your down payment and current financial situation.

There are two advantages to having a pre-approved mortgage. First, you know exactly what you can afford when shopping for a new home. Second, when you make an offer, you’re likely to be taken more seriously.

You find a beautiful home available on the market, but you’re not so sure about the location. Does it really matter all that much? Yes, it does. That’s why you’ll often hear real estate professionals say, “Location, location, location.”

The location of a home you’re considering buying will affect you in two ways.

First, it will affect the property’s future resale value, especially if the area is becoming less desirable.

Second, it will affect your lifestyle. If the area doesn’t have the features you want – nearby schools and playgrounds, walking trails, proximity to activities that interest you, such as golf or restaurants – you probably won’t enjoy living there.

A good real estate professional will help you find the right home in the best location for you.