Preparing to sell my house

Also, a little paint where needed....especially ceilings! Good luck!

the best person to answer that is a realtor in your area. They can assess best what will make a sale successful. You don't want to spend money on things that won't make an impact.

Elizabeth is right, talk to your realtor. And have great curb appeal and a spotless house. Clean clean clean. I would skip the carpet unless absolutely necessary, most people want all hardwood floors these days. Spend as little as you can, or will it will "make the sale" - Good luck!

Generally,clean declutter, fresh coat of a neutral paint ,and curb appeal

That's a great question. The answer is specific to each market area. The best thing you can do is to get a realtor to do a market analysis. Usually there is no charge or commitment for this. A realtor will walk through your home with a critical eye and make recommendations for you based on what is typical for recently sold homes in your area, curb appeal, and your personal priorities. You can then decide which suggestions that are practical for you. You can even do this with a couple of realtors. Each realtor will have his/her own take on your market. If you take several months to make your remodeling updates, then have another market analysis prior to listing your home.

You may go through the trouble of changing your countertops and then find out that a potential buyer will not make a purchase because they don’t like your countertops. The purchase of a home is very subjective. Everyone has their own particular taste and e are looking for specific things that will satisfy their needs. Most people are looking for hardwood floors, hiwever, so that would be a plus. As far as paint, be sure that you select neutral colors. Also, de clutter. When showing your home, get rid of any personal items, like photos, etc. You want the buyer to look at your home and imagine their items in it. Good luck!

I am a realtor. If the carpeting detracts from everything, and cleaning won't fix that, then yes and pick a neutral color to do so. Hardwood is nice, but can get expensive,--are you thinking of it as a replacement for this carpeted area? A light fixture if very dated, or you want to take with you might be nice as it is an inexpensive update. You don't want to do what you won't recoup or matter to some. If you feel you aren't totally updated then price the home accordingly or give a seller credit for the new homeowner to do themselves. You can list it say with a 2000 credit for carpet or whatever is appropriate or comment as well, that you have a listing price that is lower that allows for the buyer to do their updates themselves and no seller credit. Best to usually just freshen up with fresh paint and no clutter (less is more generally) and making rooms look as pleasant as you can. Then call a few real estate agents for interviewing and see what they recommend. See if it makes sense. I would hate to see you put a lot of money out and not recoup it. Besides sometimes when you start a project it can open up a whole Pandora box of other issues and that usually spells out time and lots more money.

Clean and declutter. And then clean some more. Stay neutral with everything. If needed repaint.

As others have already said, get rid of personal things like pictures, kids drawings, etc. Clear off the refrigerator, no magnets. If your rooms are stuffed with furniture, weed some of it out. Put things that aren't necessary in a storage mall. You don't want people to think your house is to small and can't hold everything that's needed for everyday life. Clean out closets. Storage is always important. Make sure everything is cleaned very well and then keep it clean. That includes the outside of your house as well. A well maintained lawn says you took care of your house. A nice garden will have people wanting to take a look inside, Don't spend a lot on updates, the new owner may want things in a different style. Only replace things that are broken or in very bad shape.

When showing your house, make sure everything is clean and your stuff is put away. Open all window coverings and turn on all lights. Make it as bright and airy as possible.

Leave a few bits of furnature in place, esp. if there is an awkward area. Show how that space can be used. Leave couch and chairs for staging...and a place to sit and chat so the potential buyers can linger a bit and discuss the house. Keep pets in crates until the guests are gone. I must have done something right...House 1 sold in 1 week on the market. House 2 sold the very first day listed.

We just sold our house, and it went quickly! Fresh paint is very important. Keep the palate neutral...There are different shades of white, beige, light gray is very popular...keep the paint on the light side...Don't rule out bright white! It is also popular these days! Just have the ceiling match, in a flat nor semi gloss paint. Brush strokes show up too much with semi gloss on the ceiling. If you have carpet, shampoo it. Hire someone or do it yourself. Our agent suggested we show our home without furniture. So that made it easy.

Homes look their biggest that way.

Get your kitchen and bath(s) shining. Clean EVERYTHING...WELL! Pay attention to the exterior...Put flower pots out, power wash if you must.

Everything should be in good condition...repair where needed. Get design ideas around your neighborhood, and/or talk with people for their ideas.

Thank you all

Awesome. I am showing my house empty also.