by Francis Jock

Created on: April 27, 2009   Last Updated: May 02, 2012

The most important factor in decorating and staging your home for sale is that of making a good first impression. Making a good first impression depends on your home's cleanliness, orderliness, freshness, presentation, completeness, and curb appeal.  Keeping your home looking fresh and new will give you a marketing advantage that most home-sellers don't have. It will take some elbow grease, but the payback is being able to sell your home quickly.

To begin with, every room in your home must be "Squeaky Clean" from ceiling to floor. Giving your home a sparkling clean appearance shows that you care for your home and have kept it up. Doing so requires that you remove every stain, streak, smudge, mold, spider web and crayon art anywhere and everywhere. You will need furniture polish, metal polish, window cleaner, rust remover, and your favorite assortment of household cleaners. Also on the list is the inside of every cabinet, drawer, shelf and window, as well as bathroom fixtures, and overhead light fixtures.

Start at the back, or the least used room in the house and work your way to the kitchen. Pay special attention to the bathrooms, closets and the kitchen, as these are usually the most important selling considerations when making a sale. Grab some boxes or plastic storage containers and pack up everything that isn't nailed down. Clear off the walls and the shelves, the book cases, the desk top and the counter tops. Clean out the cabinets, top and bottom. Leave nothing that could distract potential buyers away from the natural beauty of your home.

While a squeaky clean home is appealing to the eye, it shouldn't be offensive to the nose. In other words, home buyers shouldn't encountered offensive odors, including the scent of pine-cleaners, when first entering a room. Odors shouldn't be masked, they shouldn't be there, so once you have cleaned each room thoroughly, make sure it doesn't smell like it. Use mild, welcoming scents, not overpowering perfumes. Most scented candles or plug-in room fresheners will do the job nicely.

What pleases the home buyer's eye is what makes the sale. Once your home is clean and all the clutter is removed from the walls and shelves, the need for a fresh coat of paint is going to be obvious. It's important to get the colors right, as color fashion changes every few years. Earth tones were popular colors a decade ago, but are rarely found in modern homes today. A fresh coat of paint will cover the dirt and grime and mask odors

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