by Sebastian Ramshackle III

Created on: April 06, 2007   Last Updated: August 23, 2011

There are lots of possible reasons for moving house. It may be that you've got a new job. Or perhaps you're planning to downsize now the kids have moved to their own homes. Maybe you just want to try living in a new place. You now have to think about selling your current house and this is a big task. So, what's the best way of preparing a house to make sure it sells and to make sure you suffer the lowest possible level of stress?

Well, the first thing is something you should have started doing last year! The last thing you want when you're preparing to move is to have to spend lots of time sorting out your home so its presentable. So, the first thing you should already have been doing is:

1. Keep the house in good condition in the first place. Don't let it fall into disrepair and don't let it get dowdy or over-cluttered. From the moment you move in, remember that, one day, you'll be moving out and keep it as nice as possible. It'll also be a much more pleasant place to live in while you're there!

Now we're onto the more immediate which can sorted while you're waiting for the realtor's For Sale sign to go up.

2. There will always be one room that's waiting to be decorated. Its probably the same one you push all the junk into! Paint it a neutral colour. Nothing idiosyncratic! That will make you de-clutter the room as well! Sell anything you can on ebay or through a garage or car-boot sale. You may pay for the cost of the paint!

3. Keep the house tidy while you're taking viewers. Vacuum regularly and keep the clutter off the mantelpiece, the tops of cupboards and tabletops. Make the place feel spacey - that's what a buyer will paying extra for - bigger rooms. Make sure you maximise your sense of space.

4. Brew some coffee or have some bread baking in the oven just before viewers come round. It will make you seem like the sort of person who looks after a house properly (which, of course, you are!) and will make the house seem welcoming.

5. De clutter the garage! Men like garages and they'll imagine what they can do with all that space (a gym, sauna, place to put their collection of lawnmowers whatever!)

6. Tidy up your front door. Its the first place your potential buyers will come to. Make a good impression. Make sure that the doorbell that's not worked for years is working! If your buyers think you can't even fix something as simple as that, they'll wonder about the rest of the house and how well its been looked after!

7. Finally, be friendly but not over-friendly. Your viewers want to buy a house, not make new friends!

Selling a house can be stressful. Good preparation can reduce that stress. Good luck!

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