When attempting to sell your home, presentation is the most important aspect in determining how successful you'll be. With the right tricks, you can increase your chances of selling quickly and for a great price. Below are several steps you can take before your open house to avoid common selling mistakes and sell your current home fast.

Enhance the Actual Appearance

Homeowners love having ample storage space, and this is a great way to entice potential buyers. If you provide the illusion of more space, the home immediately becomes more attractive. 

Remove some of the clutter from your shelves and closets to open up the storage areas. If you do leave some items behind, organize them in a neat and appealing way. Make sure to dust and clean these areas as well because visitors will look at some areas very closely.

You should also remember to keep your home well-lit during any open house events. Beautiful light is one of the most sought after features in a home right after the location. Take any necessary steps to increase or enhance the light in your house by opening curtains, cleaning windows, replacing light fixtures, increasing light bulb wattage or installing lighting in dimmer areas. 

Take Away Your Personal Effects

One of the most important things you should do before showing your home is to take away personal items. The more you make the home look standardized, the more a buyer will be able to picture their own family living there. 

Get rid of items such as family photos, bold decorations, and personal keepsakes by temporarily putting them in storage and out of view. You may want to hire a professional to arrange the items in your home to make the most of the available space.

If you have pets, try to leave them in the care of relatives, friends or professional care centres. Dogs, cats, and even caged animals may distract people when viewing the home. Some buyers may be discouraged by the sights or smells of animals, so it's best to take them to a pet-sitter for the time being.

Give Lots of Focus to the Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the entire house. In fact, experts say you're not really selling your house at all, you're actually selling your kitchen. For this reason, focus extra attention on the kitchen by pretending it is the only room for sale. 

There are numerous benefits to renovating your kitchen for yourself or before selling, with one benefit being a great percentage of your investment back. A potential buyer may ask for thousands off of your asking price upon noticing worn and dated cabinets or countertops, but it only costs a couple thousand to replace these features. 

Painting or installing new cabinets is very quick and affordable compared to many other kitchen upgrades. If you decide to repaint, avoid bold colours so the potential buyer will have a better vision for how they can personalize it to their own colour scheme. If you feel the need to upgrade appliances, opt for stainless steel or chrome as it gives an ultra-modern appearance and a sense of top-of-the-line quality. 

Utilize Photography

When listing anything online, buyers love to get a full visual of whatever they may be purchasing. When it comes to significant sales such as cars and homes, you can never have enough photos. If you've had professional help in organizing the appearance of your home for visitors, take advantage of this by photographing the home in its expertly-organized state even before it's seen in person. 

Call on a professional photographer that has experience in real estate work. He or she knows how to use lighting and angles to present your home in the best ways possible. The first encounter most buyers have with a home is online, so doing this will have a significant impact on the chance of gaining interest and eventually making a sale.

Take Care of the Exterior 

Even if you've done everything to prepare the inside of your house, it won't be the first feature visitors notice. They'll already be judging your home based on the way it looks from the outside before they even step foot inside. First impression is everything, so you need to make your home look warm and welcome in all aspects.

Make sure your lawn is well kept, and enhance the yard with shrubbery and flowers. Your driveway should be clean and even without major bumps or breaks. You should also keep the backyard and exterior of the structure tidy. 

No matter how much you plan ahead when selling your home, the final results of the sale will depend on chance; so why not do everything you can to ensure you'll sell quickly at a great price? Follow the tips listed above and you'll be well on your way to moving into the new home you desire.

Photo Credits: house hunting, painting