Makeunder Your Home Before Listing it for Sale

When selling your home, it's wise to remember that potential buyers have different perceptions, tastes, and priorities than the owner of the property. No matter how much you love the decorations and personal items you have placed in your home, buyers want to be able to imagine what their lives would be like if they lived there. That's why a home makeunder – think the opposite of a makeover – is such an important step toward selling your home. By following the "less is more" philosophy, you make it easier for buyers picture what they would do with each space and ultimately help them fall in love.

• Start By Clearing Out Clutter
  Before you can get busy enhancing the look of each room, you'll need to clear out some clutter. Start piles for items that you'll sell, store, give away, and discard. Then get to work clearing out any unnecessary clutter that has built up in your home. We're not talking about important personal items just yet – start with the easy stuff. In addition to helping buyers fall in love while selling your home, decluttering will also lighten your load when it's time to move.
  
  
• Store Collections and Personal Items
  No matter how proud you are of your collections, hobbies, and personal items that make the house feel like home to you, those things won't make it feel like home for potential buyers when you're selling your home. These items can include family photos, sports memorabilia, religious decorations, and collections of all types. Now is the time to pack those items up, store them safely, and present buyers with a blank slate. You want buyers to walk into a room and start dreaming about how they would decorate it.
  
  
• Touch Up Paint and Clean Empty Spaces
  With all of the newly opened space from your makeunder, you may notice marks on the wall, worn paint, or dusty shelves where items used to be. Invest some time in cleaning in any spaces where you removed clutter and touching up paint as needed. If you have a room with a bright, unusual color of paint or wallpaper, repainting it in a more neutral color can increase appeal to buyers when selling your home.
  
  
• Clean and Depersonalize Furniture, Too
  Naturally, you'll still need the major pieces of furniture in your dining room, living room, and bedrooms while you're working on selling your home. Make that furniture look as appealing as possible by cleaning it thoroughly and polishing any wooden furniture like your dining room table. If a piece of furniture has a particularly bright color or pattern, consider a furniture cover in a neutral color instead to help bring the room together.
  
  
• Bring in an Objective Eye to Help with Your Makeunder
  When you have lived in a home for a long time, and every item in the home has emotional meaning to you, it's not always easy to look at what stays or goes with an objective eye before selling your home. Having a friend, family member, your real estate agent, or a home staging pro assist with the process can help you see the home through new eyes.

Selling your home starts with understanding what buyers want and how to present your home in a way that helps them fall in love. Take the time to makeunder your home before listing it for sale, and you'll be one step closer to selling your home to a motivated buyer.

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