How to Make Your Home Stand Out From The Competition

Selling your home in an area with a hot real estate market definitely has its advantages, virtually ensuring a good amount of potential buyer traffic. However, it is important to remember that a hot market also means stiff competition from other sellers. Making your home stand out from the competition is essential in such a market, and here are some tips on just how to do that:

Start by Improving First Impressions

First things first, and when you're selling your home, that means wowing potential buyers before they even get out of their vehicles. Making a great first impression is key to making a sale in a competitive market, ensuring that potential buyers are eager to see more.

Your home's exterior needs to look great, with clean siding, sparkling windows, and free of faded or peeling paint. Your lawn should be well-manicured. Shrubs should be neatly trimmed. The porch and yard should be free of clutter. Walkways and driveways should be clean and attractive. Finally, if the approach to your home looks a little bland, add some color to make your home pop. Plant bright flowers along walkways, either in pots or right in the ground. Window boxes full of bright flowers can add a lot of appeal, too, as can colorful potted plants near entryways.

Next: Making Your Home's Interior Shine

Keeping that great first impression going means presenting your potential buyers with a sparkling clean interior. Do a deep, floor-to-ceiling cleaning. Wash windows, walls, and baseboards. Clean appliances, like dishwashers, refrigerators, and kitchen ranges, inside and out. Dust light fixtures and ceiling fans. Clear out clutter — and not just the clutter that is in clear sight. Buyers will look in closets and cabinets, too, so make sure they are neat and organized.

Do Some Purging

We all tend to collect too much "stuff" after spending years in a home, which may make things more comfortable day-to-day, but also may make things look cramped and crowded. This can put off buyers by creating the impression that your home has too little living or storage space. Purging unused items — whether you choose to get rid of them or just move them into storage — from your home can make it look much more spacious and inviting. Remove furniture you can do without. Clear out personal items like knick-knacks and family photos. If closets and cabinets are overflowing, remove at least half.

Rearrange Your Furniture

You want your home to look spacious, warm, and inviting, and rearranging your furniture can help. Pull large furniture, like sofas, away from walls and windows. Group chairs together to create cozy conversation areas, and make sure that there is a good flow to make it easy and pleasant to move from one room to another.

Need more ideas to make your home stand out from the rest? Work closely with your real estate agent for professional advice on how to sell your home like one of the pros.

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