How Can I Sell My Home For More Money?

By Anthony Vulin

Clean it. Home buyers, it turns out, hate dirt more than just about anything else. So, give your home a thorough cleaning from top to bottom. Wash the walls, floors and windows. Rugs should be thoroughly cleaned unless you plan to replace them. Curtains should be washed by hand or taken to a dry cleaner. If you're not up to the task, spend $100 for a professional cleaning company to do the job right.

Organize it. If your home looks too small for you, prospective home buyers are going to think it's too small for them. So, take everything off of your kitchen and bathroom countertops, half the books off your bookshelves and the past season's clothes out of your closet and pack them away. Not only will your home seem larger, but you'll have made a good start on packing for your future move.

Repaint it. Real estate agents say you'll get the biggest bang for your buck by repainting the interior of your home in bright white paint. White walls help home buyers imagine how their own stuff is going to look. If you have wallpaper that's in good shape, choose a neutral shade of white or off-white to complement it. If your wallpaper is peeling or is dated, strip it off and start over with paint.

Mow it and plant it. Most home buyers today will spend about 10 seconds looking at a digital photo of your home on the Internet. If they like what they see, they'll do a "drive-by" showing. You have approximately 6 seconds to impress them as they drive from lot line to lot line. Make the most of what you have by giving your landscape a power-lift. Trim hedges and trees, plant colorful flowers, mow the grass and edge your beds. If you're not up to it, hire a professional landscaper to get the exterior of your home into shape. Then, power wash, touch-up, or repaint the exterior of your home for an irresistible package.

Fix it. If it isn't working properly, you could pay dearly when it comes time to negotiate the price of your home. Today's home buyer just wants to move in and get on with his or her life. So oil the squeaky doors, screw in the knobs, replace the rotting wood lintels, and repair the holes in the porch screen door. The better shape your home is in, the more a home buyer will pay for it.