The best price to sell your home is always determined by how you compare against your competition, the house down the street. If your property looks better than the next guy’s the customer will buy yours.

It all comes down to image, making sure it shows at its best. This is accomplished with minor repairs, some decorating and a lot of elbow grease. It’s no different than a used car dealer shining up the cars inside and out. You systematically go through your home, inside and out, room by room, and make it look great.

Outside

Paint it, wash it, mow it and clip it. First impressions are lasting, and you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression. Look at your home from the street. If you can’t see it through the trees, trim bushes so windows are completely exposed. Make sure your approach to the house is clear of overhanging foliage. Wash the windows. If you have a blacktop driveway, put a fresh coat of sealer on it. Dress up flowerbeds with new shrub or flowers and repair any damaged fencing.

Inside

Arrange furniture in to give the most visual appeal to the room. This may not be the most functional, but at this point we don’t care about function. Clean up the rooms of any clutter, toys, excess furniture, books or anything that gets thrown around. You’d be amazed at how many sellers don’t do this. Don’t forget clean, clean, clean.

The less in a closet the larger they look. If the master bedroom is short on closet space, you should consider adding a closet organizer.

If wallpaper is out dated

Basements and Attics should be neat and orderly. The furnace and hot water heater should be dusted and accessible. Cracks in the walls that have been patched and don’t leek should be painted.

It doesn’t cost too much to stage the home as well. Pictures, mirrors, pillows and plants can transform a room. You can even rent furniture if you’ve already moved out.

These are just a few of the things you can do with very little expense that will greatly increase the price you get for the house compared to the competition. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve viewed a home where they seller didn’t even bather to vacuum or sweep the floor. I can tell you the offer was low. Seek the advice of your real estate professional, they have seen it all and seem to always have great ideas.

Richard Massey is a note broker with United Financial Resources and a real estate investor. You can get more information at http://www.unitedfinancialresources.com or to read more articles go to http://unitedfinancialresources.com/news.html