As an Appraiser, Real Estate Agent, and Investor, I have seen a lot when it comes to how people prepare, or don't prepare, their homes for sale. From the bedroom closet that houses the inflatable doll to the pantry jammed so full of items that you have to jump out-of-the-way to avoid being hurt by tumbling debris, it is all there. From pet odors, to dirt encrusted light switches, I have experienced, first hand, the impact that a dirty home has on a buyer. A Prospective buyer needs to enter the front door without smelling "odors" or seeing "dirt, and clutter."

Your goal for the prospective buyer of your home is to help them see their family living there. The most challenging, but critical component of preparing a home for sale, is to make it no longer your personal living space. It most be transformed from your home, into the buyer's home. That process can be painful, because our home are very personal to us, with pictures, and memories. This is the time in the process of selling your home to be brave. Help your house feel, and smell like home to the buyers. Remove most of the family pictures, children's trophies, and the personal things, that make the home yours. A good goal in staging your home for sale is to look for ways to make the home generically feel like a warm hug.

The first step to getting your home staged for sale is to get a pen and paper and step through your front door and look around. I mean really look around as if you are buying the house. Human Beings have a tendency to become comfortable with their homes over time. Items of clutter or items in need of repair blend into the background. It is often helpful to enlist a friend or a house cleaner, to walk through with you pointing out all that needs to be cleaned and moved. Start writing, go room by room, look at everything. In every room start at the ceiling and work your way down to the floor.

Next gather, either moving boxes, or inexpensive plastic bins, for every room in the house. Some rooms may need two, or three containers, some may need more, but every room, in most homes, will have a boxful of personal items that can be easily removed. Work room, by room, packing up the personal, family related items, remember to include a trash container in this process. Touch an item once, decide to pack it or toss it. Label the boxes or bins as you go. At the minimum, a neat, and tidy pile of bins or boxes in a home looks better than personal clutter.

Now dust, dust, and dust some more. Start in the corners of the ceilings and work your way down to the floors. Use a rag, a duster, or a vacuum cleaner, but get it done. Dust is not only unsightly but if a buyer has a sneezing fit, while viewing your home, they aren't going to buy it. Don't use cleaning products yet as dust and fluids just make a nasty mess on floors, walls and fixtures. Clumps of crud never go unnoticed by a potential buyer.

Next assemble your cleaning crew, from your bucket, to a used toothbrush, and whatever general purpose cleaner you choose to use. Make sure the cleaner has a neutral scent, not too sweet, or too chemical. If the odor is too overwhelming when a buyer steps into your home they will wonder what you are hiding. Believe me when you stage your home for sale it is important to remember that a home that seems to be hiding something will not sell well.

Finally get down, and dirty with the cleaning. Again, start at the top and work your way down. Wipe down all of the woodwork, and shine up the windows to the best of your ability. Remember to clean banisters both up the stairs and down. Clean the light switches and plate covers. Wipe down door knobs. In small tight, hard to clean spaces a used toothbrush comes in handy. Finish with the floors, using the best cleaner possible for the surface.

A few days worth of effort will help set the stage to get your home sold. By simply cleaning and de-cluttering, you will not only help make the home appear more attractive, and spacious, but you will also help eliminate a buyer's fear that the home was not well-maintained. If your goal is to get your home sold quickly for the highest possible these 5 steps will get you started down the right path to getting your home staged for a successful sale.