Get Top Dollar for Your House in Texas

Getting top dollar for your house is done by keeping it clean, uncluttered and neutral.
Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but when you are selling your house "beauty" can take on a whole new meaning.

Most people are visual thinkers. It helps if they can visualize something before they fully understand it. Homebuyers are particularly visual. Clean, uncluttered and neutral often define "beauty" for them. They are the keys to opening up a homebuyer's heart and wallet.

1. Clean
First impressions are important. And curb appeal means just that: How does your house look from the curbside. Check your emotions at the curb. Stand out on the road in front of your house with a notepad. What do you see?

Make sure the grass is cut, the lawn is properly edged and any junk in the yard is gone. A simple, colorful garden is always appealing. Keep it weeded. Strategically place pots of bright flowers near the entryway. They are welcoming, exude warmth, and are always visually pleasing. If possible, remove playground equipment because not every buyer will have a family; it takes up space and can give the impression that the yard is smaller than it really is. The pool should be sparkling and pool accessories well maintained. Do what it takes to spruce up chipped paint, faded deck boards, or a rusted mailbox.

Paint your front door. A well-appointed front door gives potential purchasers that all-important great first impression. It says, "I am cared for."

If you are not normally obsessive about keeping the dust bunnies at bay, now is the time to get better acquainted with your broom. No one wants to visualize living in a dirty house. Keep it clean and smelling naturally fresh, and visions of your house as their home will be easy to conjure up.

Pay close attention to the cleanliness of the entry, the kitchen and the bathrooms. These rooms can make or break the sale of a house. Keep them sparkling, clutter-free and bright.

2. Uncluttered
A well staged home is one that has been mercilessly minimized. It is anonymous; no family photos, no souvenirs, no knick-knacks.

Homebuyers are not like visitors. They will look in your cupboards, closets and medicine cabinets. Don't clear off your counter tops and shove everything into the cupboards.

Getting rid of excess "stuff" can be cathartic, but if it is just too daunting a task to tackle on your own enlist the help of a friend, or hire a professional organizer (See: National Association of Professional Organizers).

Attack the basement, garage and every closet/cupboard in the house with the fierce will of an army drill sergeant. Let no errant shoe, unused kitchen gadget, or expired cough syrup bottle pass by without first scrutinizing it. Keep only what you use or wear often. Pack up the rest and either decommission it (re-sell, give away, throw out) or put it into a temporary storage container.

Remove everything, or almost everything, from your kitchen counters. If your electric can opener, blender, food processor, toaster, microwave, bread box, and knife set all stand guard on your kitchen counters you will have to ensure that they stand down.

Put the 242 mismatched plastic lids and yogurt containers you've been saving into the recycle bin, and pack up the teacups you inherited from Great Aunt Gertrude. If you don't use it every day then clear it out. The less you have in your cupboards the bigger they will look and the more impressed a buyer will be.

Potential purchasers aren't interested in what great stuff you have. They want to see themselves in the space. When they can see their stuff in your space you are one step closer to a sale.

3. Neutral
Neutral colors on the walls, in the few accessories you choose to keep, and on the floors give a house that wonderful "model home" feeling.

Getting your house ready for sale often times means re-inventing its look. Besides weeding out your stuff, cleaning and de-personalizing, painting the walls can be your best investment. Painting your entire house a light neutral color, white, off-white or taupe, for example - brightens up the space, making it look bigger and fresher.

Don't spend money replacing the flooring. Make only minor repairs and do only basic remodeling, if absolutely necessary. Fix squeaking door hinges, do something about the source of any water stains, have the carpets cleaned. But don't suddenly decide to build a recreation room in the basement.

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