You’ll find lots of advice on how to ‘stage’ your house to sell, from what colors to use when you repaint the walls to how to word the headlines of your classified ads. There are many factors that go into selling your house fast, at the best possible price. They range from setting the stage for a sale with the colors you paint the walls to special incentives you can offer buyers to close a sale. You can do everything right – the right words in your classified ad, the best pictures on the right FSBO web site, the yard and garden trimmed and welcoming – but if your house has one of these common traits, you may still find it hard to sell your house.

Gloomy Rooms

If your rooms are dim and dark, buyers will find it difficult to like your house. Dim lighting makes everything look dreary and dull. Do whatever needs doing to brighten the rooms up. Add lamps to warm dark corners, and up the wattage on light bulbs. Replace heavy draperies with airy, white sheers – it’s one of the best room perk-me-ups you can find.

Unkempt Yards

The yard is the first thing that prospective buyers see when they pull up in front of the house. They’ll form their overall impression with that first split second look. If you want to sell your house fast, you need to guarantee that their first glimpse is a ‘wow!’ instead of an ‘oh!’

Dingy, Dirty Sink

Dirty, stained porcelain in your sinks hint at poor maintenance and water quality. Scrub the sink and fixtures until they sparkle, and keep them empty. Dirty dishes are the last thing you want prospective buyers to see when you’re trying to sell your house.

Odors

Remember the old Realtor’s trick of putting cookies in the oven just before you show your house? The smell of baking or the more subtle scent of orange or apple can make your buyers feel at home and help your house sell. Unfortunately, the opposite is true, too. Nothing turns off prospective buyers more quickly than bad odors. If you smoke or have pets, or if your house smells of mildew, don’t try to just cover it up with air freshener. Eradicate it.

Overgrown Gutters

Vegetation and clumps of dirt lining the edges of your roof are not conducive to selling your house. It makes your house look shabby, and hints at the level of maintenance that it’s received over the years.

Stained or Cracked Ceilings

Water stains and cracks in your ceilings and on your walls suggest plumbing problems and leaky pipes. Repair any leaky pipes, then prime and repaint so the stains don’t show through.

Unruly Pets and Children

Get your pets and kids out of the way when showing your house. If you want to sell your house, it’s important to make them feel comfortable in it. Boisterous dogs and loud children can be an annoyance when prospective buyers are trying to get a good look at the rooms.