So you have decided to sell your home and you contact your trivalley real estate agent to talk about the price and you are ready to get the house on the market. The trouble is that you have lived in that home for the past 10 years and the house is filled with your trinkets and family photos on the walls…who would want to buy THAT house? Having seen many homes with buyers, I can tell you that we spend more time looking at your family pictures than we do at the house. We begin trying to figure out who’s who…which room belongs to which kid in the family portrait and start reading all the messages your friends wrote you around your wedding photo. So what do you do?

The answer is very simple, but the act can be tedious. Prior to opening the doors to potential buyers, you need to depersonalize your home and make it into a house again. A house that buyers can go in and image themselves living there with their pictures on the wall. Remove anything that is religious as you will have people from different ethnic backgrounds come through your house and you want to present the space as neutral as possible.

Also, make sure to declutter and remove any extra furniture which may make your home look small. Large couches, dressers and tables can obstruct paths and make it hard for the potential buyer to imagine their furniture fitting. It is time to sell floor space and wall space!

Remember, your home is now ‘open for business’ and a public place for potential buyers to come through, make sure you do what you can to make potential buyers feel comfortable and help maximize the sales price of your home. For more tips or local staging professional, feel free to contact me.

Chris Kamali is a TriValley Real Estate Agent, helping clients buy and sell homes in Dublin, Pleasanton, San Ramon and Livermore.

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