ClassiC Downtown Dining

going to move, so think of it as early packing. Box up items you will not need for a few months, get rid of all those stacks of papers, and clean out and organize your closets and cabinets. (Yes, buyers will open your closets.) make sure all the doors open all the way and remove most of the items off your kitchen and bathroom counters. This helps create a sense of spaciousness no matter the size of your home.

Depersonalizing

Before the repair workers leave, take down your family photos and any art that may not appeal to the masses, and have them patch and paint the nail holes. And change or switch out anything that might appear unusual to someone else or draw significant attention to itself and away from the property. Buyers will name the houses they see, “the green house,” or “the Chapala house”—or the “cat art house” for a house that has paintings of cats in every room. I love cats, but you don’t want to be known as the “cat house” in buyers’ minds.

Cleaning

If you do nothing else, nothing at all in this list so far, just clean. Leave the cat pictures up on the walls if you must, but clean. Clean even if your house is a fixer and a candidate for a major remodel. If you have old green shag carpets that you’re sure a new buyer is going to rip out, even so, get them cleaned. If you don’t clean, your buyer pool is limited to contractors and bargain hunters. If you do clean, then you get the do-it-yourselfers, the hGTV junkies, and the couple who wants to move in now and fix as they go—a much, much wider buyer pool of folks who are likely to pay more.

Staging and arranging

To get the highest price for your property, you’ll want to bring in a professional home stager to create the right look, the right fantasy, to entice buyers. most people can’t envision themselves in a home that’s vacant or has too much or poorly arranged furniture, and you want to help them see their dream. Stagers can work with your existing furnishings or bring in their own. In Santa Barbara, your property will stand out if it’s professionally staged, and time and time again, I have seen a house with no upgrades (1960s kitchen, dated fixtures) sell for much more than other homes in the neighborhood because it had been artfully staged with complementary furniture and décor.

Reaping the reward

It’s a lot of work to prepare your house so that it appeals to as many people as possible, but when you present your property at its fullest potential, you will earn the greatest return. And the reward can be more than financial. “We wanted the buyers to have something nice,” said Laurie hummer of her mom’s condo. “I felt a sense of pride in what we were passing along.”