PROPERTY NEWS - The way you present your home to potential buyers can have a big impact on how quickly you sell your house.

Boost curb appeal
This is something you always hear, and with good reason. Many people thinking of touring your home will do a quick drive-by first, often deciding on the spot if it is even worth a look inside. Make sure your home is ready to lure in onlookers with these tips:

•Power-wash sidewalks and walkways

•Put up easy-to-read house numbers

•Plant blooming flowers and fresh greenery

•Mow the lawn, and reseed or add fresh sod if needed

•Wash front windows

•Repaint or stain the porch floor as needed

Get your house sparkling clean
From shining floors and gleaming windows to clean counters and scrubbed grout, every surface should sparkle. This is the easiest (well, maybe not easiest, but certainly the cheapest) way to help your home put its best foot forward. You may want to hire professionals to do some of the really tough stuff, especially if you have a large house. Don't skimp - this step is key!

From shining floors and gleaming windows to clean counters and scrubbed grout, every surface should sparkle.

Clear away the clutter
If you are serious about staging your home, all clutter must go, end of story. It's not easy, and it may even require temporarily utilising off-site storage (or a nice relative's garage), but it is well worth the trouble. Clean and clear surfaces, floors, cupboards and closets equal more space in the eyes of potential buyers, so purge anything unnecessary or unsightly.

Style your dining room table
The dining room is often a blind spot in decorating a home. Between dinners, a large dining room table can look bare and uninviting, so styling it up with visitors in mind can increase the appeal. An oversized arrangement can look too stiff and formal, so try lining up a series of smaller vessels down the centre of the table instead.

Choose sophisticated neutral colours
Now is not the time to experiment with that fun-looking lime green, but that doesn't mean you need to go all white either. Rich mid-tone neutrals like mocha and "greige" create a sophisticated backdrop that makes everything look more pulled together.

Entice people to explore the whole house
By placing something that draws the eye at the top of the stairs, in hallways or in corners, you can pique curiosity and keep potential buyers interested throughout a whole home tour. A piece of artwork, a painted accent wall, a window seat, a vase of flowers, a hanging light or even a small, colourful rug can all work to draw the eye.

Create a lifestyle people are looking for
Generally speaking, you want to play up what your neighbourhood or area is known for. Have a house in a quiet grassy suburb? Hanging a hammock in your backyard and a bench swing on your porch could be a perfect touch.

Hanging a hammock in your backyard and a bench swing on your porch could be a perfect touch.

Stage the outdoors too
Even if your condo has only a teensy postage stamp-size balcony, play it up with a cute café table and chairs, a cheerful tablecloth and even a little tray of dishes or a vase of flowers. When people look at this scene, they won't be thinking "small", they will be thinking "What a charming spot to have breakfast!"

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