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Smell plays a much bigger role in our perception of things than we realize. It's the sense most closely linked to memory, so it can actually cause an emotional response in people. It also influences the part of the brain that affects our mood, so a "bad" smell can trigger a visceral response in how we feel. What does this mean for you when selling your home? You don't want it to smell bad to people. That's all. Of course, smell is largely individual. My wife loves the smell of tea rose; I think it smells like stinkbugs. On the other hand, who doesn't love the smell of baking cookies, which is why your realtor may put a batch in your oven if you have an open house. General Tips to Keep Your Home S(m)elling-Fresh Weather permitting, open windows around your house from time to time to air the place out. With the windows open, run your HVAC on fan mode for extra ventilation. Replace your HVAC filters, if it's time. Beware of scented room sprays

My wife and I are lazy. We don't store our winter clothes in the summer or our summer clothes in the winter. Our closet is just a jam-packed, year-round mashup of multi-seasonal clothing. We also love to cook, so our kitchen is full of pots and pans and widgets and gadgets. And we live in an old house that we're fixing up, so we have every tool known to man crowding the corners of our basement. We prefer our home this way. It's not dirty or messy. But we keep the things we want or need close at-hand. Still, when it's time for us to sell, we're going to have to seriously declutter before the first potential buyer walks through. Why? Because clutter makes spaces seem small. It can obstruct pathways through a room, making them feel tight and unmanageable. And clutter just adds noise for buyers, who should really only be focused on how they can make the space their own. Example: Our closet is actually a generously-sized walk-in. But we have hundreds of hangers

Last week, I took a couple through a house. The floor plan was good; the location was right. The kitchen was dated, but they’re willing to put in a little work. Still, we spent less than 5 minutes in there before they were ready to leave. On our way out, one of them laughed “I need a bath!” The house wasn’t filthy, but here’s what we saw: Dirty/dusty windows on the approach to the house An old bird’s nest on the light above the door Un-vacuumed living room carpet  Scuff marks across the kitchen floor Crumbs on the kitchen counter Burnt food and grease inside the oven  Dried-up food spills inside the fridge Stained carpet throughout the house  Dust on window ledges and under lamps You get the idea. Any one of these things might've been overlooked on its own. But all of these things together? They made my buyers go "ick". And believe me--it's hard to come back from the "ick". Ok. So, I can hear you now. “Is this guy seriously telling me to

Paint Color: Sherwin Williams' Reflection Why It Matters A new coat of paint does wonders to freshen up a room. But also, if your walls are currently painted in unusual (i.e., non-neutral) colors, that could turn off potential buyers. Whether positive or negative, people have a visceral reaction to strong colors. Have you ever been in a room and just cringed from the paint color? That's not what you want your potential buyers to do. Most people aren't going to fall in love with a neutral paint color. But they aren't going to hate it, either. Most will barely notice it and focus on where a TV could go, what kind of furniture they'd want to fill the room with, etc. (All the good stuff that you want them to be thinking about.) But...What's Neutral? Advising sellers to paint their walls in neutral tones is nothing new. What's changing is the definition of "neutral". It used to be that white was considered neutral. Savvy sellers would p

Regardless of where you are in your decision to sell your home, "decision" is the key word. Prepare to make lots of those. And pretty fast. Your realtor should be a valuable and trusted resource for you, guiding you along every step of the way. Still, nobody likes to feel in the dark when it comes to selling their home. Having a little background knowledge will give you more confidence as you navigate the waters of your home sale. To that end, here are some tips and resources as you get ready to list. (If you have any to add, let us know in the comments section.) Keep up with your local market and national trends. Do you know of a Metro stop coming your way in the near future? Or a shopping complex? Depending on your flexibility, knowing of imminent developments could impact your home's value and help decide your timeline. Simpler yet, just monitoring homes for sale in your neighborhood can be eye-opening. How many are there? How much traffic is going through? Ho

A cracked window pane. A doorbell hanging by a wire. A hole in the living room wall from that time you practiced your golf swing inside. All of our homes have them--those annoying little broken things. We patch them up roughly, thinking "I'll fix that next week." But of course we don't. And in no time at all, we become totally blind to them . It takes your ever-observant mother commenting on your oven handle for you to remember that it wasn't always duct taped in place. Everyone's got their favorite fix-it juice (e.g., WD-40, Superglue, wood putty, etc.). What's your go-to? Repairs can be costly, especially if you're not particularly handy. (Of course. That's part of the reason people hold off doing them.) But especially for sellers, it's important to consider the cost of not doing them . That doorknob that came out in your potential buyer's hand? It could cost you an offer. And even the things a buyer can't see could both c