From sizzling hot to a simmering market, real estate expectations are unpredictable. Has your house been on the market too long? There could be a couple of things hindering the sale of your house. One of them could be the décor of your home & garden. There are only a selected few people that can really visualize the possible potentials of a house. For this reason newly constructed homes are normally sold mainly through their models. As a result of this, you have to make your home and garden a model.

Never let a potential buyer do a drive-by, by your house because of its appearance. The first thing we need to do is to take a step back to see what changes could be made to the house. Taking pictures to review with family and friends could help give you some insight.

When starting a remodeling project in your home, the best thing to do is to work room by room. Before starting each room totally clear the room. Go through your stuff and decide what you are going to use. The remainder you can do one of three things: (1) have a garage sale (2) give to charity or (3) put in storage, get storage unit if needed. Remember less is more and cluster does not sell a house.

Any repairs that you can do in your house that is not too expensive, try to do it. Paint is one of the best inexpensive resources you can use to make your house impressive. Try to select neutral colors don’t get crazy on designs.

Two major rooms that sell a house are the kitchen and bathroom. One very important factor of these two rooms is to make sure it’s always clean. Along with these rooms and others, the carpet, closets and windows and doors inside and out should be cleaned.

Now your house looks good let’s have it smelling good. Dirty, musty or pet-y smells are a big turn off. If you have pets, control the scents. If your potential buyer is not an animal lover, this would be hard to live with, as it is not an easy scent to get rid of. Sprinkle carpet with an odor-neutralizing powder before vacuum. Scented candles or plug-ins are also good to use.

Always make sure your house is tidy before having a showing of your house. When running late, using under bed for temporary storage is not a bad idea. Make it a habit of dealing with things immediately. Put dirty clothes in hamper. Wash clothes regularly to keep down the piles. Tidy and wash up before going to bed.

Decorate to sell!

Make sure your house is light and window bright. Light is a huge factor in making a house cheery. So draw those drapes and curtains back and let the light shine. Apart from the bathroom and kitchen, the master bedroom is another big draw for a house. Think romance, nothing full and dreary. Have lots of fluffy pillows.

Do you realize when roaming a store you view your product to the sound of music? Music is a great draw. It gives off a happy feel. Anything upbeat from the 80’s to 40’s swing or even classical would be suitable.

Now we can’t forget the GARDEN, outside counts too! Mow the lawn every week to avoid lawn problems. Keep the lawn neatly edged along the walkways and driveways. This can dramatically improve its appearance. Trim the flower heads and bushes, then remove diseased, pest-ridden and damaged branches to encourage new growth. After trimming, remove any dead leaves, old rotting mulch and dead growth. Next remove any grass or weeds from the roots that may be visible.

Clean up and prepare flowerbeds to plant new flowers and shrubs. Place your new plants around the flowerbed in their containers to create a design. Dig holes twice as wide, but no deeper than the plant’s root ball, and make sure the soil is loose.

There are several benefits to using mulch: it helps control weeds, keep soil moist, keeps ground temperature cool in summer and warm in winter, and it makes your plantings more attractive. There are several varieties of mulch available, so choose the one that will work well in your lawn. To make sure your hard work is not in vain, soak your plants after laying down your mulch.

To top off everything have an open house and leave some light refreshments for potential buyers. Now you can just step a side and let your home sell itself.