If you’re preparing to sell your home, it’s important to know how to appeal to the largest pool of buyers with a great first impression. Of course, you want them to feel welcome and comfortable, but there are also tricks to help you play up the strengths of your home while concealing any weaknesses. Here are a few tips that will help buyers see your home’s potential.

Clean from top to bottom. Cleaning is the No. 1 priority when it comes to showing your home. When a house is dirty or messy, it’s difficult for potential buyers to look past the clutter and focus on the home itself. Make sure the windows are clean and smudge-free, the counters are free of dirt, the floor is swept and mopped and the couch is free of any pet hair. If you don’t have the time to clean the entire house yourself, hiring someone to clean is generally very inexpensive, and it’s definitely well-worth the money if you want your home to look its best.

Eliminate clutter. Ample space is one of the biggest selling points for most buyers, so you don’t want to crowd your rooms and closets with clutter. Overcrowding a room with bulky furniture can make the space feel small and confined, and cramped closets signal to buyers that there is a lack of storage space. Clean out your closets to showcase available storage space, and put a few of your larger furniture items in storage for a while.

Use neutral colors. Bold wall colors in larger rooms have a tendency to drive away buyers, but neutral colors are universally appealing and help showcase the home’s potential. To create a warm atmosphere in large spaces, use neutral palettes with colors such as honeys, tans and soft-blue greens. The same concept applies to furniture; while dark, bold pieces tend to make rooms look small and dark, lighter colored furniture brightens the space and increases the chance of an offer.

Increase your odds. For home accessories, odd numbers, especially groups of three, tend to increase a room’s aesthetic appeal. Assemble your pieces in triangles rather than in straight lines, vary objects by height and width and group items by color, shape, texture or some other unifying factor. For your wall decor, don’t hang artwork in a straight line around the room. Instead, practice your creativity with patterns, various sizes and groupings to break up the space.

Create flow. Make rooms more accessible and navigable by grouping pieces together to create a flow. Instead of having furniture spread out all over the room, group pieces together to show off more floor space. You can also add more floor space by installing floating shelves, or open up the room by pulling the furniture a few inches away from the walls rather than pushed up against them.

Brighten up your home. Lighting is one of the most important elements to making a house feel cozy and inviting, but the wrong lighting can have the opposite impact. Try to incorporate three types of lighting in each room: overhead, or general lighting, task lighting such as reading lamps or under-cabinet lights, and accent lighting such as wall fixtures or table lamps. Additionally, let in some natural light by opening up the windows, and hang a mirror on the opposite wall to reflect the light and create more space.

Set the mood. If you’re trying to sell your home on a budget, you can still create a cozy and inviting bedroom for buyers. Just take a bed frame and an air mattress, and dress it up with some nice linens! Use neutral colors in the bedroom decor since they are more likely to appeal to both sexes. If you have a master bathroom, create a spa atmosphere on a budget with rolled-up towels, candles and decorative baskets.

Create a neutral look. We all love having pictures of our loved ones up on the wall, but this can be a big distraction for buyers. Family photos and other personal items, especially in large amounts, can prevent buyers from envisioning themselves in the home. To appeal to the greatest number of buyers, try to create the clean, neutral environment of a model home.

Finish home projects. Missing floorboards, cracks in the door and other unfinished projects tend to turn away potential buyers since they know they’ll have to fix them. Finishing these tasks yourself will generally cost less than the amount buyers might subtract from the asking price.

If you’re ready to sell your home in McHenry, Poplar Grove or Williams Bay, take the time to make sure that your home is clean, organized and ready for buyers. By making your home more appealing to the masses, you will increase your pool of potential buyers and allow them to envision themselves in a new home.

If you’re looking for a new home, however, Gerstad Builders offers new home communities in McHenry, Poplar Grove, Richmond and Williams Bay. These stylish and affordable new homes are the perfect place for you to settle down in a rural landscape located near plenty of city conveniences. To learn more information, visit the Gerstad Builders website.