PREPARE YOUR HOUSE FOR SALE, BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO MARKET IT WITH YOUR REAL ESTATE AGENT.

You have heard the old adage, "When buying a property the three most important things are LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION."

Well, when you are selling it’s PREPARATION, PREPARATION, PREPARATION.

Prepare your house for sale before you take it to the marketplace. You will impress the realtor, the home inspector and most of all, the buyer. You yourself will be impressed at how good your "prepared for sale" home can look.

The first 2 weeks your house is on the market is the hottest time to sell your property, so please don't wait until it's been on the market for 100 days or six months to prepare it – do it now before you begin the marketing process.

We continually see people who want to prepare their house after months on the market, who wish they'd thought to do it at the beginning. We welcome their business but it would be just so much easier and less stressful to prepare it first.

A well presented property will sell for more money and in shorter time, in most market conditions. House preparation adds value to your real estate.

Waiting it out and going for a hefty price reduction in a few months time is costly and very stressful.

You want to give your house the best chance to sell. Here's how it works:

HOUSE PREPARATION CHECKLIST

How to prepare your house for sale

• As soon as possible – book a consultation (This should entail in a comprehensive, illustrated report, detailing exactly what needs to be done to present your house for sale)

• You may wish to carry out this work yourself or have it done professionally

• You should be able to have as little or as much as you want and inform what is your budget and time scale

• PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE

• Allow time to set the scene for a fast effective sale

• overall house condition – e.g. loose cabinet doors, missing plug/light covers, burnt out light bulbs, do all repairs now, unfinished chores are an obstacle to a sale

• Paint, where necessary, replace worn floor finishes

• Be camera ready – pictures on web-sites are key to selling in to-day's market – get quality photographs

• Remove clutter "Clutter distracts the eye"

• Down takings – remove any unnecessary or unattractive belongings – e.g. gym equipment in spare bedrooms

• Store boxed keepsakes, early packing items, storage items, etc. off site or neatly on site, in garage or storage room

• List only when you have the house looking great

• List the property

• Call your realtor

• Lights, music – action – show your house

Morag MacLellan is an experienced, house preparation professional. As a European qualified, interior designer, Morag has been committed to the concept of house preparation for three decades. She currently lives and works in Calgary, where she frequently co-presents houses for sale with her colleague and fellow house preparation professional and interior designer, Susan Stark.