Selling your family home can be a humbling experience. Most people feel very strongly about the quality of their home--which makes it difficult to negotiate a price with a prospective buyer. Also, no one ever wants to feel as if they've lost thousands of dollars on the deal.

That's why preparations are so important for anyone listing their home. Four simple things will make it much more likely that you get a great price for your home. Best of all, these four things are simple to perform and don't cost a whole lot of money.

Fix Your Landscaping

Outdoor living spaces and a great looking yard are big selling points to a buyer. However, landscaping isn't cheap. Depending on your goals and material choices, you can spend anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000 or more on the outdoor area of your property. No one wants to sink that kind of money into a property that they're going to leave shortly.

Fortunately, cleaning up your yard is a lot cheaper. Grass seed and weed killer isn't expensive, and both can combine to help your yard appear lush and full. Also, consider hiring a company to trim your trees and bushes. A well-kept yard can go a long way toward increasing curb appeal--and your eventual sales price.

Repaint Your Interior

People tend to have very specific tastes when it comes to color. On top of that, paint tends to dull and chip over time. As a seller, you don't want your color choices or the state of your interior paint to influence a buyer in a negative way.

Unless you're a professional, the best option for a home seller is to hire a painter to redo the interior paint in subtle, neutral colors. This can cost close to $2,000 to complete. However, the investment is worth it when your buyers are able to visualize their design in your new home. You can save a few bucks on this by leaving the ceiling white.

Shampoo Your Carpets

Replacing the carpets or floors in a home is expensive. That's why you shouldn't do that before you list your home. If your carpets appear dirty and unusable, though, your buyers are going to factor replacement costs into their offer.

Professional carpet cleaning tends to cost about $45 per room. Most importantly, a clean carpet can often lead a buyer to believe that the carpets might not need to be replaced right away--keeping those costs out of your negotiation. That makes your investment of a few hundred dollars yield much more than that at closing.

Reseal Your Driveway

A freshly-sealed driveway is unmistakable. The driveway often looks shiny, black, and clean when it's just been redone. It's also a commonly neglected component of home maintenance--which is unfortunate considering that the average cost of sealing a driveway is a mere $200.

When your buyers pull into your home to walk through it, the first thing they'll notice after the exterior style is the driveway. A clean, functional driveway will fill them with the impression that you take your home maintenance seriously. Since first impressions are key when selling a home, it's rare to find such a powerful investment with such a small associated cost.

When selling your home, advance preparation allows you to set the tone of your buyer's visit without spending large amounts of money on expensive renovations. By focusing on a few minor improvements, you can frame your home in the best possible light without breaking your budget. Once you've done all you can to improve the appearance of your home, then contact a real estate agent from a company like Realty Executives. Your negotiations will be smoother as a result, and you'll be much more likely to receive full value for your home.

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