These days buyers are smart and know how and what questions to ask. They might ask about the furnace, plumbing, electricity, ect or they might just have an inspection done to find out the answers without asking. Either way, sellers need to work hard to make their homes appeal to buyers and they need to play up the best features of their home. Do you have updated cabinets? Be sure to mention this to buyers. Does your home have six panel wooden doors? Great, mention that! Use those features of your home which will appeal to buyers and be sure to show them off. Buyers have learned from the last five years and aren't going to be as carefree when buying a home now, instead they will focus on finding out the information they need to know and making a smart decision.

Your home should tickle and please all of the senses of a buyer when they tour it. Make the home inviting by staging the furniture so that buyers like to look at it. Be sure that things are clean and there aren't things like fingerprints on windows or burnt out light bulbs... These kind of small details matter when buyers are seeing your home. Don't burn candles or use air freshener because some buyers could be allergic or it could just look like you are trying to hide some “funky” smell. Instead, be sure to clean the house top-to-bottom and get rid of any smells like a musty basement. This way the buyer will smell a clean home, not a candle scent or air freshener fragrance. It is always a good idea to bake cookies and fill your home will that pleasant scent also!

The sounds of your home can be important too, if you play some soft jazzy music it could put homeowners at ease and make them feel “at home”. This feeling can be ruined, however, if the buyer touches something and it isn't smooth or soft. If something is dirty and feels “grose” it can turn buyers off immediately and make them lose interest in the home even if they were very excited about it. So, be sure things are clean and if something needs to be replaced because it's not smooth or soft then be sure to replace it. Another important aspect to consider is neutralizing your home, which means picking neutral paint colors and getting rid of bright colors that may not be very generic. You may like the bright color, but you are selling your home to another person and you can have bright colors in your new home. Also, paint can be used to accent certain architectural features of a home. By picking more than one color in a room, it can be used to draw attention to these features. Consult a realtor or home stager to get some guidance about the best paint colors to use.

What Kind of Changes Can YOU Make To Sell Your Home?

These changes may or may not make your home sell; but it can make your home unique and cause it to stand out to a buyer. So, are there things you could do to your home to make it sell better? Are there things you could change, replace, or update to make your home more desirable to a buyer? Don't forget that buyers are very smart and notice things, so what you might consider a small detail it could make or break a sale for a buyer. For example, are the doors of a home damaged or do they need some work? Then, a seller should repair or replace them because it is one of the things all buyer touch.

Michelle Gordon is a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty - Grand Rapids Michigan - voted the best Real Estate company by readers poll 2009 - 2010 in the Grand Rapids Magazine. Focus on 1st time home buyers, Relocation and listings in the Kent County area. You may find Michelle on Facebook, Twitter or Linked in and she invites you to join her.