If you are lucky, your house is in perfect condition and there will be no need to spend money on updates. But if you are like most of us, we wait until the last minute to get things in order. There are steps you can take to increase the chances of selling your home for top dollar and quickly.

But, before you do anything consider how will find the time and money to get your home ready for the market. Use a real detailed evaluation of whether you need to update and how much money you are willing to spend.

Good Idea, Inc. buys houses as is with no repairs necessary. So if you’re not in the mood for a lot of work and expense, consider selling to us.

But if you want to go it alone and get top dollars for your home, here’s what you need to do.

1st. Roll up your sleeves and put in some time, a little elbow grease, and clean, clean, then clean some more. You don’t want your buyers scurrying back to the car because of an unsightly broken down house. They’ll just go down the street to another listing.

Remember each prospect will make their buying decision before even entering your home. The neighborhood, the street, the children or dogs around may even be a turn off. So if you have a curb appeal problem, it will be necessary to make a large price reduction, just to motivate the prospect.

You have a product to sell, and you want to make a great first impression. Also studies have shown that a prospect will make their decision to buy in the first 5 minutes when they enter your home. So get rid of all that clutter. Then when you think everything is gone, clear out some more. Even rent a storage unit to hold your belongings.

You are going to be moving anyway, so you might as well get rid of the excess now. Clear out closets, donate unused or unwanted items and get rid of the broken items that have been laying around for months or years. This is one of the cheapest and most effective tools in preparing your house

2nd. In addition, to cleaning, pay attention to the outside of your home. Pressure wash the exterior of the structure, and don’t forget the sidewalk and driveway. Take a hard look outside; see if a good friend will provide an objective evaluation. Try to be calm and unemotional. You’ve lived here a long time, but now it’s time to move on. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you.

You will need to spend money, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars to upgrade to stainless steel, granite, and wood flooring. If your roof is 10 years or older, the buyers inspector will make note of that. You will end up paying for it anyway, so get it out the way now. If your heating and Air conditioning relatively new? If not be prepared to get an upgrade and a new one.

Finally, if your house isn’t in like brand new condition, make a price adjustment that reflects the needed repairs. There are companies that buy houses to fix and upgrade. Many times this is the best alternative. You don’t want to spend your time and money, only to find that the upgrades you made were incorrect or unpopular with a finicky public.

Good Luck selling your house.