212.728.5600

Not everyone that has a home in Manhattan will want to hire a professional staging company to help prepare their home for sale. A certain amount of any population is going to be the do-it-yourselfers and we get that. There are plenty of things you can do yourself that will make your Manhattan property show better and following are some things to consider.

When you’re ready to put your home on the market with a leading Manhattan Real Estate company, give us a call at 212-728-5600 and we’ll set up a time to get together with you. In the meantime, here are 25 things that you can do to prepare for a showing that will make a big difference in how your home presents.

1. Open draperies or other window coverings, pull up the shades and let in the sunlight.
2. Turn on all lights, day or night, to create a positive mood.
3. Install higher wattage light bulbs to show your home in its best light.
4. Remove clutter from each room to visually enlarge them and create the impact of spaciousness.
5. If you have a fireplace, highlight it in your decorating.
6. Hire a cleaning company to keep your home spotless at all times while it’s on the market for sale.
7. Make a family emergency “game plan” to get the home in order quickly, if necessary.
8. Air out your home one half hour before the showing, if possible.
9. Microwave a small dish of vanilla 20 minutes before the showing and place it in an out of the way place in the kitchen.
10. Be sure that beds are made and the linens and curtains are fresh and clean.
11. Organize your closets, remove unnecessary items and put them in storage to give the sense of spaciousness.
12. Paint the inside of closets with a high gloss bright white paint then put a high wattage bulb in.
13. Bathrooms should be kept spotlessly clean.
14. Do not leave towels around and wipe down the shower areas after each use to remove water spots.
15. Put out fresh towels and decorative soap for showings.
16. Set the scene by setting the table! Highlight the potential of your dining room by setting a grand dining table!
17. Expand the kitchen counter space by removing small appliances and storing them in cupboards.
18. Highlight an eat-in area in your kitchen with a table set for casual dining.
19. Have all carpets shampooed then vacuum them daily.
20. Replace carpets that will not come clean 100% with a neutral color.
21. Improve traffic flow through every room.
22. Create a feeling of spaciousness by removing unnecessary furniture, knick-knacks, collections and children’s items, etc.
23. Take down family photos and put them away. Prospective buyers can be easily distracted by your pictures and lose sight of envisioning themselves living in your home.
24. Purge the storage areas of your home well before putting your home on the market. Basements, attics, closets and garages should promise plenty of storage space for the new owners.
25. Make your front entry welcoming with a new doormat, a fresh coat of paint on the door, and a working doorbell.

Check back for more ways to prepare your Manhattan home for sale and show it’s finer points.