Secret Sauce: How to Prepare your Home for the Market

Kevin Cooper • Sep 27, 2016

Are you thinking about selling? The time is right, you want to sell, but there’s just one thing you need to figure out: how to maximize the value of your home without spending too much in the process. Preparing your home for market is not as overwhelming or as expensive as you might think. I’ve been in this business for 14 years and have sold over 1,000 homes, and I can confidently say that following these 4 simple steps will transform your home and attract buyers – without breaking the bank.


  1. De-Clutter – $0
    The goal when prepping a home for sale is to thoroughly de-personalize and de-clutter every room in your home. You want prospective buyers to be able to imagine themselves living in the space – not you. Ensure that every surface is clear and that your non-decorative items are stowed out of sight, and you’ll help others see the space as their own.

  2. Neutralize – $0
    You might love to decorate with lavish, vivid color – but that does not mean others will. Replace linens and statement décor with more neutrally-toned, simple pieces. While people are likely to have a strong opinion about bright red or dark blue, beige and cream will probably elicit less extreme variations in opinion. When selling your home, you want people to react to the actual space, not the color of your bedspread.

  3. Paint – $20 for a gallon
    A room with a fresh coat of paint looks clean, fresh, and classy. Painting gives you the opportunity to neutralize rooms and erase unsightly marks and stains on your walls at once. This task takes effort, but the results can dramatically improve the way your home appears to buyers and therefore increase the perceived value of your property.

  4. Soap and Water – $5
    Once you’ve de-cluttered, neutralized your space, and repainted, take a walk through your home as though you are a buyer. Are the windows clean, or are they dirty and obscuring natural light? Is the grout in the bathroom moldy? Is there dust and dirt on the floors? Now is the time to thoroughly clean every nook and cranny of your home. The goal is to make your home look like a five-star hotel in photos and in person, and this wont be possible if it’s not spick and span. The best thing about this step? It costs virtually no money and will absolutely increase the perceived value of your home!

Of course, hiring Cooper & Associates Realty to list your home means that you will have the additional benefits of a professional stager, photographer, and a team of marketing professionals promoting your home in the best way possible. These main four steps, however, will increase your selling power tremendously – so what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!


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Cooper & Associates Blog

By Kevin Cooper 23 May, 2022
Granite and quartz are two design elements that cause strong debate and division among homeowners. To sort out the Granite vs. Quartz debate, we came up with 4 categories that show how the two materials fare. First, let us define each material.
By Kevin Cooper 26 Apr, 2022
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Selling your home can be intimidating, especially if you’re doing it for the first time! As you prepare to say goodbye to your home, you are also looking for ways to maximize the return on your investment. You have a financial and emotional task right before you. Fortunately, there are steps you can take that can reduce your stress and help you achieve the ultimate goal of selling your home for the first time. That is, making the experience both emotionally and financially rewarding!
By Kevin Cooper 10 Dec, 2021
Dreaming about moving into a new home? Some buyers already know what they want in a house, while others need some help figuring out what they need. What you need and want in a home would become more defined as you get closer and closer to the actual buying process. Set your expectations to narrow down your search. This is a must so you don’t get caught up by marketing gimmicks and lose sight of what’s really right for you.
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