5 steps to prepare your home to sell

Don’t list an empty house.  Well, we sold our first home without furnishings. We sold our second home before Christmas and our third during mud season.

Remember, it takes just one buyer who is ready — regardless of whether the market is flush, interest rates are up or down, or the economy and weather are good or bad.

And while there is no magic formula to achieve a sale, there are things you can do to better your chances.

Here are five steps to help you present your home in the best possible light and bring in the highest possible price for the reality of the current market.

Reality for the current market, that’s the mantra to embrace.

Step 1: Decisions, decisions, decisions

Figure out what moves with you and what gets stored, sold, or discarded.

Use sticker dots to mark items:

■ red: stays

■ green: goes to storage, is donated, or sold

■ blue: trash

■ yellow: no verdict (revisit this after you finalize those red and green dots)

Step 2: Prepack and declutter

Consider putting certain items into storage. Rent space and/or put things in opaque bins that are out of the way.

Declutter all rooms (yes, the basement, garage, and attic, too). Don’t do this in dribs and drabs. Do it once. And don’t start going through that photo album you found under the couch. Before you know it, the day will be gone! Remember, you’re on a mission. If you can’t think of where an item will live, consider why you want to carry it to your next home.

Decluttering help

■ Call a charitable organization that will pick up things for donation.

■ Donate books to libraries, colleges, and schools.

■ Use trash-removal services like GotJunk to take away items without value — inside and outside.

Step 3: Fixes that resonate with buyers

■ Refinish or replace hardwood floors. If you don’t, prepare to negotiate the cost to do so. Take up or replace worn carpeting.

■ Repair grout and caulking.

■ Paint tired rooms, walls, and ceilings.

■ Remove dated wallpaper.

■ Utilize new tiles to cover worn wood flooring. Create an apron of tile in front of a sink, doorway, or tub.

■ Refresh a kitchen with a new back splash treatment. Try a complimentary paint color or one row of new tile to keep costs down.

■ Replace dated task lighting over a kitchen island or in the dining area.

■ Paint or re-face kitchen or bathroom cabinets.

■ Replace dated drawer pulls, knobs, and handles.

■ Block bad views and freshen a room with shutters.

■ Remove worn window treatments.

■ Purchase ready-made slipcovers for tired furnishings, and freshen rooms with new lampshades, bed covers, and accent pillows.

Step 4: Ramp up the curb appeal

Annuals are an easy way to create pretty outdoor vignettes:

■ Circle a mailbox, border a sidewalk or fence, or plant a cluster of multicolored annuals next to the entryway, backyard bench, or patio.

■ Add planters.

■ Mulch flowerbeds.

■ Prune shrubs.

■ Ready a vegetable garden for planting or plant to inspire. Add details like a birdhouse and/or markers for what’s been planted.

■ Make sure stone walls, gates, and walkways are in good repair.

■ Replace a tired mailbox

Step 5: Open house, close deal

■ Have the rooms of your home put together simply and thoughtfully. Present it hotel clean, odor free. Don’t mask odors with sweet oils and candles. If need be, open the windows and air out the house.

■ Keep tabletops and bureau surfaces uncomplicated.

■ Lock up valuables.

■ Tidy closets, with hangers going in the same direction and your shoes lined up.

Consider professional cleaning for the following:

■ Rugs, upholstery, and curtains. The quickest way to do all of this is with a company that uses steam.

■ Windows

The day of the open house:

■ Set out cookies and a pot of coffee.

■ Put your pet’s food bowls away. Got cats? Make sure the litter box is clean. Put kitty in a small bathroom with a gate so the room can still be seen. Have a dog? Make sure all of the dog messes have been picked up in the yard. Take the dog for a walk or a car ride.

■ On a table, display a photo album of your yard when it’s in full bloom. Map your garden with a layout in which you name all of the plants.

It’s in your real estate agent’s hands now. Go enjoy a much deserved latte.