If you spend any time (at all) flipping through photos of new listings you'll see that most homes are immaculately prepared, neat as a pin, a showcase of minimalist style, and without a single item out of place. 

 

But... that's not really how most people live. 

 

So, what's a homeowner to do when they are faced with needing to get their home on the market - FAST - and it is far from being one of those immaculately prepared homes, neat as a pin, a showcase of minimalist style, and without a single item out of place?

First, wait, why do they need to get their house on the market so quickly? 

Good question, it could be a variety of reasons...

1.  Dream house just hit the market - really want to buy it - but need to sell your house first.

2.  Just landed a new job - out of town - really need to sell ASAP.

Actually, those are probably the two main reasons why I see homeowners scrambling to quickly prepare their home to be listed for sale.  

Certainly, there have been times in years gone by when we might have seen more homeowners in that type of a rush because they lost their job, but that hasn't been as much of a thing for a while now.

So... how then do we do it?  How can we get your house ready to go quickly?  Very, very, very quickly?

1.  Start the the highest impact areas... main living spaces, kitchen, family room, primary bedroom and bathroom, etc.

2.  Consider boxing up extra belongings that you won't need for at least a few weeks (or until after the move) and storing those boxes in the garage, in the basement, in a storage unit, etc.

3.  Make any fast repairs that will be noticeable to buyers when they are touring your home.  You don't have time for projects that will take a week or longer, but there might be some quick fixes you can pull off.

4.  Clean like crazy, or hire a professional mover to come in and clean floors, countertops, other surfaces, etc.

5.  Do all the big stuff first -- that will be seen in photos -- and then take another day or two for the final preparations and cleaning between when the photos are taken and when the sign goes in the yard.

6.  Call in help from family members, friends, neighbors and more -- many hands make light(er) work.

If you need to get your home on the market quickly, let's meet at your house -- ASAP -- to walk through together and talk about priorities, strategies and a timeline!