If you’re looking to sell your home, making a good first impression is vital. Buyers typically make their decisions based on their first impression, so planning and staging your home is important if you want a quick sell. However, when it comes to getting your home ready to sell, it can be hard to know what needs to be done to get the best possible results. Is a quick clean enough, or are some upgrades needed?

Before you spend the big bucks on expensive renovations (that might not impress buyers), here are some things to consider when getting your home ready to sell.

If you’re not a professional house flipper, then costly renovations aren’t necessary to ensure a good first impression. However, if you have an outdated kitchen or bathroom, then minor upgrades can do a great deal to change a room’s look. In fact, small upgrades like a change in faucet fixtures, cabinet handles and a new coat of neutral paint on the walls will do more to create a good first impression than a fancy one-room renovation.

If you really want to do something major before selling your house, then focus on kitchens, bathrooms or flooring. These are important areas for buyers, and you can be easily make back your investments.

The most important thing you can do to get your home ready to sell is to make sure it’s clean, clean, clean! This is by far the easiest, cheapest way to put some wow factor into your home. If you already have hard surface floors, then a deep clean is a must. Use an oxygenated formula that is safe for your floor's surface to restore its natural beauty. Be sure to spend focus on kitchens and bathrooms as well.

If you want to get the best deep clean for hardwood floors, consider a professional contractor to the do job. A Bona Certified Craftsman can safely extract dirt and grime from your floors with a high-powered scrubber and deep cleaning solution, and there is no need to evacuate. 

When it comes to showing your home, remember that the house is the main attraction, not what’s in it. That means doing all you can to depersonalize and de-clutter your space—removing family pictures and other personal items helps potential buyers imagine themselves living there. If you have rooms that do double or triple duty (a home office/guest room/play room), focus on one purpose for each room to highlight the space. Consider putting your things in storage to better highlight the strengths of your home.