One of the occupational hazards of being a Realtor is seeing all of those homes as soon as they hit the market and eventually one pique's our curiosity and we find ourselves in the position of racing to get our own homes on the market because we've bought a new one.

When advising clients, take care of all of those little jobs that you have been procrastinating, then start with the touch-ups and stuff room by room to get your place ready for it's first, and some might say, most important showing, the Photographer.  I have advised countless clients of the little things that need to be done in order to get your home ready for the market, and we quickly forget the amount of work that it takes until it's our own.  Many will tell you how much I stressed putting the toilet seat down, as it just looks better.

In case you haven't guessed it from the first two paragraphs, I have purchased a beautiful new-to-me condo in Metalworks, Downtown Guelph.  I am now my own toughest client as I get my home ready for the market.  I have just finished some minor drywall repairs, paint touchups, fixed a few little things, and have moved onto the task of decluttering.

We talk about decluttering in a detached kind of way.  I can say, it's basically getting rid of all the crap we hold onto and hiding it in storage or a friend's garage while we prepare to move it to the next home, and never open those boxes again. If you think this statement is untrue, please go check the storage area at your current home, and review how many boxes have barely been opened since you moved in.  We all have a few. 

Next up cleaning!  Start at the top, sweep for cobwebs in the highest corners and dust the top of each window and door casing.  While you are up there, don't forget to clean the top of your ceiling fan blades. Dust and wipe every surface you can see, and even those you can't. 

Stay tuned, my next blog will be about more cleaning, more decluttering, staging, and then the date with the photographer.