Spring is here and the selling season is upon us. For those of you interested in selling your home...here are a few things to avoid:

When selling your home try to model your home decorating after Martha Stewart not good ole Aunt Martha with all of her collectibles. The following common mistakes are often enough to cause the potential buyers to take one look and walk right back out the door:

1. Failure to thoroughly clean the house -- particularly the kitchen and bathrooms. Sure it's clean enough for you, but potential buyers are giving your home the white glove treatment. Deep clean all countertops and tile surfaces. Replace or steam-clean carpets. Get into all of the corners and make those floors gleam. Refinish any wood floors that are scratched or scuffed.

2. Failure to remove clutter. Your clutter, whether inside or outside, stands in the way of the buyer's ability to focus on the home and its best features. Clutter also makes the rooms appear smaller.

3. Leaving the home full of personal items. You want potential buyers to visualize themselves in your home. Those photographs lining the stairways may prevent them from feeling ready to move into the home.

4. Brightly painted rooms. So your daughter chose vivid purple, and your son chose army green for the walls of their rooms. Paint those walls a neutral color! If it always made you feel happy to drive up to your bright blue home, you need to realize that most people will not feel that way and will probably tell the Realtor to drive on by. Soft shades and hues allow buyers to see the room without being turned off by someone else's color choice.

5. Dirty windows and window coverings. Your awesome views will lack luster if the buyer is looking through a dirty or streaked window.

6. Leaving evidence of pets. You love your pets, but a stranger could easily find their food dish or litter box a turnoff. Dog or cat hair on the sofa means it is also on all of the carpets as well. Remove all traces of your pet, and especially get rid of any lingering pet odors. You may need an outside "sniffer" to identify odors.

7. Failure to make a good first impression. The exterior of your home and landscaping or lack thereof may be your only chance to make an impression. A little effort in this area goes a long way to making your home appealing. Plant some flowers to brighten up your home and get buyers through the front door.

Whether you are trying to sell a home elsewhere so that you can buy a vacation home in Angel Fire, or you are selling your present home in Taos to buy that special Taos property to build your dream home, you need to look at the home you are selling from a fresh perspective. Sure your ski condo has special mementos from every ski vacation you have ever taken, but remember that those memories are yours and not the buyer's. Get rid of the clutter, personal items and other distractions and sell that condo or vacation home.

For a FREE comparitive market anaysis of your home or for more helpul hints on the best way to get your Taos home or Angel Fire condo on the market, give our agents at New Mexico Mountain Properties a call today. We are here to serve your real estate requirements throughout the Enchanted Circle with offices in Taos and Angel Fire.

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