First Impressions: 4 Tips for Selling Your Home
26 Dec 2017 by Hillary Gaynor

It’s hard to erase a bad first impression. When it comes to selling your house, it can’t be said too many times how important it is to make the best impression as possible to potential buyers. Use this checklist to highlight your house’s strengths and give some TLC to any areas in need.

  1. From the Curb to the Interior: No matter how good the interior is the first impressions start from the curb. Stop by the greenhouse to pick up some colorful annuals for pops of color in your front landscape or for pots placed around your porch. If any paint is peeling take the time to scrap and repaint. Consider a bright complimentary color for your front door. Remove any dead branches, shrubs, or plants. A freshly mowed lawn makes a good impression. Sprucing up the home’s exterior will make prospective buyers feel warm, welcome, and safe.
  2. Think Lighting: Great lighting from both natural sources and lighting fixtures will help a room appear larger, spacious, and comfortable. Pay attention to the cleanliness and condition of lamp shades. If something is frayed or discolored, replace it. Open the blinds to allow maximum light in for daytime showings. Sunbeams across the floor will give the room warmth, making it cozy and inviting. Shiny clean windows will let potential buyers look across the property’s landscape to picture their family enjoying the yard or porch or take in a picturesque view. If any shrubs are a bit high or blocking the window take the time to trim and prune to reshape the vantage point and allow in more light.
  3. Remove Clutter & Organize Closets: Storage is high on any buyer’s want list. Remove half of what is in your closets and neatly organize what is left. Use this same approach throughout your home. Go room by room and see how much can be removed and reorganized. This may require you to remove the excess to a rented storage unit. Clear as much as possible off the kitchen counters to show how much room for food preparation is available.
  4. Remove the Pets & Personal Items: Before a showing take your family pet with you to another location or treat them to a pet spa day. Not everyone is a dog- or cat-lover. Buyers don’t want to walk in your home and see a bowl full of dog food, smell the kitty litter box, or have tufts of pet hair stuck to their clothes. It will give buyers the impression that your house is not clean. Next, de-personalize your house. The fewer personal items a potential buyer sees the easier it is for them to visualize themselves living in this house as their own home. This may be the time to hire a professional home stager to help take the personalization out and help you maximize all your house to offer to its future owners.

Take the time to do things the right way. It will likely result in more buyers wanting to place a contract on your home. Make an appointment today for a no-strings-attached initial consultation.

Hillary Gaynor

I grew up in Centerbrook, CT so I am a New England girl at heart. I moved out to Washington State to attend college and received my degree in psychology. While in Washington, I developed a deep passion for the outdoors including golfing, biking, hiking, kayaking, and skiing. I even climbed Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier. I moved to New Hampshire in 2002 to attend UNH in which I received my master’s degree as a Marriage and Family Therapist. I worked as a therapist for a while at a state agency. I eventually decided to make an important life change and pursue my interest in real estate. I was interested in real estate investing and this led me to get my real estate license. It felt like the perfect balance of being able to still focus on helping others and my other passion of real estate. My husband, Jamie, is a geologist and works for an environmental company. We have two daughters and currently live in Stratham, NH.

Hillary decided to become a Realtor because she has a genuine passion and excitement for real estate and for helping people. With Hillary’s general personality and her background of being a therapist she is really able to assist you through your real estate transaction, which can be a stressful and complicated process, but also enjoyable. One of her greatest assets is her ability to listen. Hillary will listen to your needs and concerns and will work with you to achieve your goal. Hillary has exceptional communication skills, which can also help in the negotiation process. It is important to Hillary to build relationships with trust and respect, not only with her clients but also with other people that she works with. Hillary understands and will be part of the entire real estate transaction and be present to your needs, so that you have less anxiety and get the most from the process, a successful deal! Whether you are selling, purchasing, or investing; with Hillary’s experience and knowledge of real estate and market conditions and her overall enjoyment for real estate and working with people, she can and will provide you with great real estate deals again and again!

When we are working together; I will -

listen seek to understand your needs, concerns, motivations, expectations, and your individual situations
be available to you and reachable
be committed to helping you and reaching your goals
be competent in helping you make important decisions provide professional help in managing the details
always keep you informed through the real estate process
provide education about the process and the events that will occur during the transaction
work to ensure that each transaction progresses smoothly and in a timely manner
provide information and a comfortable environment for you to make important decisions


I am an exceptional communicator and negotiator. Whether you are selling, purchasing, or investing – I will use my knowledge and experience of the current real estate market conditions to give you a great real estate deal every time.