Ali Claverol is a sales associate with Avatar Real Estate Services working in Miami.

Every week, we ask a real estate professional for their Short List, a collection of tips and recommendations on an essential topic in real estate. This week, we talked with Ali Claverol, a sales associate with Avatar Real Estate Services, who shared her top tipis for preparing a home for showings. 

3. Keep it Simple – Don’t over do it…

Sometimes buyers and renters have a hard time visualizing a space. That’s why I believe in staging.

But don’t over do it! You can make the space look smaller or larger depending on what you do; so put some thought into it.

Perhaps you need to put some furniture in storage or get some out of storage depending on what is being achieved… If anything go simple.

Remember, first impressions are the only impressions. Show them the canvas, let them create the painting, and then let them fall in love and get inspired with the possibilities…

2. Keep it clean – Clean and bright!

This should be your constant frame of mind when preparing your home for potential buyers or renters. Light blues, greys and white give the area lightness and airiness even if there are no windows! Try it!

Freshly painted walls, new sheets and bedding, clean rugs, fresh towels and a couple of soft accent pieces go a long way! Don’t forget candles and use fresh flowers…I like lilies or orchids – who doesn’t?

Don’t over do the family photos. If you have an ultra personalized home, you may want to remove some personal items. Let the potential buyers or renters envision their home and family in it.

Febreze everything – especially, the closets. I use the ones made for cars inside the home and hide them all over… underneath the beds and on the back of the bathroom, even inside the air vents. That way you have one less thing to worry about.

Remember, we get used to our odors…for better or worse.

1. Ask for Help – If you’re having problems, don’t hesitate to call your neighborhood specialist; we’re here to help! This is our passion and what we live for!

A native of Puerto Rico, Ali Claverol brings a wealth of sales experience, an unparalleled work ethic and keen negotiation skills to the Avatar team.

Fluent in both English and Spanish, Claverol is an accomplished sales professional with a passion for people and real estate. Equipped with an uncompromising business acumen, tenacity for success and diligence to exceed her sales goals, Claverol maintains her client’s best interest at heart throughout every phase of the transaction.