Selling a house is no easy matter—there’s plenty to do before you put the big “for sale” sign in the front yard. You’ll have to do some grunt work to prepare your home and ready it for prospective buyers. There are ways to make it more attractive and desirable, so be prepared to roll up your sleeves and put in some grunt work.

It may take some time to prep your home (you don’t want to rush things unless absolutely necessary), but regardless, the end results will be promising. When there are so many other homes for sale on the market, you have to do all in your power to have your home stand out.

Here’s what you can do to ready your house to sell faster:

  1. Find a real estate agent that is both personable and knowledgeable

First off, it’s hard for anyone to sell a home themselves, which is why many turn to hiring a realtor. Though you will have to pay them a portion of your sale, a good realtor will know what they are doing and show your home to numerous prospective buyers. Make sure you pick one who is outgoing, friendly and well informed about their properties. You want to make sure they are easy to talk to and that they can answer all questions someone may have about your property.

  1. Declutter the entire house

Before showing your home, it’s essential that you declutter your home. It’s the mantra “less is more” when it comes to prepping everything. Potential homebuyers will be looking throughout every room—every closet, nook and cranny, so be prepared to get rid of anything that makes your home look to cluttered.

For this, you’ll undoubtedly need to both make some trips to donation centers (like the Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity) for your extra items that can be donated; you may also need to rent a storage space, where you can place all your extra items that you usually tuck inside closets and other areas. Decluttering will not only make your home look cleaner, but will also help it look larger.

  1. Choose neutral colors to repaint walls

You’ve given your home your own personal touch and have likely made a bold decorating statement or two when it comes to your paint choices. Not everyone will love that vibrant red accent wall that you feel makes the room “pop” with charm. It’s best to stay safe when it comes to paint color choices—select neutral tones.

  1. Depersonalize your home

Most homes are filled of family pictures, artwork and other pieces that give a personal touch to home decorating. When prepping your home for sale, it’s best to remove it all. People want to see a neutral space where they can picture living there themselves. Your personalized touches, unfortunately, become a distraction.

  1. Clean everything thoroughly

You’ll want to make your home look immaculate before you show it to potential buyers. The cleaner, the better, so clean all bathrooms, counter tops, floors, the kitchen, etc.

  1. Invest in home security protection

Another way to gear your home ready to sell is by installing a home security system (if you don’t already have one in place). It’s an additional feature that potential homebuyers will find desirable, so you can call ADT home security, the leading security provider, to do an ADT installation. This will make your home have more appeal, making it more desirable when you put it for sale. It’s a simple solution that can lead to a great result.