Culver City is LA’s number-one real estate destination. Despite the seemingly constant boom of areas like Venice and Silverlake, this pocket of West Los Angeles has seen a spike in new home development, and overall sales over the past few years. It’s good news for sellers, but with all the competition, there’s a lot of pressure to add as much value to your home as possible.

To ensure you get the sale you deserve, check out these tips for readying your house for the market.

Keep up curb appeal

It’s a bit of a cliché, but it also happens to be true. First impressions are everything, at least when it comes to selling a house. Some potential buyers may make up their mind by a quick drive-by, meaning they won’t even step inside if the exterior fails to impress. Make sure your yard and landscaping look presentable, and maybe even consider adding a fresh coat of paint to the house, or brainstorm how to spruce up your front and garage door.

Price it lower than it’s worth

Yes, this may sound a bit crazy and counter-intuitive, but real estate experts swear by this trick. Lowering your home’s value by, say, $10,000 can actually lead to more bids. The logic goes like this: people are motivated by a deal. If your house looks great and delivers with a reasonable asking price, you’re bound to start a bidding war that will escalate beyond the number you wanted originally.

Fix outstanding repairs – but don’t go overboard

You never want to put your home up for sale with outstanding repairs. Even if it’s just a matter of simple plumbing issues like a clogged drain or leaky faucet, people will interpret it as a sign that you just don’t care about the value of your house. Before you put your home up for sale, call the most reputable residential plumber in Culver City. Ritz Plumbing’s team of experts will resolve all of your issues, whether you live near Sony Pictures Studios or The Helms Bakery District.

However, while small problems should be fixed, you don’t need to go overboard with a full bathroom remodel, unless you’re looking to dramatically raise the asking the price, and willing to make a sizeable, additional investment.

Emphasize storage

Clutter is a big turn off for potential buyers. Even if it’s your clutter, disorganized stacks of papers, mail and magazines can prevent people envisioning themselves in the space. In particular, a lack of storage can hurt a sale. Pro tip: empty out half of your closet space. Move your things either to storage or a more discreet, out-of-the-way location in the house. The roomy closets will appeal to everyone.

Hire a stager

While stagers aren’t always necessary, more and more buyers are expecting to see staged homes when they walk into an open house. If it’s within your budget, hire a stager to create the right mood in the space. Ideally, he or she will make the house feel personal without it being specific to you. People should be able to project themselves on the space.