1.   Have a garage sale before you put your home on the market.  Things will be much easy for you when it comes to de-cluttering if you’ve already removed all the unwanted items that have been stored in your home over the years.

2.       Make your entryway a good first impression.  Clear out your front door area making easy to get in.  Simple things such as a new door mat, or polishing the door knob can help make that first impression on the rest of your home.

3.       Excite the imagination of the buyer.  Staging the home with a set dining room table can help the buyer get an idea of how they would be living in your home.  You can also try accenting a fireplace making the room feel more cozy or romantic.

4.       If it smells it won’t sell.  You must be very aware of any odors in the house.  It may be an odor that may not seem bad to you, but offend other people.  Use of carpet freshener and potpourri can help with deodorizing.  Even a freshly baked batch of cookies can create a welcoming environment for your buyers.

5.       Make your house as big as you can.  Make sure doors can open easily, without bumping into anything.  Clear out closets and remove any oversized furniture from the house.  Try to arrange the furniture in the rooms so that the entrances have an open flow.

6.       Make it easy to see in and out.  Most important is to keep the windows clean.  Buyers like to see what the views are from the house and a dirty window can leave a bad impression.  Also, clean draperies or blinds help to make the viewing more pleasant.  Let the light shine in!  The more the light the more open your house will feel.

7.       Open up the counter space.  Put away any extra appliances you do not use frequently.  You may even consider putting away some of the appliance you do use when your done.  Also remove dish racks, soap dishes or another clutter you may have out.  Removing all the magnet and pictures off your refrigerator to help open the kitchen area.

8.       Remove any eccentric décor you may have.  Unfortunately not everyone has the same taste in interior decorating as you.  Be sure to remove all the posters off the walls or your teenagers room.  Certain items such as hanging beads in the doorway do not appeal to all.  Use your best judgment in what you may think the average person may or may not like.

9.       Making it brighter will make it better.  Increasing the wattage in your bulbs can help to brighten up a room.  When you do have a showing, be sure to run around and turn on all the lights.  You’ll be surprised what a difference this will make.

10.   Show the buyers how well your family enjoyed  your home.  Place some framed pictures of your family enjoying your home throughout the home.  This will also help spark help spark the buyers imagination.

11.   Check your homes curb appeal.  Go outside and stand in front of your home.  Look for anything that may not appeal to a buyer.  You want to make sure your home is warm and inviting.

12.   Maintain the yard.  You don’t have to be a professional landscaper, but keeping your lawn mowed and clean up can go a long way.  Cut back any shrubbery that may make it difficult to get to the front door.  Rake the leaves and pick up any sticks in the yard.  Put away the kids toys and remove any lawn furniture that may be rusted or broken.

13. Clean, Clean, Clean.  Be sure to keep the kitchen and bathrooms as clean and clutter free as possible.  Remember your trying to create a good impression.  Clean the dishes and put them away.  Put away the toothpaste and hair brush when your done.  Scrub the bathroom and kitchen at least once and then maintain the cleanliness while your house is on the market.  Keep shiny parts shiny!

14. Try doing some touch-ups.  Sometimes you may be able to get away with just doing some spot painting.  Some paint will allow you to go over some larger marks.  If not try just painting the one wall and see how it looks before having to paint the whole room.

15. Do the handy-man repairs yourself.  You’ll be surprised how simple some of the things loose or broken in your house you can fix yourself.  Some things may only need a little tightening with a screwdriver or wrench.  Go to your hardware store and talk to the employees about what is wrong.  They may have an easy solution for your problem you can do yourself.  Of course any plumbing, electric or heating and cooling problem should always be taken care of by a professional.

Just remember that you are trying to make the best impression of your home to the buyer.  You want the buyer to remember your home and have it stand out apart from all the other homes they have and will be looking at.  Some of these things may seem tedious and annoying, but if you do it right your home will be sold a lot faster than if you did nothing.