Throughout the House

1. Open the draperies, pull up the shades and let in the sunlight. 
2. Create a positive mood. Turn on all the lights, day or night, and install higher wattage light bulbs to show your home brightly. 
3. Remove clutter from each room to visually enlarge them. 
4. If you have a fireplace, highlight it in your decorating.
5. Keep your home dusted and vacuumed at all times. 
6. Replace the carpet if it does not clean up well. 
7. Have a family “game plan” to get the home in order quickly if necessary. 
8. Lightly spray the house with air freshener so that it has a chance to diffuse before the buyer arrives. 
9. Put family photos in storage. 
10. Improve traffic flow and create the feeling of a spacious area by removing unnecessary furniture. 
11. Putty over and paint any nail holes or other mishaps in the walls. 
12. Paint all interior walls a neutral color to brighten the home and makes it look bigger.
13. Repair or replace any loose or damaged wallpaper.
14. Clean all light bulbs and light fixtures to brighten the home.
15. Wash all windows inside and out.
16. Use plants in transitional areas of your house.
17. Make the most of your attic’s potential.
18. Remove and/or hide excess extension cords and exposed wires.
19. Remove all smoke and pet odors.

In the kitchen 

1. Highlight an eat-in area in your kitchen with a table set for dinner.
2. The kitchen and bathrooms should always be spotlessly clean.
3. Expand your counter space by removing small appliances.

In the bedrooms

1. Create a master suite effect in your decorating.
2. Depersonalize bedrooms and decorate in a neutral scheme.
3. Make sure the beds are made and the linens are clean.
4. Organize your closets, remove unnecessary items and put them in storage.

In the bathroom

1. Re-caulk the tub if the caulk is not sparkling white.
2. Repair or replace broken tiles in the shower/tub.
3. Replace shower curtains and keep them clean.
4. Put out fresh towels and decorative soaps.

Outside

1. Keep the yard mowed and raked at all times.
2. Use flowering plants to dress up the yard, walkway, and patio.
3. Remove all toys, bicycles, tools, unsightly patio furniture, and trash from the yard.
4. Porches, steps, verandas, balconies patios, and other extensions of the house should be kept uncluttered, swept, and in good condition.
5. Paint all entrance doors.
6. Make sure the garage doors open easily. Fix and paint the garage door if necessary.
7. Trees and shrubs should be trimmed and pruned.
8. Use a new doormat.
9. Be sure the front doorbell is in good working order.
10. Be sure the front door and screen door works perfectly.

Listen to the professionals

If your Realtor has some suggestions for improvements that may help sell the home faster, take them to heart but don’t take them personally.

Leave

I know you’re dying to know if prospective buyers will love what you’ve done with the kitchen, but Realtors® agree tht sellers should not be there lurking in the shadows during an open house or showing. You should not be home for the following:

• Home showing appointments
• Open houses
• Home inspections paid for by the buyer
• Buyer’s appraisal

Take your pets with you (if possible)

You think Milo is the cutest Labrador ever, but not everyone is bound to share that opinion. In addition to having allergies, some home shoppers may not be in the market for a run-in with an animal they don’t know.

Move your car

Make it easy for visitors to park and view the home. No one likes parking issues. Plus, you don’t want to risk potential damage to your own vehicle if parking is really tight. 

Lay out important documents

If questions arise while buyers are on the premises, it may help them decide to put in an offer that much faster if they can find answers quickly and in writing. Having a copy of your HOA regulations sitting on the kitchen counter is very helpful. 

Be patient waiting for feedback

Of course, you’re dying to know what buyers thought of your home, but that information may not flow back to you instantaneously. Buyers often want to process what they’ve seen and think it over before making an offer. If one comes through, don’t worry, you’ll hear about it!

Don’t view lowball offers as insults

If someone makes an offer on your home that you think is so low you feel insulted, you might be tempted to ignore the person altogether—but doing so would be a mistake. Someone who makes a lowball offer might be testing the waters or trying to establish room to negotiate. Or it could be a novice at home buyer who doesn’t realize the offer is insulting. At least keep the door open to further negotiations.

Don’t be greedy

Who doesn’t want top dollar for their home? But an unwillingness to negotiate can kill a possible deal and keep your home on the market long after you were hoping to be unpacking at your new place.

Do agree to reasonable requests for repairs

After the home inspection, there’s a good chance you will be hit with requests for repairs. The buyer has a right to request repairs, or a deduction from the selling price. While you don’t want to get nickel-and-dimed with requests for every little thing, it’s also not in your best interest to reply with a flat no to reasonable requests that are turned up by the inspection, unless you listed the home “as is” or already priced it under market value to reflect significant repairs you anticipated it needing.

Do not speak with the buyers or the buyer’s agents.
Professionalism goes a long way in real estate transactions. The real estate agent you’ve enlisted to help sell your home has your best interest at heart. They will keep you informed with all the communication they hear from the buyer’s real estate agent. However, reaching out to a buyer or buyer’s real estate agent on your own is considered unprofessional and this behavior could jeopardize the success of your sale. Trust in your real estate agent and they will do right by you.