Curb Appeal
First impressions are lasting. The first picture that a potential buyer will see, is how your home is displayed. Drive up to your home and notice:
• Is the front door clean?
• Has the lawn been mowed and edged?
• Have the shrubs and trees been trimmed?
• Has the snow been removed from the driveway and walkways, in winter months?
• Has all the trash been cleaned up?
• Is there anything that needs to be repaired?
• Does the house need a fresh coat of paint?
Look at your house like you would be looking at your new home. Most potential buyers create their list of homes to look at by driving by. Don’t turn the customer off by their first impressions.

Sunshine Effect
Let the sunshine in. Open all of your window coverings. The sun will give your home a warm feeling and brighten it up. Having all of your window coverings open will also make your home feel bigger and more inviting. It will bring the outside, inside. Remember, Sunshine is a welcome sign.

Kitchen Attraction
The kitchen is the most important area of your home. Everything is done in the kitchen; making meals, paying bills, and children doing homework. It all starts in the kitchen. Make sure to take care of the following:
• The kitchen must be clean.
• All items are put away.
• Counter tops must be clutter free.
• Sink must be empty and clean. Remove any rust stains in sinks.
• Have all drawers and cabinets clean and organized, especially the junk drawer.
• Have all drawers and cabinets fixed and working properly.
The kitchen is the center of any home. All activities seem to gravitate to the kitchen. If a buyer is interested in your home, most of the time they will be lead back to the kitchen to ask questions.

Fix It Up
Search the house for anything that may need to be repaired. House hunters believe that for every repair noticed, there are ten that have gone unnoticed. What you should look for:
• Squeaking doors and creaking floors.
• Loose door knobs and stuck windows.
• Dripping faucets suggest faulty plumbing.
• Change bulbs that are burned out.
• Torn screens and cracked glass.
• Walls with holes and missing plaster.
Fix anything that may need fixing. Things left in need of repair will detract from the value of your home. When buyers see things that need attention, they begin to worry about the things they can’t see.

Brighten It Up
Decorate for the sale. Faded walls and worn out woodwork reduce the appeal of your home. A new coat of paint will often result in a quick, and more profitable sale. Quick things to do to brighten it up:
• New coat of paint, (neutral colors).
• Arrange bedrooms neatly with fresh linens.
• Remove any excess furniture. (Clutter makes a room feel smaller.)
• Clean all drapes and window coverings.
• Remove the clutter from the walls. (Simple pictures and wall hangings work best.)
Maximize appeal, make your home inviting and pleasurable to be in. Always make it simple and appealing to the masses. Go with neutral colors to please all. When you brighten it up, you turn anything dull to bright.

Spick and Span
Clean, clean, clean!!! We can’t say enough about having a clean and neat home. A little elbow grease can put dollars in your pocket. A clean home is more inviting, simpler to present and easier to sell. Check list of areas to clean:
• Carpets vacuumed
• Faucets sparkling
• Toilets brushed
• Counters wiped
• Floors mopped
• Furniture dusted
• Laundry put away
• Beds made
• Glass shining
Spend a little time and take pride in your home. Cleaning is the simplest way that you can increase your profits.

Pets Away
Make sure that when you are showing your home that your pets are away. You are selling to the masses and some buyers do not like animals, or maybe allergic. Why take a chance on ruining a sale. Just put pets away.

Air Control
Always make it comfortable for your potential buyers. If it is cold, make your home warm. If it is hot, make your home cool. If you have the luxury of a fireplace, light a fire if it is appropriate to the comfort of the buyer. You may also want to have a potpourri pot warming the fresh essences of fragrance to also enhance the air quality. Help make your home more inviting and comfortable to potential buyers.

Sound Barrier
Harmonize the sounds in your home. Make sure that the TV’s are off and the stereo is on softly to appropriate music. The music should be mellow and in the background, so that your home is pleasurable and free of disturbances.

The Little Things
Little things can make big differences:
• Remove all family pictures. This will allow the buyers to imagine your home as their own.
• Re-organize storage spaces. Removing all the clutter and unneeded items, and neatly repacking the storage areas, will make the storage areas look bigger and look more adequate to a buyer.
• Hide everything that looks like work. At least neatly arrange, lawn mowers, vacuums, hoses and work benches. Always accent the things that are fun, like skis, toys, bikes, and other fun things.
• Have fresh cut flowers. Make your home more inviting and welcoming to the potential buyer.
• Have fresh made cookies. Again, welcome the potential buyer to your home.