• Make centerpieces for your tables: Use brightly colored fruit or flowers.
  • Wash your windows and screens: This will help get more light into the interior of the home
  • Keep everything extra clean: A clean house will make a strong first impression and send a message to buyers that the home has been well-cared for. Wash fingerprints from light switch plates, mop and wax floors, and clean the stove and refrigerator. Polish your doorknobs and address numbers. It’s worth hiring a cleaning service if you can afford it.
  • Get rid of smells: Clean carpeting and drapes to eliminate cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells. Open the windows to air out the house. Potpourri or scented candles will help.
  • Brighten your rooms: Put higher wattage bulbs in light fixtures to brighten up rooms and basements. Replace any burned-out bulbs in closets. Clean the walls, or better yet, brush on a fresh coat of neutral color paint.
  • Don’t disregard minor repairs: Small problems such as sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, or a dripping faucet may seem trivial, but they’ll give buyers the impression that the house isn’t well-maintained.
  • Tidy your yard: Cut the grass, rake the leaves, add new mulch, trim the bushes, edge the walkways, and clean the gutters. For added curb appeal, place a pot of bright flowers near the entryway.
  • Add a touch of color in the living room: A colored afghan or throw on the couch will jazz up a dull room. Buy new accent pillows for the sofa.
  • Patch holes: Repair any holes in your driveway and reapply sealant, if applicable.
  • Buy a flowering plant and put it near a window you pass by frequently.
  • Remove clutter and clear off counters: Throw out stacks of newspapers and magazines and stow away most of your small decorative items. Put excess furniture in storage, and remove out-of-season clothing items that are cramping closet space. Don’t forget to clean out the garage, too.
  • Set the scene: Set the table with fancy dishes and candles, and create other vignettes throughout the home to help buyers picture living there. For example, in the basement you might display a chess game in progress.
  • Replace heavy curtains with sheer ones that let in more light: Show off the view if you have one.
  • Accentuate the fireplace: Lay fresh logs in the fireplace or put a basket of flowers there if it’s not in use.
  • Make the bathrooms feel luxurious: Put away those old towels and toothbrushes. When buyers enter your bathroom, they should feel pampered. Add a new shower curtain, new towels, and fancy guest soaps. Make sure your personal toiletry items are out of sight.
  • Send your pets to a neighbor or take them outside: If that’s not possible, crate them or confine them to one room (ideally in the basement), and let the real estate practitioner know where they’ll be to eliminate surprises.
  • Lock up valuables, jewelry, and money: While a real estate salesperson will be on site during the showing or open house, it’s impossible to watch everyone all the time.
  • Leave the home: It’s usually best if the sellers are not at home. It’s awkward for prospective buyers to look in your closets and express their opinions of your home with you there.