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Keep your kitchen and bathrooms
clean.
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Keep the cat box clean and change the
litter frequently.
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Be vigilant about sweeping and
vacuuming up pet hair.
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Put out nice towels in the bathroom
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Put away your personal items,
treasures, and knick-knacks.
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Put fresh flowers on the dining room
table. In the dreary days of winter or the rainy season, fragrant
blossoms will perk up the room.
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Set up an information station where
you can put flyers about your house, articles about how great the
neighborhood is, and property-condition disclosure forms.
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Leave out a fancy plate or bowl for
the visiting agents' business cards. They leave the card when they bring
buyers through so your real-estate agent knows who came through. Some
agents may call agents they know well and ask for objective feedback
about how things look.
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When your agent calls to schedule a
viewing, arrange to be elsewhere. You'll inhibit the buyers if you're
there, and they won't look as carefully.
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Keep your kitchen countertops
cleared. Find homes in cabinets for things you normally leave out, like
the toaster.
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Don't leave dirty dishes in the sink.
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Decide how you want to handle the
pets. The buyers will want to see the whole house, so you may need to
make arrangements for your dog to be elsewhere.
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Replace any burned-out light bulbs.
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Make sure there is nothing on the
stairs that people could trip on.
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Wipe the handles and
frequently-touched surfaces on the refrigerator, the stove, and the
oven.
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Shake out the rugs by the doors.
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Don't take it personally if your
real-estate agent makes a suggestion that you don't like. The agent
knows what works, and whatever the suggestion is, it's temporary!
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Be sensitive to smells in your house.
Your buyers will pick up on them immediately. Use boxes of baking soda
or mild air fresheners while you find the source of the smell and deal
with it.
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Keep a roll of store-bought
refrigerated chocolate-chip cookie dough and bake five or six slices
while you're double-checking the house. Put the baking sheet in the
dishwasher and take the cookies with you.
