SELLING A HOME

Preparing your home for marketing

What should I do to prepare my house to show?

Making your home look as nice as possible may seem obvious. Apparently, it's not, because many sellers don't do much beyond vacuuming the living room rug and maybe cleaning the ring off the bathtub, says author George Devine. Short of  spending a lot of money, Devine offers several steps people can take to make their home show better:

• Wipe down the walls, especially if you have kids leaving those sticky finger marks all down the passage ways  
• Sweep the sidewalk, mow the lawn, prune the bushes,weed the garden and  clean debris from the yard.
• Clean the windows (both inside and out) and make sure the paint is not chipped or flaking
• Clean, tidy and make attractive all rooms, furnishings, floors, walls and ceilings. It's especially important that the bathroom and kitchen are spotless.
• Organize closets.
• Make sure the basic appliances and fixtures work. Get rid of leaky faucets and frayed cords.
• Ensure that the house smells good: maybe an apple pie, cookies or bread baking. Hide the kitty litter.
• Put vases of fresh flowers throughout the house.
• Pleasant background music is a nice touch.