1. Curb Appeal. Many buyers will sell themselves on your house based on first impressions as they drive up the street, (Curb Appeal). You can enhance curb appeal by making sure the lawn is mowed, the bushes are trimmed, and the flower beds are neat and tidy. Chipped or peeling paint should be touched up, especially near the entrance of the home.
2. Make the inside look new. Paint is fairly cheap and will brighten up a room dramatically. Also, choose light neutral earth tones.
3. Make Cosmetic Repairs. Cracked windows, holes in the walls, and chipped tiles all send the wrong message to a potential buyer. Things you may tend to overlook on a daily basis are the things buyers seize on. The buyer is going to assume that if there are many flaws that can be seen, then there may be even more serious flaws that can't be seen.
4. Let in as much light as possible. Open all the curtains. Turn on lights throughout the house (even during the day). If necessary, increase the wattage of the lightbulbs in the lamps to provide more light.
5. Get rid of the clutter. Get as much as possible out of the house. You want every room to shout "There's plenty of room here for your stuff!"
6. Kitchens and Bathrooms absolutely must be spotless. Shelves and countertops must be clean and well organized. Also, assume that someone might look inside a medicine cabinet or drawer. If there is anything you don't want on public display, get rid of it. Prescription medications should also be put in a safe location.
7. Remove some of your possesions. Again, the idea is to make your home look as roomy as possible. The more of "your" stuff that is in view, the harder it is for potential buyers to see how they would live in the house.
8. Put your pets somewhere else. Dogs can especially be a problem, and should be moved somewhere else, preferably to another part of town. Why? Barking dogs, friendly cats, and loveable pot bellied pigs can interfere with the buyer's ability to see the house. Also neighbor's house may not be the best option. If your dog senses that there are strangers wandering through your house, it might start barking. That will leave buyers thinking that there is a loud dog in the neighborhood.
9. Bad smells kill deals. It is worth your money to make sure your house is clean and odor free. Pet smells, urine on carpet, cigarette smoke, things you might not even notice will attack the senses of visitors. Use air fresheners if need be.
10. Leave. Yes, you. As soon as I arrive to supervise your open house, you should pack the kids in the car and go somewhere. Once you have prepared your home for the open house, leave it up to me to handle the rest.
