Your home may not be brand new, but you certainly can make it sparkle! A little elbow grease, some time and taking emotion out of the equation will make your home stand out among it's competitors and will make a sale with favorable terms and price that much more likely. 

First things first: Drive up to your home and look at it from afar. Try and look at it objectively, the way a buyer would see it. Then, systematically go through the items below. Check off items that are free from issues, or have been corrected. Skip sections/questions that do not apply.

Curb Appeal

___ Check the shingles, are any of them missing, or in need of repair?

___ If the gutters are clogged/damaged - clean & repair them.

___ Check windows - make sure frames and seams have solid caulking.

___ Check shutters & screens - Paint if necessary & Mend/replace any torn screens.

___ Squeeky doors? If so oil the door hinges.

___ Sticky/broken locks? Fix them, nothing deters a buyer faster than a difficult door.

___ Remove all toys, equipment & debris from the front & back yard.

___ Remove cobwebs & nests from around the house and property.

___ Remove mildew/moss/stains from the side of your home - use bleach.

___ Remove stains from the walkways/driveway - use concrete cleanser, or kitty litter.

___ Repair & clean patio furniture & deck area. Remove anything that can't be fixed.

___ If you have a pool or spa make sure it sparkles.

___ Go around & touch up the exterior of your home with putty & paint.

___ Clean or paint the front door and mailbox.

___ Powerwash the exterior of your home, especially around entrances.

___ Wash the windows.

___ Wash your garbage can and put it in an out of the way place.

___ Stack the woodpile neatly.

___ Mow the lawn.

___ Trim the trees and shrubs.

___ Weed the gardens.

___ Add colorful plants or foliage to fill in bare spots.

___ Edge the gardens and walkways.

___ Sweep the walkways, porch/stoop and driveway.

___ Replace worn doormats.

___ Shine brass hardware on the doors and light fixtures.

___ Polish stained wood doors and trim. (Murphy's Oil Soap works well)

Now, drive up to your home again - how does it look? Does anything stand out to you? If not move to the interior of your home. Remember, when selling a home you need to put your best foot forward. Keep emotion out of your assesment, and look at it from the eyes of a potential buyer.

Let's start with the basics. A home on the market is not a home that should look like the home YOU have lived in. It should look like the home that a BUYER wants to live in. In other words - a model home. There are some fundamental things that can increasse or decrease a homes desirability. Here are some of the things you should do your very best at.

• Depersonalize every room: Buyers have a hard time imagining living somewhere that so clearly belongs to someone else, and they often feel like an intruder when viewing such a home. You should walk through each room a remove the following from open view: personal photos, shopping lists, report cards on the fridge, scrapbook projects, bills, mail, etc.
• De-clutter:  Stacks of newspapers and magazines, your thimble collection, knick-knacks on every piece of furniture is very distracting to a potential buyer. They will wind up focusing on all your stuff, rather than your home, and when they leave they won't remember your house, and most likely they will miss all the great features your home has to offer. Not to mention, cluttered rooms appear smaller than they actually are.
• Lights: Sunshine provided by mother nature is the world's best decorator! Before a showing walk through every room of your house and open every curtain, blind and shade. Take it one step further and turn on each and every light. (When the buyer leaves turn it back off again). A bright sunny home is ALWAYS preferred by potential buyers. In all my years in this business I've never had a single buyer ask me to find them a dark and gloomy home - not once. However, almost every buyer puts sunny and bright on the top of their wish list.
• Smell: Open windows and air the house out each and everyday your home is on the market. Cooking Smells, Pet Smells, Air Freshener Smells, Smoking Smells can be very off-putting to a potential buyer, especially if they suffer from allergies. Vanilla is the only universally tolerated scent by both males and females, and this smell invokes a sense of Home. If you'd like you can put a few drops of vanilla extract in a cooking pot and warm it on the stove for a few minutes before the buyers arrive (a vanilla scented candle can work too). Other than that I do not recommend air fresheners, scented candles or perfumes of any kind.
• Clean: Scrub, Scrub, Scrub - until you can't scrub no more, and then do it again! Besides light, a clean home will outshine the competition each and everytime.
• Pets: Put pet supplies, toys and dishes in a place where they are not the first thing potential buyers see when they walk into a room. I know your pet's are your best friends (mine are too!), however, a potential buyer might not appreciate a dog jumping on them when they enter your home, and the buyer's could have severe pet allergies. Therefore, keep your pet restricted to the yard (weather permitting) for a showing, or designate a room in the home. This can also keep your pet safe (no risk of running into the street when buyers walk through the door if they are securely in another room).

Now that the general guidelines are out of the way - let's focus on the specifics:

___ Fix loose door knobs, cracked molding, leaky faucets.

___ Remove cob webs.

___ Replace worn or broken cabinet fixtures.

___ Add brighter light bulbs in all your light fixtures

___ Replace missing light switches, or outlet plates.

___ Clean the fireplace.

___ Clean the vents.

___ Clean and organize your closets - buyers want to see that you have ample storage

___ Add a fresh coat of paint in light, neutral colors.

___ Shampoo the carpet, or Clean and wax the floors.

___ Vacuum the window blinds, shades and drapes. Wash or dry clean curtains.

___ Wash all the windows, frames and sills.

___ Store valuables such as jewelry, artwork, medications, cash, coin collections, etc.

___ Discard or repair chipped furniture. Replace worn rugs and pillows.

___ Put toys away.

___ Make sure the entertainment center, TVs, etc. are dust free.

___ Clean out your china cabinet. Polish any visible silver, wash your crystal.

___ Put fresh flowers on the dining table, and set the table for a formal dinner

___ Try to arrange furniture to create a spacious look.

___ Put your best guest towels in the bathroom.

___ Make your grout sparkle!

___ Clean the inside of the refridgerator.

___ Throw out the trash before every showing.