Get the House Ready to Show

Most houses need a little spiffing up before they are shown to potential buyers. Great curb appeal, fresh paint indoors (and sometimes out), organized closets and cabinets, clean windows and appliances, and a clutter free atmosphere are essential if you want the house to appeal to buyers. Your agent will help you decide what should be done or changed. As a rule of thumb, too many distractions (furniture, decorations, clutter) will make a negative impact on a potential buyer. Open space maximizes the square footage of the house and visually makes the house seem bigger than its actual size.

Its also a good time to think about stowing away valuables, prescription medicines and personal information. Although agents do their best to observe clients and open house guests, sometimes a few undesirable characters make it through. This is not usually the case however, but keeping temptation at a minimum is wise.