Some essential tips for selling your home:

• Curb appeal is essential.  You may not be able to change your location, but you can present your home’s exterior at its best.  Trim your bushes and keep your yard tidy.  Consider painting if necessary.  The porch light and doorbell should be in working order.
  
  
• Store some furniture or bulky items, or “stage” your home in order to make it appear more spacious to prospective buyers.
  
  
• Consider repainting interiors walls if you have bright or strong colors.  Neutral colors, such as beige or white, tend to show better.  Also, paint over walls where paint has become stained or deteriorated to show that the house has been well maintained.
  
  
• Remove clutter, knickknacks and keepsakes (don’t forget the kitchen counters).  This also helps to make your home seem more spacious, and a side benefit is that it helps to give you a head start on packing.
  
  
• Clean and organize the garage.  Have the door closed prior to the showing.
  
  
• Fix everything that needs fixing.  For example, fix leaky faucets and showers; they may only be unnoticeable background noise to you, but prospective buyers will recognize them immediately.
  
  
• Replace old or worn doorknobs and cabinet handles.  Tighten loose knobs. 
  
  
• Clean, clean, clean!!!  Wash your windows to let the sun shine in.  Hire a cleaning service if this is not your thing.
  
  
• Pack as much as you can from your closets, in order to show off their size.
  
  
• Turn on all the lights and open all the curtains.  The exception to this is if the view out is not a selling point.
  
  
• Put away the mail, the toys, the laundry (dirty or clean), the dishes and empty the garbage.
  
  
• Consider fresh flowers, candles or potpourri.  Remove signs of a smoker and pets (if possible).
  
  
• Make sure your environment is comfortable:  cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
  
  
• Be away if possible, and take your pet with you.  Buyers are uncomfortable if the seller is present.  If this is not possible, try to stay in the background and have your pet(s) in a kennel, the backyard or somewhere out of the way.
  
  
• Add some finishing touches:  set out a bowl of fruit, throw a blanket over the back of a recliner, fan some magazines on the coffee table, and turn on some soft background music.  Try to make your house feel homey and inviting.

The bottom line is that the “feel” of your home is crucial.  Take as much time as you are able to present your home in its very best light.  First impressions are critical and may be the only chance you get.