What does your home look like through the eyes of a buyer?

This is an important question to ask yourself when preparing to sell your home. The following checklist will give you an idea of what should be done to your property to ensure it looks its best:

Basement, Attic, Garage

Clean out the attic, basement and garage and dispose of everything you are not going to move.
Make sure there is plenty of light on the stairs to the basement.
If your basement is dark and gloomy, paint the ceilings and walls a light color.
Repair cracks in the basement floor with ready-mix concrete.
Vacuum garage floor and rafters.
Stack items neatly against walls, to make the area look larger.

Kitchen

The kitchen is the most important room in the house; make it bright and attractive. If dull, paint cabinets and put up perky new curtains.
Clean the ventilating hood in the kitchen.
If the kitchen floor is badly worn, put down new flooring. If a single tile is loose, apply heat to the tile with an iron covered with a soft cloth, to soften the adhesive; then replace the tile.
Remove any appliances you keep on your counter (toaster, coffee maker, can-opener, etc.).
Clean counters make the room look larger.
Leave a wonderful smell in the kitchen (i.e., vanilla, cinnamon-apple tea, etc.).

Bathroom

Repair dripping faucets.
Keep fresh towels in the bathroom.
Use special cleaning products to remove stains from toilets, bathtubs and sinks.
Keep sinks and mirrors shining.
If the sink or bathtub drain slowly, unclog them.
Keep a solid deodorizer in the bathroom area
Replace old caulking around bathtubs.

Living Areas

Have all plaster in top shape. Cracks (or nail pops, visible seams in drywall) are easy to fix.
Check ceilings for leak stains. Fix the cause of the damage, then repair the ceiling and repaint.
In painting and re-decorating, stick to conventional white and easy-to-work-with neutrals.
If you have a fireplace, clean it out and lay some logs in it to make it look inviting.
Wash windows and replace any broken glass; make sure all windows will open and close.
Replace burned out light bulbs. Use brighter bulbs.
Be sure every light switch works.
Make the floors shine - clean any creases.