Written: 12/29/2006

Selling a home can be an overwhelming task for many people, but it doesn't have to be an impossible task. Depending on the market conditions a sale may take longer than expected, but some minor improvements to the house can significantly increase the speed of a sale, or push the sale price up.

1. Clean the house. You don't have to make it completely spotless because many sellers will continue to live in the house while it is being sold, but it should be presentable when the agent brings potential buyers to your residence. A regular vacuuming, dusting, and straightening up will suffice for most people, but it won't hurt to deep clean as much as possible (most buyers won't ever see the dust under the fridge though).
   
   
2. Box up as much as possible. If you can begin packing your possessions up and place them in your garage, storage, or in the closets you should. It will not only clear up the space in your house, but it will make your house appear bigger. You don't have to sleep on inflatable furniture, but some of the side tables by the couches that everyone has can always be packed away early. Packing pictures or paintings and fixing the holes in the walls is also a good step to take.
   
   
3. Touch up walls and steam clean floors. You will need to do this before you move out, so if you have done step 2 then this should be an easy task with few pieces of furniture to move. If you can't find the original paint for your walls then you could take a sample to any hardware or paint store and they will use their computer to color match your paint. Steam cleaners can be rented for very little money from many grocery stores, but professional services will be able to get the hardest stain out of the rugs.
   
   
4. Fix any broken appliances that will be staying in the house. Leaking toilets, faucets, and broken garbage disposal units are always a pain for buyers and can come back to haunt a seller if it becomes a legal issue. The best thing to do before selling your house is to fix these problems. You can call a plumber for most of the water issues, but replacing appliances may take some work on your behalf as well. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty and pay the cost because it will provide a greater return in the end with peace of mind and potential money return. Toilets are one of the most common faulty items in a house and new designs have been developed to fix the problems. Your local hardware store will know which toilet is the best but remember that you get what you pay for, so don't be cheap when you use it multiple times a day and it needs to work every time.
   
   
5. Finish those unfinished projects. If you have half a fence, half a back yard, half of your landscaping done, then you should think about getting them done. The value of your house will go up if your property is presentable. Remember, it's not only the house that you are selling, it's the land, the grass, the dirt, and that funny little flower bed that everybody has in their yards. If you don't have time to do the landscaping then you should think about hiring a crew to work on your yard. Many landscaping companies can use your ideas or designs and create a perfect yard for a reasonable price. Want that Koi pond in your back yard? Well they can usually do that too.
   
   
6. Clean your driveway or refinish the surface with tar paint (if it's an asphalt driveway). Your driveway is the entrance to your property. It's the welcome mat if you will. When you have oil all over it the buyer will see that and may be turned off before even seeing your house. You can get nature-safe products designed to clean the oil spills, or you can use some laundry soap (powder) and spread it heavily on the spill to soak it up then use a brush broom and hot water to wash it up. A hot pressure wash will work as well but be careful because a pressure washer can leave lines on your driveway if it's not set properly.
   
   
7. Always say it's the right time for your agent (or your buyer's agent) to show your house. Remember that you're trying to sell your house and buyers are very picky when it comes to big expenses. The more buyers you show to, the more likely you'll be to sell your house. Also, if you turn down a single buyer without them seeing your house, then you could be losing that buyer that wants to pay cash (it does happen).
   
   
8. Make some cookies before the agent shows your house. This is a lesson in psychology. People love the smell of food, especially chocolate chip cookies. It reminds them of their Mom's or Grandma's. They will also be more open to stay in your house and look around if it smells inviting. You don't even have to leave the cookies out, just have the smell lingering, but if you do have a platter of cookies then the agent could talk about the house while the buyer nibbles. This is similar to the phrase ‘never shop for groceries on an empty stomach,' well buyers will undoubtedly be hungry by the time they enter your house. If you don't know how to bake then fragrance companies make cookie fragrances and other pleasant odors (it doesn't always have to be cookies). 
   
   
9. Try not to be at your house when your agent is showing it. The buyers don't want the pressure of the seller telling them why they need to sell the house. We all know that there's a very good reason why the house needs to be sold, but we really don't need that burden on our shoulders when we're buying a home. Being somewhere else also allows the agent to work out the professional business with the buyers alone. The agent can discuss all of the great and bad things about the house alone. A good agent can gloss over the negative aspects of every house and highlight the positives to sell your house fast. You will also get the chance to spend time with your family, going to matinees, eating out, or having the grandparents watch the kids while the grownups spend time out.
   
   
10. Get a good agent with a personality that suits yours, but is also personable to buyers. A good agent is the key to selling your house. If your agent doesn't list your house properly, or doesn't show your house regularly then you may be wasting your time with them. Tell them what you want them to do because they have a standard way of showing houses, but if it's different than what you want then they won't know unless you tell them. Trust what your agent says too because many of them have been in the business for a number of years and know more secrets than what can be described here. An agent wants to sell a house as much as you do, it's not only a job to them it's also their life. Selling your house quickly will not only make you money, but it makes the agent a commission so they should do everything they can to make your house as presentable as possible with your help.