Remove all personal photos from walls, mantels, shelving, etc. Personal photos only distract the buyer from looking at the house. You want the buyer not only to see all the features of your home but to also have them envision themselves living in the home.

Put your pets up outside. Some people may feel a house lived in by pets is not as well maintained as a home with no pets.

Consider moving some items out of your home into a storage facility or to a friend or family members house when trying to sell your home. This will truly give the rooms a much larger feeling. The rooms will appear much larger to the eye and will look more appealing to a potential buyer. Some items to consider moving could possibly be a loveseat, recliner, desk, end tables, and other medium to large items.

Two great ideas when selling your home are to wet the walkways and driveways about an hour before you expect potential buyers to tour your home, as well as to bake some chocolate chip cookies. People will leave with more favorable thoughts.

Garages, basements and other storage areas must be organized and not over packed with items. Several months before you put your house up for sale, go through your storage. Throw out or donate items that you do not use, if there is still an excess of stuff, consider renting storage and moving items into it.

If you are selling your home yourself (for sale by owner), you may want to request that all of your potential buyers have a pre-approval letter from a qualified mortgage lender before signing an agreement. This ensures that your buyer is actually qualified for a loan to buy your home. Should the buyer "fall out" down the road due to inability to obtain financing, you will have to start again from square one, with a new buyer. Knowing that the buyer can obtain financing helps to prevent you from wasting time with people who aren't even able to buy your home.

Odors can form stronger memories than any other sensory input. At the same time, repeated exposure to an odor makes a person less able to detect it. This means that smells you can't even detect may have a huge impact on potential buyers.
Assume everyone viewing your home is overly sensitive and prepare accordingly.
Try to minimize the area pets have access to and use carpet deodorizer frequently in those areas.
After walls are cleaned, avoid frying garlic, onions or strong smelling meats like bacon.
Open bowls of vinegar are good at absorbing odors. Many commercial deodorizers are also very good.
Lightly scented candles or fresh baked bread give viewers a very favorable impression of your home.

Open blinds or curtains and make sure windows are clean inside and out. Also clean the window sills.
Bright rooms appear larger than dark rooms.
And clean windows and sills are signs of good cleaning nad maintenance that give viewers a favorable impression of your home.

Remember that the outside of your house is the first impression people get when they see your home. Be sure to cut the grass, and get rid of any clutter that you may have in your yard. If your house needs a paint job on the outside, it might be a good idea to go ahead and get one done. A new exterior paint job adds a nice touch to any home, and makes it look newer and more clean. In some cases it can add a few thousand dollars to your home's price.

Make sure all shrubs are trimmed and flower beds free of weeds and the lawn is cut. If you are trying to sell in winter make sure the walkway to your house is free of snow and ice. Not only will this bring more curb appeal to your home it will also eliminate the danger of someone slipping on the ice.

Do not be at home when your house is being shown! This can make the potential buyer nervous, possibly costing you the sale of the house.

Get a head start on packing by packing away knickknacks and other items that aren't needed. You will eliminate clutter and this will make your rooms appear larger and more appealing.

As you reduce your clutter, make sure to increase your lights! Upgrade your bulbs to 100 watt bulbs and let your home shine! Also there seems to be a connection between the smell of fresh paint and a sense of cleanliness. Throwing on a fresh coat of paint will definitely help!