You want the buyers' tour of your home to be pleasant, exciting and productive.

In order to show of your home to its best possible potential, you will need to frankly assess its appearance and condition.   Take the time to look thoroughly at the exterior, the grounds, the garage, and every room.  Ask yourself if there's anything you've missed or that can be done to improve the overall look and appeal of the house.  Cleaning and straightening up are essential.  Also, small amounts of money spent on repairs and improvements can make a difference, and that difference frequently results in sales.

The following is a checklist of potential problems and helpful hints:

• Repair shutters, exterior trim, gutters, and downspouts.
• Paint your front door and mailbox if necessary.
• Replace or repair torn screens and cracked windows.
• Cut and edge the lawn regularly.  Trim all bushes, and remove all noticeable weeds.
• Paint hallways and rooms that look dingy, and steam clean or replace stained or badly worn carpeting.
• Replace missing tiles in bathrooms and tile floors.
• Clean the basement and garage thoroughly.   Neatly place things in boxes, if you don't have enough built-in storage space.   Then stack boxes in one area.
• Repair or replace any loose knobs, sticking doors and windows, dripping faucets, etc.
• Make closets look bigger by removing clothing and items that you are not currently using - such as out-of-season clothing.  Pack these items away for your move.
• Make sure all lights are working - particularly in basements, garages, closets, and outdoors.  Bright light shows off areas better, and is more cheerful and appealing as well.
• Remove items from kitchen and bathroom counters that you don't use all of the time.  The counters appear bigger and cleaner.
• Have clean, neatly folded towels in the bathrooms, dishes done and put away, beds made, and table surfaces neat.
• Open all draperies and blinds.
• Turn off all appliances that make noise, such as the TV, stereo, dishwasher, etc., so that buyers won't be distracted or annoyed.
• Keep pets and children at a distance and clean up after them.
• Avoid having any people or animals present during showings so that buyers can visualize the home as their own.