Drive By Showings: Some Buyers will drive by your home & view the outside before deciding if they want a showing. Other Buyers may schedule a showing, but decide not to go inside once they see the exterior of your house. You dont want to lose these Buyers! Increase your home's curb appeal as much as possible in the below areas.

Lawn & Garden: Try to keep up with your lawn mowing & weeding. Fix any brown spots in your lawn, remove any dead plants, consider whether you need to remove any excessive lawn ornaments. Plant bright flowers that are in bloom, if you have time to keep them watered.

Clean & Repair: Is your mailbox in good shape, are your house numbers visible?  Do you need to repaint/repair/remove any old sheds? Do any fences need repair? Clean up any rubbish. Keep kids & pet's toys confined to one area. Remove any pet waste.

Exterior Walls: Wash your siding or do any necessary touch up painting. If needed, consider having your entire house repainted.

Entry Way: The Buyers will stand here while their agent removes the key from the lock box & unlocks your front door. They will be seeing your house up close for the first time. Make sure they get a good impression. Paint or replace your front door if needed, clean any windows. Make sure that the lock works easily & the door knob is shiny. Does your outdoor lighting work (especially for after dark showings)? Plant a pot of cheerful flowers. Get a luxurious new door mat.

Get Rid of the Extra: Youll be moving soon, so consider de-cluttering to be your prelude to packing. Have a garage sale, donate useable goods to a second hand store, give things away to your friends. Think how much less you will need to pack when you move.

Store What You'll Keep: The more you can get out of your house, the bigger it will seem. Remove non-essential furniture & other items you seldom use by renting a storage locker or storing them with a friend.

Organize Storage Spaces: Buyers will be checking out your home's storage capacity. Organize your closets & cupboards; clean out any storage areas in the basement, garage, attic, or outbuildings; keep kitchen & bathroom counters as clear as possible.

Remove Furniture & Decorations: Walk through your home & consider whether your furniture is arranged to the best advantage. If there is any place where it blocks the flow of traffic or seems so large that it crowds the room, try to rearrange it, or put it in storage.  Is there any place where the decorations or collections might seem too busy or overwhelming in the space? If so, start packing them for your move. You can also seek the advice of a professional home stager to help you with these issues.

Remove your family photos, souvenirs, trophies, etc.

Remove any plaques or welcome signs that have your family name on them. Clear all those papers & magnets off your refrigerator.

If you have any highly personalized decorating schemes, consider removing them & creating a more neutral theme that would appeal to more people.

Repair the Small Things: If the small things in your house are well maintained, Buyers will feel more assured that the big things are too. Make sure that none of your light bulbs are burned out during showings. Fix any leaky faucets. Repair that hole in the window screen or that broken floor tile. Make sure all locks are working & that windows & doors open easily.

Painting: A simple coat of new paint is one of the easiest ways to improve the appeal of a room. Choose colors that will appeal to the most Buyers. Also paint over any stains from previous water leaks that have been repaired.

Update the Decor: Any updates you can inexpensively make to improve your decor will help immensely with the marketability of your home. Consider whether your faucets, fixtures, carpets, flooring, wall coverings, appliances, or other aspects of your decor are outdated & should be replaced rather than being cleaned or repaired. Are your room colors appealing? Do you have wall paper that is too busy? Your Realtor can advise you on current trends.

Prelisting Inspections & Home Warranties: If you don't like surprises, you might consider having your home professionally inspected. Then you will know if any major defects are likely to show up in your Buyer's inspection & you will have a second opinion to which you can compare their inspection report. If you want to help Buyer's feel more comfortable with your home, consider offering a Home Owners Warranty with the sale. It is relatively inexpensive, and insures the Buyer against major repairs for the first year they own the home. Your Realtor can give you an idea of the expenses involved in these options.

Gather the Paperwork: Gather manuals & any warranties on the furnace, water heater, appliances, etc. that will be included with your home & put them in a binder or folder & make it available during showings. Also include any receipts you have that show recent major repairs, such as a roof replacement. This will make Buyer's feel more secure that you have been doing regular maintenance work on your home. And while you are at it, if you can find the Title Insurance that you received when you bought your house, you can save some money on your closing costs too.

Don't Refuse Showings: This may seem obvious, but dont refuse any showings. Your house may not be clean, you may be feeling under the weather, it might just have been a long week. But there are a number of homes on the market at any given time & if a Buyer can't see yours when they request to, they often just move on to the next home & never come back to yours. It's better for Buyers to see your house when it's a bit messy, rather than not see it at all.

Keep Your House Ready Every Day: Most agents will try to request showings at least a day in advance, but sometimes Buyers dont want to wait that long, so it is possible that you will receive some same day showing requests. Do your best to keep your house clean & ready for showings every day.

Leave During Showings: Normally, Buyers will expect you to be gone during a showing. They will be more comfortable viewing your home & discussing it with their agent when you are absent. If you have pets, discuss with your Realtor whether you can or should take them out of your house for showings.

Last Minute Prep before a Showing: If there is time, do some spot cleaning. Wash the dishes, take out the trash, sweep the floors, make the beds. Turn up the heater or air conditioner so that the house feels comfortable. Open the drapes & turn on lights so the house will seem brighter & larger. Fresh flowers can make your home seem more inviting. A table top water fountain is peaceful. Be careful with adding artificial scents, as some people are sensitive to them.