First impressions count with buyers. In today's age of consumerism, every buyer is a comparative shopper. A small investment in time and money, can give your home a solid advantage over other properties. So by paying attention to detail now, can enhance the perceived vale later. The following are some suggestions for preparing your home to show.

Creating a Buying Atmosphere

• Turn lights on
• Turn the air conditioner on in warm weather
• Turn the heating and/or fireplace on in cooler weather
• Open the drapes
• Play music softly in the background

Get Rid of Bad Smells

• Pay attention to pet or cigarette odours
• Place scented potpourri around the house
• If you are able to …pop a batch of frozen cinnamon rolls or homemade bread into the oven for a great aroma
  

Exterior

• House in good repair
  
• House number easy to read
  
• Eaves troughs, down spouts and soffits in good repair
  
• Garage/car port clean and tidy
  
• Litter picked up
• Cracked or broken window panes replaced
• Lawns and hedges cut and trimmed, garden weeded and edged
• Walks shovelled and salted
• Boot tray inside front door
• Doorbell and door hardware in good repair
• Porch and foyer clean and tidy
  

Interior

• Chipped plaster and paint touched-up and replaced
• Doors and cupboards properly closed
• Leaky taps and toilets repaired
• Burned out light bulbs replaced
• Squeaky doors oiled
• Mirrors, fixtures, and taps cleaned and polished
• Seals around tubs and basins in good repair
• Floors cleaned, garbage containers empty
• Inside of closets and cupboards neat and tidy
• Appliances cleaned
• Countertops neat and polished
• All lights turned on
• Air conditioner turned on in warm weather
• Fresh air in house
• Fireplace lit in cooler weather
• Halls and stairs cleaned
• Drapes opened during daylight
• Carpets freshly vacuumed
• Fresh flowers in various rooms
  Jewelry and valuables locked safely away or taken with you
• Valuable property, such as objects of art, vases and figurines out of reach, out of sight, or locked away
• Pets absent, where possible, or contained during the showing, and litter boxes clean

Create Space

• Clear halls and stairs of clutter
• Store extra furniture
• Clear kitchen, bathroom and stove tops
• Clear closets, garage, basement and attic of unnecessary
• Clothing and clutter
• Remove empty and/or extra boxes and containers

General Maintenance

• Repair any leaking taps and toilets
• Clean furnace and filters (replace if necessary and budget permits)
• Tighten all doorknobs, cupboard handles and latches
• Repair cracked plaster
• Touch up paint
• Clean and repair windows (caulk around windows)
• Repair seals around tubs and basins
• Replace all burnt out light bulbs
• Oil squeaky doors
• Repair any squeaks in the floorboards

Squeaky Clean

• Clean and freshen bathrooms (use clean garbage's, fresh towels, potpourri, etc…)
• Clean fridge and stove (inside and out)
• Clean out washer and dryer
• Clean out and around heating vents
• Clean carpets, drapes and windows coverings

At the Front Door

• Clean porch and/or foyer
• Ensure doorbell works
• Repair screen on door
• Repair door locks, knobs and key access
• Replace light bulb(s)