1. Tidy up the grounds, porches, and garage. Unused items that you may no longer notice will catch a visitor's eye and make things look "cluttered."

2. The first area where a buyer will linger will be at your front door! They are busy looking while the Realtor gains admittance. Make this vital first impression a good one. Clean cobwebs, repair screens, sweep the front step, touch up paint where needed. Does the doorbell work? Does the lock work properly?

3. Dress up windows with freshly laundered curtains and clean panes.

4. If small improvements have been intended, do them now! $100 worth of paint may mean $500 more appeal!

5. Kitchens and bathrooms sell houses. Make them sparkle!

6. Don't forget to have all light sockets filled with good wattage bulbs. Illumination is like a welcome sign. The potential buyers will feel a glowing warmth throughout the home when you turn on all your lights for a scheduled viewing.

7. Avoid being present during showings or the potential buyer may feel like an intruder and will hurry through the house. You should do all you can to make the buyer imagine the home as their own.

8. Keep pets out of the way for showings. Some buyers may be annoyed or anxious around animals and some may enjoy them so much that their attention is diverted from the business at hand.

9. Leave showing to the salesperson. He or she knows what the buyer is looking for and will be emphasizing those particular features. It is the Realtor's business to monitor the buyers' responses and deal with important objections.

Keep the home clean, orderly and available for showings! This extra effort will facilitate a timely sale and a pleasant marketplace experience.

Should a homeseller start with an asking price that leaves "room to negotiate"?

Buyers purchase homes by comparison. Our experience suggests they are more likely to make an offer to purchase on a "fairly priced" property than on an over-priced listing. Therefore, if a homeseller asks for more than 5% over the actual market value for the home, one of two things will happen:

• Not much activity. Homeseekers choose not to look at homes priced much beyond their specified price range. Even though you may be open to considering a lower offer, many qualified buyers will never be shown your home because of your asking price.
• Lots of lookers but no offers. Buyers in higher price ranges judge your property as lacking by comparison. This means you get lots of traffic and domestic disruptions and your competing owners get the sale.

A Realtor will consider many factors when recommending a selling price for your property. The most common include:

• Comparative Market Analysis (CMA). A CMA details the prices of similar homes recently sold in your area, as well as homes currently on the market and even homes that did not sell and are no longer on the market.
• Price per Square Foot. Calculating the price per square foot of living area for homes recently sold in your area is a great way to get a feel for the competition.
• Market Trends. Are homes selling quickly in your area? Are prices stable, increasing or decreasing? How many homes comparable to yours are already on the market? Are you in a more-active selling season (typically spring) or attempting to sell in the less-active winter season? These are a few of many questions that your agent can help answer.

It is important to use a Realtor you trust. Integrity, honesty and hard work are required to sell a home. Consult with friends and co-workers to get agent recommendations, then search the Internet and spend some time browsing agent websites to find a few that are worth interviewing. Once you have selected a few, have a conversation with each, making sure you get some questions answered. There are some fundamental things you should ask, including:

• Techniques and strategies the Realtor will use to determine a suggested listing price for your home.
• Marketing resources and techniques such as open houses, Internet web site, street signage, yard brochures, newspaper ads. For example, if you find the Barnhart Associates website a useful resource as a seller, it is likely prospective buyers will as well.
• How long the Realtor has worked in the area.
• Commission rates.
• Ask for references.

Consult reliable and unbiased sources, including:

• The home seller's area of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development website.