If you are planning to sell your home, there are three important steps you must take before doing anything more than thinking about it. Often, we are tempted to call a realtor right away to get the house listed. This is not always a good idea until you have taken some basic steps.

First of all, go for a nice relaxing walk. That is, around the inside and outside of your home. Carry a pad with you and go to each and every room including the hallways, foyers and bathrooms. And don�t forget the garage and the attic. Take a look around and start to write down what needs to be done to bring the area up to par. Look at the walls. Is the paint or wallpaper in good condition? How are the rugs or flooring clean? Is there visible mold or dirt around? Make notes of everything you see that is not up to speed. Now go outside and walk around the house and the property. Is the exterior paint or siding in acceptable condition? How is the landscape? Is there anything out there that shouldn�t be there? We all have a tendency to collect things and then pile them up somewhere whether it be in the house or outside. Now is the time to make note of them.

So now we are up to the second thing you must do. Go back to each room and area in your home, including outside, and start to de-clutter. It is now the time to throw out what you don�t need. If you decide to sell it on ebay or at a garage sale, then just make sure that it doesn�t come back into your house to create clutter again. If you have things around that are creating clutter but you still want to keep them, then it is the time to pack them away in boxes in preparation for moving. You�ll be one step ahead when it comes time to move. Remember, if you have too many boxes, if may be wise to rent a small storage unit for a short time to get them out of the house.

Now, take a look at your list and go back to each room and area and begin to do those small maintenance items that we all, so easily, forget to do. It could be as simple as a piece of molding coming away from the wall to a piece of rug coming up in a corner to replacing light bulbs. Then again, it can be that the walls are so dull that you need to give them a fresh coat of paint. Make all the necessary repairs as needed. This is the time to do this. Paint is cheap and can be easily done with a roller. The clue here is make it quick and make it simple and don�t spend a lot of money. But make it look good. As far as outside goes, make sure your siding is intact or freshen up the paint. Sometimes, it only takes painting the molding on the outside to make it look good again. Depending on where you live and what time of year it is, make sure your lawn looks healthy.

Finally, go back and clean. Wash the floors and clean the carpets. Don�t forget the windows. Clean the windows inside and out and wash the blinds or shades to give them a fresh look. Then make sure you have clean curtains on the windows if you use them. Make sure the kitchen and the bathrooms are scrubbed clean including appliances. Have all cabinets and closets in good order. Most importantly, keep it that way.

When all of this is done, you can go ahead and call a realtor or if you are selling yourself, begin to show it.
Taking these steps in advance will prevent the realtor from telling you that you need to upgrade the house in order to sell it. No one wants to invest money into a home that they are selling. But if a realtor or home buyer comes into a home and sees a clean and organized home, they most likely will not ask you to do anything further. Most people who are buying a home are looking for something that they can move into right away so that they can change things as they are living there. Make it eye appealing and you will sell your home.

One last thing, bake some cookies when someone is coming by to look at your home. It will give it that cozy comfortable feeling.

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