10 tips to follow prior to placing your home on the market:

1.) Take a good look at the outside of your home. Freshen up the flower beds with mulch and tidy up any shrubs. Clean up any moss on your home or on your driveway and sidewalks. Pay special attention to clutter in your yard and around the entrance.

2.) Take care of cosmetic details. Paint the interior and exterior of your home where needed. Finish all repairs you have been putting off. Tighten up loose hardware and clean carpets, floors, window treatments, cabinets and windows.

3.) Consolidate and eliminate clutter. You want buyers to focus on your home, not your belongings. Countertops should be clear and clean. (Put your Kleenex, toaster, salt and pepper shakers, hair brush, toothpaste, and lotion bottles away.)

4.) Pack away in storage personal items, especially those with religious or political themes. If someone doesn’t share your beliefs (and many won’t) they won’t see themselves living in your home.

5.) Consider furniture placement that highlights the buying attributes of the room. Remove or rearrange furniture so that selling features like built-ins, fireplaces and wonderful views are highlighted.

6.) Make decorating decisions including color and accessories that appeal to the most buyers touring the home and the demographic you are targeting for purchasing your home.

7.) You don’t live in a home the same way you sell it. Your home should be ready for a professional photograph each day your home is on the market. Store away mail, remote controls and excessive magazines.

8.) Eliminate evidence of pets and pet odor. If you need a litter box, kitty scratches, and water bowls, keep them in an industrial area of the home - in most cases not the kitchen or the bathroom. The best alternative is to remove your pet before showings and during open houses.

9,) Lighting sells. Open all blinds and soft window treatments and turn on all your lights before any showings.

10.) Prior to placing your home on the market, consider hiring a professional stager with fresh eyes for your home. You will certainly re-coup the cost: a staged home sells for a higher price and is on the market for half the time.