How to make sure your house is dressed for selling success.

Before you open your house to the public, whether for an open house or individual tours, make sure it looks good, doesn't present any safety hazards, and that you and your possessions will be protected.

Fixing Up Your Home

You probably don't need to remodel your house in order to sell. After all, you might spend a lot of money and time only to have the buyer completely redo your work. And you may not take in more than you pay out in remodeling fees.

But there are some things you should do. Let's start with the minimum steps you can take to make your house look good.

• Curb appeal comes first. Sweep the sidewalk, mow, prune, and weed the garden, and clear toys and debris from the front areas. Remove cars from the driveway.
  
  
• Buy blooming, potted plants for your front steps -- and take them with you when you move! If you're willing to spend a bit more, landscaping your property (particularly the front yard) yields great returns in home value.
  
  
• Clean the windows inside and out.
  
  
• Touch up any chipped or flaking paint (both exterior and interior).
  
  
• Buy an attractive new welcome mat. Be sure that the doorbell works.
  
  
• Clean, tidy up, and make attractive all rooms and furnishings, floors, walls, and ceilings -- it's especially important that the bathroom and kitchen are spotless.
  
  
• Organize and make free from clutter all closets, cupboards, and surfaces. Box up all but a few knicknacks and family photos -- they can distract potential buyers.
  
  
• Make sure that the basic appliances and fixtures work -- get rid of leaky faucets and frayed cords.
  
  
• Leave window shades up about halfway and turn on a few lights, so there is sufficient -- but not glaring -- light. Trim any trees or shrubs that are blocking the light.
  
  
• Bake an apple pie or cookies, or have spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. Keep some scented pot-pourri in an attractive container in the bathrooms. Hide the kitty litter box.
  
  
• Put vases of flowers throughout the house -- such as on the kitchen or dining room table, the fireplace mantel, and the bedroom dressers.
  
  
• Pleasant (but unobtrusive) background music is a nice touch.
  
  
• Take a hard look at your furniture. A faded old armchair may be better off hidden -- and the room will look bigger without it.