Preparing your home for the sale

1. Tidy the front landscaping. Edge and cut the lawn, trim hedges, maybe add fresh bark mulch, paint house trim, paint front door, weed the driveway, remove debris, remove oil spots.
2. Check the roof and gutters. Remove excess debris and ensure gutters won’t spill with rain.
3. If the fence is loose or falling down in any section, repair it. Fertilize the lawn so it’s green. Tidy play areas, piles of wood, patio equipment etc.
4. Dogs need thought. Outside, remove droppings before a showing and try to repair dig spots etc. Inside, dogs leave a house smelling "doggy" so clean their bed and clean carpets where they lay, and bath the dog. Reptile cages and litter boxes can smell too.
5. Check the front and rear stairs for loose boards, handrails, slippery steps or flaking paint.
6. Old water stain damage on ceilings should be sealed with "Kilz". Before painting a ceiling, consult a paint shop as some older ceilings need to be sprayed or scraped before painting.
7. Clean or replace any bathroom caulking around tub, toilet or flooring. Clean dirty grout areas and seal with a grout sealer. Ensure taps work properly and don’t drip.
8. Make sure the breaker panel, furnace room and crawlspace hatch area are easily accessible.
9. If you smoke, it smells. Clean light fixtures, have the carpets cleaned and deodorized, consider washing walls and blinds, paint ceilings and refrain from smoking in the house until it sells.
10. Clean the windows that people will look out, including the runner channels. Clean and repair window sills if necessary. Replace any glass that is broken, cracked or has failed seals.
11. Replace, repair or remove broken, rusted or damaged blinds or curtain pulls. Also make sure sliding doors roll smoothly and screens are not damaged or frayed.
12. Make sure all lights and switches are working properly with ample wattage. I you have any fixtures that you intend to take, replace them before the buyers start to view the house.
13. Remove to storage any excess and not needed clutter, clothes and even furniture.
14. Wash or paint all walls where traffic has left marks. If the dog’s scratched the drywall, fix it.
15. In the kitchen and bathroom, make sure all cabinet doors close properly and hinges are tight.
16. Make sure closet doors open and close smoothly without jumping the tracks or snagging on the stuff in the closet. De-stuff closets so they look tidy and not overcrowded.
17. Wood fireplaces should be cleaned of ash, fireplace doors (wood or gas) should be cleaned. Cleaning solution is available at stores that sell fireplaces. Wood stove chimneys should be cleaned to remove the creosote smell.
18. Shampoo carpets, especially in high traffic areas. Clean floors, consider replacing old or damaged linoleum in bathrooms, it’s not very expensive to get done.