* Clean and uncluttered is the most important thing, since it is free to do! Put away most of your personal items & photos, and take down animal trophies and artifacts that might offend a buyer. You may be proud of the 5-point buck
trophy and taxidermic mountain lion in your living room,
but many buyers will be put off by it.

* Walk around the house. Do you have a lot of spider webs in the eaves? If so, consider power-washing the outside walls & eaves for spiders and dirt, and repaint the eaves and trim if necessary. The more clean, clear, and open you can present your home, the better. (In fact, you should try to enjoy occasional trips to the local landfill. My husband just loves taking loads to the dump–I think it gives him a cleansing feeling.)

* Brighten & enlarge living spaces using sunlight,
lighting, and paint. If you have dark walls or loud wallpaper, I suggest painting over it all with a light, neutral tone. And if you have acoustic (“popcorn”) ceilings, it would do wonders to scrape it off, retexture smooth, and paint. Also, if you have a small dark interior room, such as a bathroom, a Solatube is an inexpensive alternative to a skylight.

* The easiest way to stage a home for dramatic
transformation is with furniture, so find or borrow
brighter, newer, more size-appropriate furniture if need
be. And be sure to remove obstructions to vision and movement.

Clean, purge, brighten, neutralize…that’s the ticket!