One of the many tasks you will be doing when you sell your home is to show it off. Showing it off is more than a fresh coat of paint and nicely trimmed hedges. Its also about making sure that the interiors look just as pleasing as the exteriors.

When youre house is up for showing, make sure that you remove all the cutesy-clutter that makes your house a home. None of those refrigerator magnets made by your grand child, and remove the collection of Christmas cards youve amassed through the years. Keep the accessories to a few, generic, non-personal pieces (think: vases, lamps, flowers). Pull back the drapes too and let in some light. Unless your buyer is Morticia Adams, dark interiors will not make your buyers reach for their check books.

Its also important that you deodorize! Make sure that the puppy aroma of your pet and the smell of the tobacco your grandfather loves to puff are not noticeable. To combat these odors, days before your showing, remove the puppy (and since you cant remove grandpa) and the cigars from the premises and ventilate the house. Prior to the arrival of potential guests, on the pretext of preparing munchies for potential buyers, bake a batch of fresh cookies and brew a pot of coffee. Not only will these mask whatever existing undesirable odour there is in your home, these aromas are known to induce bouts of spending.

Finally, it helps if you have brochures or little leaflets highlighting the best assets of your house handy. Have them sign your guestbook, not so you can harass them into buying your house, but only so you can send them little thank you notes for considering your home to be their next residence.

You may not sell your home to these people, but you would, most definitely, create a lasting impression. Who knows, you may have lost a buyer, but gained a friend.