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Declutter, declutter, declutter. Nothing was worse than walking into cluttery houses. Or if they were dirty.

Even if you have to rent a storage room, take out anything that you don't need.

Also fresh cookies in the oven. That made me immediately think twice about a house.

Like @babynumber1 said - make it look like it's a model home or that no one really lives there. You may not think of it as clutter, but the stuff piled under your sink or thrown into the corner of the closet will actually turn away buyers.

Yes, empty it as much as possible. It's hard to visualize turning a house into a home when someone else's stuff is in the way. If you have multiple rooms, make sure each room is clear - this is the living room, this is a bedroom. Limit the half rooms - home office/ guest bedroom. Subconsciously may read as "not enough space". Keep it clean, both dust/ dirt wise and color wise. Loud colors? Neutralize. And make a habit of constantly picking up. If you're selling in a hurry, it means showing the house at all hours so be ready and febreeze often.

Great price, lots and lots of pictures (with no clutter in them), be ready to show immediately and at buyer's convenience. If you have large furniture items that dominate rooms (large dining table that takes up the majority of the dining room, multiple full size sofas, etc.) trade those in as much as you can for smaller pieces - makes your rooms look larger!

I also think a great tagline and ad content helps to set your place apart from the other homes for sale.

I also suggest cleaning and decluttering. A fresh coat of paint can go a long way too. If you have any minor repairs like a leaky faucet fix those. Small updates can go a long way to make your home feel fresh to buyers. For example if your switch plates are cream change them to white. Emptying and organizing closets and cabinets make them feel larger and are more appealing.

Have your realtor go through and identify any problem areas or things that might decrease value. We worked on those prior to putting it on the market. We also moved furniture into the garage and put most of the toys in the garage too. Once we were on the market, every day I put away the high chair and other baby stuff. It was a showcase! We really enjoyed having it that clean, but it also took it's toll mentally. We sold in a month.

Clean, clean, clean! I've never sold a house, but as a recent buyer, dirty and cluttered houses turned me off. It was hard for me to see past other people's stuff if the house was super dirty or cluttered. Also, if you have dogs, make sure you pick up the poop in the yard. Nothing is worse than having dog poop on your shoe and seeing it all over the yard.

A good price and great pictures will get people in the door.

Declutter, depersonalize, and clean! Make it easy for people to visualize themselves in your house.

Also make sure your house has curb appeal - plant new flowers, mulch flower beds, make sure your lawn is well maintained, etc.

If you have any projects that you need to complete (minor repairs, cosmetic issues, etc, take care of that ASAP)!

@MrsBrewer: our cleaning crew charged $250 for a monthly cleaning. Our place is 1900 sq feet. We opted for more expensive monthly cleanings since the cleaning disrupts the house a bit. It doesn't include several things like the fridge, etc. But if it's the first time for a crew to come to your house it might be a bit more.

Yes, I forgot about photos - we packed up so many pictures for our open houses. Also took stuff out of our closets. Take away extra decorations - throw blankets, too many throw pillows, too many bed pillows, etc. Take extra coats out of closet. You name it, we took it away!

@MrsBrewer: Do you have any family that your pets can stay with? It's a pain, but its much easier to show a house without pets. When I sold my condo, my dog went to live with my parents for a few weeks. People are weird about animals. If you have pets, I definitely recommend getting your carpet professionally cleaned to eliminate any odors that may exist.

@Mrs. Jacks: That's a great idea!! We did the same thing. The realtor was able to tell us where it was smart to put some money in, and were we could find work arounds.

I would declutter as others said. I kind of disagree on family photos. I think a few are nice. When we were buying our house, I liked seeing the nice family that lived there, how they used the space, etc. If you have carpets I would consider ripping them up if you have hard wood underneath. I hate to think of living on other people's carpet. And make it smell nice! Simmer apple cider with cloves on the stove!

@MrsBrewer: I wouldn't worry too much about the kitchen since you obviously put so much effort into it. If for some reason you weren't having to move, you'd have painted it for nothing. However, be mindful of the comments of the people coming into the house and your/their realtor's feedback. If they say the kitchen is what turned them off, perhaps tone it down. Until then, just make sure you don't have like... puce with teal. That sort of thing.

@MrsBrewer: I think they pick it up as soon as you are done loading it. So, it wouldn't stay on your property.

@MrsBrewer: <333 favorite picture ever haha!