When a buyer pulls into the driveway, you want them to say, "Wow." If your home looks welcoming on the outside, you shouldn't have any trouble getting a buyer inside. Cut the grass, trim the hedges, rake those leaves, sweep the sidewalks, and power-wash the driveway. An inexpensive way to spruce up the exterior of a home is to hang flowers (just make sure to keep them alive).

A buyer can't fall in love with your property if he can't see it. Pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms. Buyers can't see past personal artifacts, and you don't want them to be distracted. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls, and they can't do that if yours are there. You don't want to make any buyer ask, "I wonder what kind of people live in this home?" You want buyers to say "I can see myself living here."

If you want to take window coverings, built-in appliances, or fixtures with you, remove them now. If the chandelier in the dining room once belonged to your grandmother, take it down. If a buyer never sees it, they won't want it. Once you tell a buyer they can't have an item, they will covet it, and it could blow your deal. Pack those items and replace them, if necessary.

You may not be bothered by missing drawer pulls and cracked tiles, but to a buyer, those types of minor defects may suggest a lack of attention to routine maintenance. Before you put your house on the market, make sure you: replace the cracked floor or counter tiles, patch holes in walls, fix leaky faucets, fix doors that don't close properly and kitchen drawers that jam, and consider painting your walls neutral colors, replace burned-out light bulbs... etc.

Buying a home is often the biggest purchase of your life. No one wants to spend all that hard-earned money on something that is dingy and dirty. Wash windows inside and out. Clean out cobwebs. Re-caulk tubs, showers, and sinks. Polish chrome faucets and mirrors. Clean out the refrigerator. Vacuum daily. Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades, and light fixtures.