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Preparing Your Home

First Impression

Go across the street and take a long, hard, objective look at your home. Is the lawn in good condition? Is the paint flaking off in spots? Does your house look better or worse than the ones next door? You want your house to pop out from others in your neighborhood. Adding flowers and landscaping is a great way to invest in your home's resell potential. Remember to keep lawns mowed in the summer and walks shoveled in the winter!

Personal Story: One of the first homes I ever bought was in Vermillion, South Dakota while I was in college. My agent drove me by a house that had an overgrown lawn, a horrendous paint job and a terrible roof. I immediately said "SKIP THIS ONE!" but my agent encouraged me to see the interior. When I went inside I was sold. The owner had remodeled the entire interior and it was so charming and elegant (and only a block from campus) that I immediately wrote up an offer. Luckily, we were in a small town and my agent was familiar enough with the market to know the potential this dumpy little house had on the inside. (We did have to re-shingle the roof but we did it ourselves in our younger, more agile days!)
Entrance
When buyers enter your home, they typically decide on the spot whether or not they will consider purchasing it based on their sensory perception of it. Make sure you rid the house of any upleasant odors (i.e. smoke, pet, mildew). There are services here in Rapid City that can safely and affordably deodorize your home. Neutral scented candles (vanilla or cinnamon) are always a good idea to burn before you are expecting buyers.
Bedrooms
Make your beds every morning and hide away your dirty clothes. You simply never know when someone might pop over to view your home.
Bathrooms

Always keep the toilet lid closed and wipe away water spots from the counter and faucets before leaving the house. Buyers like to check water pressure so keep your tub/shower as clean as possible! Packing away your daily toiletries is also a good idea to keep the bathroom looking as large as possible.
Kitchen

Make a point to put dirty dishes directly into the dishwasher. If you don't have a dishwasher, try to keep your sink as clean as possible at all times. If you really don't have time to handwash your dishes, at least rinse them off and stack them neatly in the sink. Pack away unused items in your kitchen cabinets so they look neat and organized when buyers open them up. Clear off those magnets, cartoon clippings, and other miscellaneous items from your refrigerator.

Clean your appliances (even if they are not being sold with the house)! A buyer will assume that if you've cared for your appliances and kept them clean, then you've also cared for your house and kept it clean and in good repair.
Living Room/Family Room
Remove oversized pieces of furniture if they make the room look too crowded. Pack away clutter and family photos - even if you have the cutest family in the world. The truth is that the more de-personalized your home appears, the faster it will sell. Organize your desk and put away all personal financial books and papers.
Closets
Go through every closet in the house and pack away unused or seasonal items. Neatly organized closets give the appearance of a clean, well-kept home.
Lighting
Consider keeping basements and/or other dark areas lit whenever you leave the house, especially if the light switch is hard to find - like a pull cord in the middle of a dark room. Nobody likes walking into dark, closed spaces so keep every room of the house bright, cheery and welcoming.
Laundry
Nobody is perfect and nobody expects you to always have your laundry cleaned, folded and put away. Just make sure you don't let dirty laundry pile up or give off an odor. Try to keep everything neatly sorted into no more than 2 laundry baskets.