With Joanne McKeage's and Coldwell Banker's Global Exposure and Local Expertise... get ready to become... Popular!

When you decide to sell, I will be your advocate, your guide, keep you informed and be your fierce negotiator to get the most for your home and make it a stress-free selling experience.

1. Finish the "honey do" list. Just about every homeowner has a string of little repairs that never quite get done. Now's the time. Stuff that you've long since stopped noticing could be shouting 'deferred maintenance' to potential buyers.  Address any and all repairs before you put your house on the market.  A home in good condition will get more $ and sell faster than a home in disrepair.

2. Get inspected. A pre-sale inspection can help in two ways. People want a perfect house. I sometimes see buyers renegotiating repairs. Professional inspections can identify problems that could potentially delay or thwart a closing. And if there are no major problems an inspection can publicize that fact to skittish buyers. Having an inspection report on the counter shows potential buyers that you've got nothing to hide.

3. Pack up the clutter. 'Clutter eats equity'.  Too much stuff makes rooms look smaller and focuses buyers' attention on on your possessions rather than the home.  Clean out closets to make them look larger.

4. Depersonalize and neutralize. The first items that should go in those packing boxes: family photos, collections and just about anything that says "you". Streamline your artwork and consider toning down bold decorating statements.  Buyers have a hard enough time envisioning how their stuff will look on your walls.  By neutralizing your deco, you can help give them the blank canvas they need to imagine your house as theirs.

5. Clean like a fiend.  I mean Q-Tip clean! You'll need to banish suspect smells as well.  Scouring fingerprints from all the switch plates, on and around door handles, cleaning windows and baseboards.  Place a few scented candles or vanilla scented plug-in air fresheners as that adds a pleasant sensation to the experience when viewing your home.  Your going to have to do this when you move so why not do it now so buyers can see a clean, well maintained, fresh smelling home.  Look at your home through a buyer's eyes as it you were buying your home. 

6. Stage the rooms. Stand in the doorway to find each room's focal point, and use furniture placement to highlight that. You should remove any extraneous pieces of furniture, but you may be able to "repurpose" them in another room.  Again, remember that less is better and helps to make rooms appear larger.

7. Tend to the floors. Keeping them spotless won't help if their dated, worn or impossibly stained. You shouldn't spend a fortune installing hardwood or tile, though, since you're unlikely to recoup the cost. Look for compromises that can improve the home's appearance without busting your wallet. If the damage to a tile floor is limited, for instance, replacing a few tiles and regrouting might do the trick.

8. Kick up the curb appeal. By now, you probably realize the garden gnomes are a no-no. But you may not realize how many sales you're losing before potential buyers even get to the front door. Most people will start their search for a home on the Internet. If your house's Internet photo doesn't 'wow' them, they might never call for a showing. That's why your front landscaping needs to be in perfect condition.

9. Pick the right publicist. If you're working with an agent, you'll want one who can really sell.  That means somebody who knows your neighborhood intimately and who's enthusiastic about your home. That also means someone other agents want to work with.

10. Set the price right. One of the most important thing that can help you sell your home is pricing.  As markets cool, a too-high asking price can lead to a home being shunned by agents and buyers. A seller may think she's just testing the market, assuming buyers will at least make an offer, but buyers may assume she's unreasonable and move on. Your goal should be a fair price - something that's reasonable given the price of other homes in your area. Buyer's who are actively searching for a fairly-priced home will pounce on what they perceive is fair value.