Create a selling sheet. Whether working with a real estate agent or not, a selling sheet helps you get the word out about home features that don't always make it into real estate listings. You know what you loved most about your home, and a selling sheet provides you or your real estate agent with specific talking points. You can put the sheet in neighborhood mailboxes, post it online or on bulletin boards. Plus, it puts you on par with home builders who get buyers excited with brochures listing their homes' amenities.

What should you include in your selling sheet?

• A 65 to 100-word description of your home. Include three to five highlights that describe the best features about your home (think about why you loved living there). Does the master bedroom get morning sunshine? Does the home have a country kitchen? Or a chef's kitchen with an island? Is the living room spacious? Is there a picture window, an English garden?, a private deck? The only criteria to use is honesty; you don't want to disappoint buyers once they see your home!
  
  
• A point form list of construction and maintenance features. Take credit for the money you've invested in your home! List upgraded windows, extra insulation, energy efficient appliances, a large hot water heater or new furnace, new siding, a recently replaced roof or energy efficient appliances. Include manufacturer's brand names if prestigious. Include utility costs and taxes if they're low, and any landscaping features.
  
  
• A few photos of your house. Outdoor photos are best taken in late spring, summer or fall, on a sunny day with the sun at your back. Take indoor photos with drapes open, and as much natural light as possible. Remove all visible clutter, including patterned pillows and blankets to make rooms look larger. Take lots of photos and choose from the best. Use a wide-angle lens (it makes a BIG difference), and a flash inside. Nothing is gloomier than a dark-looking interior.
  
  
• A small-scale floor plan of all the finished interior floors. If you don't have a floor plan you can reduce to fit on a page or less, consider getting a drafting student at a local college to draw one up. Providing them with a sketch with room dimensions, window and door locations will save you money.

1. Plant flowers in the front yard, or cluster a few flower pots on the walk or stairs leading to your door.
   
   
2. Upgrade your mailbox and house numbers.
   
   
3. Park the car(s) in the garage or on the street whenever possible, and especially during viewings. A long,
   empty driveway makes both the house and the lot look more spacious.
   
   
4. Make sure the front door is freshly painted and the doorbell working. Consider a contrasting paint color for the door - a deeper version of a color used elsewhere on your home's exterior or a complementary color. (Check our room design search page for great color combinations that work with what you already own).
   
   
5. Upgrade your front door knob hardware with a sleeker, larger version in a brushed finish.
   
   
6. Add an attractive simple door mat... not too cute, just a simple coir or sisal mat works nicely.
   
   
7. Keep your lawn cut and flower beds de-weeded. Cut back any shrubs that block the view of your house. Too many shrubs make a home look smaller.
   
   
8. Put away toys and lawn ornaments. If you've got a patio or deck, make it look inviting. If you've got an attractive umbrella, keep it up when weather permits, and arrange the deck furniture like you're getting ready to entertain.
   
   
9. Take the holiday lights down; use one or two flood lights on the house instead.
   
   
10. Keep your porch light on at night, and your drapes slightly open. A home looks more inviting when we can see warm lights... and life inside.

1. Remove everyday clutter and small ornaments... papers, dried flowers and toys. Shelves filled with small ornaments make a house feel small and crowded. Clearing the kitchen counter makes a kitchen look bigger and implies more counter space. Hide all the trash cans; they're unattractive and claim valuable real estate. The idea is to make your space look as big as possible with as little as possible in it.
   
   
2. Remove personal and private items that others might not love as much as you... photos, travel souvenirs, kid's drawings, medicine, laundry, favorite sports team logos, pets and pet food dishes etc..
   
   
3. Play up light - natural and artificial. Paint the underside of porch canopy white... replace heavy drapes with white or light cotton versions on a single rod... add extra lamps in your rooms and keep them on to make rooms look more spacious.
   
   
4. Clean bathrooms and kitchens. In the kitchen, keep nothing on your counters but a few attractive storage canisters. Remove all magnets, photos and papers from the fridge door, and remove bulky counter appliances while your house is being shown. Consider quick facelift ideas such as new streamlined cabinet hardware. In the bathroom, remove counter clutter and exchange fancy bath curtains for translucent or clear ones. If your tile and grouting is dirty and can't be cleaned, consider replacing the tile or installing a tub surround.
   
   
5. Create more visual space by scouring every room for anything you can take out - small pieces of furniture, too much furniture, extra chairs around a table (four or even two chairs will make a small dining area look bigger than six), waste paper baskets, hampers and unused clothing from your closet. Opt for larger rather than smaller accessories - put a single large platter on the coffee table rather than lots of small things.

Aside from vigorously cleaning up, clearing clutter, and having your best home staging techniques in place, there's a few things you can do on the day of your open house to make visitors feel instantly at home. These home selling tips make the effort of an open house pay off:

• Get rid of any unpopular smells... ethnic cooking, ash trays and pet smells are most disliked. Don't cook anything with a lingering smell within 24 hours of your open house. Take out the garbage in every room and remove cat litter and pet food. Avoid air fresheners; they tend to imply the cover-up of a worse smell. Instead use a drop of a strong odor-remover (like Nilodor) in any room with a stubborn smell.
  
  
• Create natural, welcoming house smells, including fresh baked bread or cookies in the kitchen, a wood-burning fire if there's a fireplace, fresh flowers, the scent of fresh laundry in bedrooms and laundry rooms, and the smell of clean fresh soap in the bathroom. Be careful with scented candles - not everyone will like the same scent you do. Stick with unscented candles unless they're seasonally appropriate, like pumpkin or apple scents in fall, or pine scents at Christmas.
  
  
• Make your rooms look as bright as possible. Play up the natural light by completly opening the drapes. Turn on all the lamps, even during the daytime and use candlelight and warm lamp lighting in windowless bathrooms.
  
  
• Leave a radio softly playing in the bedroom; it has the calming effect of a luxury hotel room. Keep it tuned to a classical, light jazz or easy listening station. Plug in a small water fountain in your bedroom, patio or a relaxed seating area with lots of natural light. If you've got a home theater or large screen TV in a family setting, play a popular movie.
  
  
• Leave a plate of fresh-baked cookies on the kitchen counter. In the winter, have the coffee maker full of good quality coffee. In the summer, leave out a pitcher of lemonade filled with fresh lemon slices, an ice bucket and glasses, all on an attractive tray in the kitchen
  
  
• Add home staging touches that look inviting.... Light the fireplace.... Set the table with your finest china and placemats (don't overdo it - two or four place-settings will make the room look more spacious than a table full of dishes).... turn on the lamps... add a vase of fresh flowers in the dining room... make up the master bed like they do in luxury hotels - with a white comforter pulled back part way and four clean white pillows stacked in front of the headboard...
  
  
• Take your pets with you during the duration of the open house.