TEN TIPS FOR SHOWING YOUR HOME

1. Choose an experienced real estate sales professional who knows your neighborhood. The real estate person you chose is
critical to establishing market value, showing frequency, handling complicated financial details, effective advertising and guiding
the sale through the maze of title and escrow procedures. The right real estate person will mean a faster sale at a higher price.

2. Know how much financing you can afford to "carry back". Buyers frequently want the seller to help finance the sale.
Analyze your financial situation and be prepared to take back paper if the sale price is right.

3. Cosmetics are crucial. Spruce up the property. Add color to the garden. Paint when necessary with neutral colors. 
Use air fresheners. Be sure everything is neat and tidy.

4. Don’t hide problems. Tell your real estate agent all about the home - good and bad. 
Let your professional decide how to handle the negatives and feature the positives.

5. Repairs can make a big difference. Loose knobs, sticking doors and windows, warped cabinet drawers and 
minor flaws detract from home value. Have them fixed.

6. Let the sun shine in. Open draperies and curtains and let prospects see how cheerful your home can be.
(Dark rooms are typically not appealing.)

7. Can you see the light? Illumination is like a welcome sign. 
Potential buyers will feel growing warmth when you turn on all your lights for an evening inspection.

8. Music is mellow. But not when showing a house. Turn off the radio or television.
Let the salesperson and buyers talk, free of disturbances.

9. Leave the house when the home is being shown. The presence of the sellers makes most homebuyers ill at ease.
Take the kids and the dog for a ride.

10. Don’t put the cart before the horse. Trying to dispose of furniture and furnishings to potential buyers before
they have purchased the house often loses a sale.