Selling your house?  Getting ready to sell your house?  Don't overlook these 10 things to pay attention to!

1.  The windows.  When you look out, you should see nothing but the other side.  No dirt.  No fogging.  No cracks.  No torn screens.  This includes scrubbing the window sills and scraping off the paint left behind when they were re-painted a few years ago.

2.  The blinds.  Plastic mini-blinds have a tendency to get dusty and break easily.  Don't mess with cleaning them - it's just not worth it.  Go to Walmart and pick up new ones.  If the blinds are broken, replace them.  The buyers will be looking out the windows (see above) if they can't get to the windows because of broken blinds, they will get the impression the home is not maintained.

3.  The fireplace.  Clean it.  It doesn't matter that you have never used it or that it is August.  If it is wood-burning, no wood or ash residue should be left inside.  If it is a gas log fireplace - get the cob webs out!  Don't forget the screens and glass doors if you have them.  Also, use an acid cleaner to get the ash and soot off of the fireplace hearth.

4.  The baseboards.  Get a bucket of warm water and Pinesol and wipe them down.  They collect dust.  Then, get yourself a cup of semi-gloss and a brush and either touch-up or re-paint them.  Baseboards get abused by the vacuum cleaner and need to be touched up.

5.  The grass.  Mowing it is not enough.  Edge it.  A neat edge along the sidewalks and driveway gives the impression of a well-mainicured yard.  Take out the Roundup and hit the grass and weeds growing up in the cracks in the driveway and sidewalks.

6.  Under the lower kitchen cabinets.  This is usually called a kickplate.  It gets abused and usually needs painting, repair or replacement.  This includes the kickplates on the refrigerator and dishwasher - those get downright nasty.  Also, spiders love making cobwebs under the cabinets - make sure to get the vacuum in there.

7.  The upper corners of the room.  Dust and cobwebs are at home here.  Make them homeless.

8.  Ceiling fan blades.  Turn off your fans and take a look at the blades.  There's probably a layer of dust on them.  Clean them.  Well.

9.  The light bulbs.  Every light bulb in every light fixture on the property should be operable.  Use the highewst wattage recommended for the fixture.  Buyers love light.  Burned out bulbs indicate a lack of maintenance.

10.  The first 3 stairs on the staircase.  In many houses, the stairs are the first thing you see when you open the door.  The first 3 stairs trap a lot of dirt and the risers are usually pretty banged up.  Clean these well and touch up the paint on the risers.  In addition, make sure that bannister sparkles.

Happy Selling!

Tina in Virginia