1.  Clean the house - exterior and interior.

Have the exterior of your house cleaned and de-cluttered, including hardscape, gutters and windows.  Get rid of your "stuff" that's not essential and prepare for buyers to see the real value of your house. 

Get the interior and exterior of the windows cleaned, and you will like what you see.   Remove dust and debris from ceiling fans, and clean out your fireplace.   Clean our your cabinets.   Clean or touch up with interior paint on marked walls.   Paint or clean your baseboards, clean the curtains, dust your blinds, and organize your closets.

2.  Find and work with a good and experienced professional real estate agent who is a Realtor.

Having an experienced Realtor agent represent you is critically important - especially with the shift to online marketing in the industry.  Marketing plans for sale of a home require a skilled, professional strategy.  Your Realtor agent will help you with professional photography and identify and focus on features of your home that will help you maximize the way those features are showcased.  Find someone you can trust to serve as your Realtor agent, and he or she should be familiar with your neighborhood.  

3.  Inspect Interior and Exterior Systems of the house.

Check the roof of your home for possible leaks, and get those fixed.  Check your home's heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system by a certified or licensed professional.  Change air filters and check your air conditioner, and have that serviced if needed.  Test your security system, smoke detectors, fire alarm, and carbon monoxide detector devices, to make sure each is working properly.  Inspect your water pipes and plumbing for possible leaks.  Make sure your windows don’t have cracks or broken seals.  Re-caulk the showers/sinks.  Check the garage and attic for possible signs of insects or rodents and get that remediated.   

4.  Home Improvement Projects.

It's now time to complete any unfinished improvement projects.  Consult with your Realtor agent on interior paint colors.  If the house has not been painted during the past five years, find a neutral color and get that painting completed.  If your carpets are new, get those cleaned.  If they are old or warn, get those replaced.  If you have any other “fix up” projects as you prepare to sell your home, work quickly and get those finished.  You’ll find a buyer for your home faster, and the process will be smooth if projects are fully completed before you list. 

5.  Do your homework when pricing the house for sale.

Some  home sellers start the process with a number in mind, and you might think about the bottom price to get to at least break even with the lenders or recover some equity.  However, smart sellers will focus on what the market will pay for your house - not necessarily on what you want buyers to pay.  It's imperative that you and your Realtor agent do extensive market research to determine true market value of your home.  Truth is that  your home is worth what the buyers and market says it's worth - not necessarily what you want the price to be.  If you disregard what the market says, you will probably have a difficult time selling.  Do your homework and talk with your Realtor agent to carefully arrive at the listing asking price. 

By Harrison K. Long.  This is information and advice about things you should do not for planning to sell your home this spring 2014.