They have to see it to know what's in it!

You have followed your Realtor's advice, your landscaping looks beautiful and the exterior of your home is warm and welcoming.  Inside you have put away all of the clutter and family photos,  boarded your son's snake collection, repaired all the little items that you have grown accustomed to dealing with and cleaned the house until it sparkles.  A for sale sign is now in your front yard,  the internet sites are singing with praise about your home and you are looking forward to a buyer falling in love with it and it being sold.  But wait.... you missed one very important step in the process.  The lock system on your entry door is downright difficult to operate and many times impossible to get open without a master's degree in jiggling, turning and applying the right amount of pressure in just the right spot.  Although many Realtors are very resourceful as well as persistant, there are those who just cannot find a way to get this tumbler to turn no matter how hard and long they try.  It has happened to me several times and I try everything short of breaking and entering including searching for another point of entry that might be unsecured.  Locksmiths are not cheap.  I get it.  But, one of the first impressions a buyer gets of your home and how well it is cared for is being able to get inside of it.  Many times all you need to do is lubricate the lock so that it turns easily or re-align the plate with the locking mechanism.  It could be as easy as taking your original key to the locksmith to get copies made instead of trying to copy third or fourth generation keys that no longer fit smoothly.  But, alas, sometimes it does require a whole new locking system.  Do not skimp if that is the issue.  No matter what the cost, it will be the best investment that you can make.  Here in Florida, standing in a sweltering entryway, trying to gain entry to the cool interior of a home is very uncomfortable.  It is also the topic of conversation between the buyers and their realtor for the first few minutes of finally entering the home when they should be discussing how wowed they are by the view of the lake or the beauty of the finishes of your house.  And, they are reminded once again, upon departing the home and witnessing the struggle of trying to lock it up that maybe other parts of the home may be in disrepair.  Before you hand over that key to your Realtor, make sure that is it easy to use.  Maybe you have grwon used to all the machinations necessary to get it to work - in that case, ask your realtor if it works easily for them.  If not, do what you need to do to provide quick and easy access to your home.  It will be sell much faster if people can get inside to see it!