Since people begin to judge your home the moment they drive up, the first impression is crucial.

• Make sure your front lawn looks neat. Cut the grass and trim the hedges. Plant some extra flowers for color — or put some potted plants beside the front door.
•  Take a close look at your front door. If it’s faded or needs repair, clean it, stain it or paint it. While you’re at it, do the same with the back door and garage door. 
• Repainting the exterior of your home is a fairly expensive venture, and really unnecessary unless the sides have had blistering or peeling. Painting window sashes, trim and shutters can do wonders.  

Readying the inside

• Brighten things with fresh paint. White, off-white, or beige walls make a room look bigger.  
•  Too much clutter and too much furniture can make a home “feel wrong.” Move out all excess furniture to make rooms appear larger.  
• Clear off the kitchen counters — make them look as expansive as possible. Clean the oven and all appliances. Put a fresh flower or plant on the counter.  
• Get out your tool kit: Tighten loose doorknobs, drawer pulls, cabinet handles, towel racks, switch plates and outlet covers. Fix leaky faucets and remove water stains. 

Bring on the buyers.  When it’s time for your agent to show your home, all of your preparations will be worth it.  But here are a few final tips.  

•  Make yourself scarce. Many prospects feel like intruders when the owners are present. They tend to hurry away, or fail to ask the questions they’d like to ask. Your absence will put buyers at ease, and give them a chance to spend more time looking at your house.  
•  Let your sales professional show your home even when you’re not there. If you don’t, you’re limiting the showings — and actually keeping your house off the market many hours a day.  
• Always keep your home ready for show. Your sales professional will try to give you as much advance warning as possible. Likewise, other sales professionals may call to arrange showings. But the bottom line is: Always be prepared. 

A Child-Proof Home

Lots of perils that can injure children are lurking in our homes. Here are some tips to help make your home safer.

• Put safety stops on all cabinet doors and drawers. Knobs should be too large for children to swallow.
• Store chemicals, cleaners, medicines and liquor in upper cabinets — locked and out of sight.
• Provide safe storage for sharp objects such as knives and scissors.
• Cover sharp corners on counters, tables and hearths.
• Place all electrical outlets, especially those near water, on a ground fault circuit interrupter (it instantly shuts off electricity if there’s any leakage of current). 
• Keep cords for draperies and mini blinds out of reach. 
• Buy hardware that limits how far windows can be opened. 
• Set water temperature at no more than 120°.
• Install hardware on the bathroom door that can be unlocked from either side.
• Install windows and mirrors with protective film that prevents shards from flying when broken.

Conquer Closet Clutter 

When you're trying to sell a home it's not the skeletons in the closet that will hurt you — it's all the other stuff you have jammed into them. Adequate storage space is one of the first things prospective buyers look for when they inspect a home. You can be sure they'll open all of your doors and drawers — checking to see if your home has room for their belongings. There are many tricks to making your storage space seem more adequate. The easiest one is to simply move some of your possessions out.  

Remove out-of-season clothing, sports equipment and other miscellaneous items from your front entry closet. Try to take out half the items in your bedroom closets to make them appear more roomy. Prospective buyers want to see how much space is in your closets, not how much you've been able to cram into them. 

Keep in mind that the more things you give away, throw out, sell or store now, the easier your move will be later.

To increase the storage capacity of your closets, add an extra pole, shoe racks, wire baskets or shelves. 

You can also make closets appear bigger by applying a fresh coat of white paint and putting in the highest-wattage bulbs allowed.

Other important storage areas to reorganize include kitchen cabinets, garage and attic. The use of dividers and hanging racks in these areas will make things easier for you to find, and make your home more appealing to buyers. 

CLEANING TIPS

Blinds and Shades

Purchasing window treatments can be a major investment. You can protect this investment by engaging in proper maintenance for your blinds and shades.

Blinds and shades will stay in shape if you dust them monthly with a soft cloth or vacuum's brush attachment. For heavier dust on mini-blinds, use a finger-like brush designed to clean five slats at a time. Clean stained-wood blinds with furniture polish.

When metal or plastic mini-blinds need a more thorough cleaning, take them outside and wash the slats with a sponge and soapy water. Then, hang the slats from a clothesline and rinse with a hose. Shake off excess water, drain rails and towel dry to avoid water marks and rusting.

If you can't take your blinds down, fill one bucket with a solution of grease-cutting household detergent and another bucket with water. Working from the top down, wash both sides of each slat, then rinse using a second sponge dipped in plain water. Dry slats with a towel.

Fabric roller shades should also be taken down for a good cleaning. Place the unrolled shade on a flat surface and sponge with lukewarm water and mild soap, trying not to soak the fabric. Work in sections, removing excess moisture with a dry cloth.

Hang the shade at the window, pull it down to full length and let it dry. Then, roll the shade to the top and leave it for a few hours to give a crisp, ironed look. Some non-washable shades can be cleaned with wallpaper cleaner, others need dry cleaning.

Housecleaning in Record Time 

Cleaning — really cleaning — your entire house was once a springtime ritual. Now laborsaving equipment and products make it easier to clean year-round. Regular as-needed cleaning is the best method because it's the most efficient. Saving jobs for one big binge in the spring or fall takes more time in the long run.
Following these daily and weekly clean-up guides will help keep your home in tip-top shape year round.

Daily
Clean up clutter as you go and wipe up spills as they happen. Encourage family members to pick up, hang up, put away and clean up after themselves. Wipe sinks after every use and clean the shower or tub.
Load the dishwasher as soon as possible, or put dishes in the sink to soak until you can wash them.

Get rid of rubbish. Place a trash compactor in the kitchen near recycling bins or in the garage to save on trips to the curb and reduce the volume in landfills.

Weekly
Clean your own way, but do it regularly. Your schedule should include dusting and vacuuming of walls and woodwork. Wipe door jambs with a detergent solution, dust windowsills and remove fingerprints with a spray cleaner.
While vacuuming, clean up any spots and stains you may see on the carpet. Use a disinfectant in the kitchen and bathroom.

Try to clean one large appliance and one out-of-sight storage area once a month.

Seeing Spots 
If you're seeing spots on your carpet, you can probably make use of these simple tips for removing common carpet stains.

Tar, grease, chewing gum and wax
Remove as much as possible by gently scraping with a dull knife, then treat the stain with dry-cleaning fluid. For chewing gum, try applying ice cubes in a plastic bag to harden the gum before scraping.

Cigarette burns
Patching is necessary for complete repair, but you can mask the damage. Snip off the darkened fiber ends, then blot the area with a solution of 1 teaspoon detergent and 1 teaspoon vinegar in a quart of warm water.

Lipstick
Gently blot with a dry-cleaning solution, then rinse with a solution of 1 tablespoon ammonia in a cup of water.

Animal stains, fruit juices
If the stain is still wet, try repeatedly sponging with lukewarm water. Then, blot dry and treat with a solution of 1 teaspoon detergent and 1 teaspoon vinegar in a quart of warm water. After waiting 15 minutes, blot again and sponge with clean water.

Paint
Oil-base paints can usually be removed with turpentine. Water-base paints clean up with water.

Ink
Blot ball-point-ink with denatured alcohol as soon as possible. Permanent ink can't be removed, but you can minimize the damage by blotting with water.