1) Clean everything! This means inside and out and be thorough. It's easy to overlook an oil stain on the driveway, a greasy range hood, or mildew under the bathroom sink, when you live with them every day, but someone looking at your house for the first time will pick up on these problems, instantly. Also, these things can cause your house to have a stale odor. A deep cleaning will make your house smell good as well as look good. Here's an article about old house smells.

2) Remove everything you don't use that isn't attractive. Clutter is a real turn-off to prospective buyers and agents. People want to imagine how their own things will look in your space. Also, the more stuff you have piled up, the smaller your house looks. Finally, you'll have to pack it up and move it when the house sells anyway, so why not get it out of the way, now, for the chance to make more money.

3) In the yard, get rid of any dead plants and debris. Weed the flower beds, water the lawn, prune everything that's out of control. If you have empty flower beds or planters, buy some inexpensive plants--preferably with flowers--and fill them up. Curb appeal is HUGE when trying to make a good first impression. Also, the front view of your house will probably be pictured in your ads and MLS listing. You want your place to stand out from the competition.

4) Fix everything that's broken if you can. If the problem is major--like needing a new roof or carpeting--there may be nothing you can do but try to sell the place "as-is" or give an allowance for the new owners. Smaller things, however, like a missing switch plate, loose tile, or broken window pane, should be fixed before any stranger comes to see your house.

5) Touch up paint works wonders for restoring a house to "like-new" condition. It also makes it smell new. If you can't match the old color, perfectly, you may have to paint an entire wall, but if the old paint job can't be scrubbed clean, repainting may be your only option. Repainting the whole house might not be worth the work and expense, however. Sometimes new owners want to repaint everything themselves. Your goal is to make it look clean and neutral. If you aren't sure how much to do, ask some friends, neighbors, and relatives to come by and give you their opinions. It isn't always easy to evaluate your own house.

6) After everything's all cleaned up and looking great, have a "moving sale." This will give you an opportunity to show and talk about your house while getting rid of stuff you don't want to move. Consider this to be a trial version of your first open house. Your neighbors are sure to come to your sale. Now you can find out what they think about your price and your plans for selling it yourself or listing with a real estate agency. You can also learn a lot from their experiences in buying and selling real estate. Make sure they tell their other friends and relatives that your place is going on the market.