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·· Evening Showings: Turn on all your lights, both inside and out,
when showing your home in the evening. Lights add color, warmth, and make
prospects feel welcome.

· Smoking: Do your smoking outside during the entire time that
your home is on the market until escrow closes. If the house smells like
smoke, you could actually lose a sale to non-smoking buyers.

· Drapes & Blinds: Keep them open so prospects can see how bright
and cheery your home really is! Let in as much light into the rooms as
possible. Buyers like light and bright homes. A dark home is far more
difficult to sell.

· Fresh Flowers & Greenery: Have fresh flowers and greenery
throughout the house during the time it is on the market.

· Music: When the house is being shown, turn the television off
and have soft music playing.

· Flooring: Keep all other flooring vacuumed and clean at all
times.

· Lights: Turn on all lights for the entire showing if you have
dark areas in your home.

· Temperature: Keep the temperature at a comfortable setting.

· Avoid Crowd Scenes: Potential buyers often feel like intruders
when they enter a home filled with people. Rather than giving your house
the attention it deserves, they are likely to hurry through. Keep the
company present to a minimum.

· For all showings, please be out of the house: If possible, keep
the kids and pets outside. Dogs and cats are great companions, but they are
not when you’re showing your home. Pets have a talent for getting in the
way. Also, be sure your pet does not have any pet odor that could make the
buyer feel uncomfortable. This will help prospective buyers feel more
comfortable while looking at your home.

· Don’t interfere with showings: Prospects want to view your home
with a minimum of distractions or interruptions. Be friendly but don’t try
to force conversation.

· Keep a low profile: Nobody knows your home as well as you do,
but the agent showing the property knows what to point out to their buyers.
What you may think is an important feature, may actually be a negative
feature to a prospective buyer.

· Don’t Apologize: Never apologize for your home’s shortcomings.
If a prospect volunteers a derogatory remark about your home, let their
agent handle the situation.

· Don’t offer your furnishings. . . yet: When a prospect comes
to view your home, don’t distract them with offers to sell your furnishings.
You may lose the biggest sale of all; that is, your home. If you want to
sell your furniture, wait until your property is in escrow.

· Defer to Experience: When prospects want to talk about price,
terms and conditions, or other real estate matters, defer to your agent.
That’s when a good agent earns his or her pay by putting highly effective
negotiating techniques to use.