Clean Clean Clean! 

Many Staging "Experts" and Realtors will tell you that lighting scented candles and baking cookies will make your home smell inviting.  In my experience, when a home is filled with artificial smells it makes me wonder what the seller is trying to cover up?"  Your favorite scent could be a turn off to someone else. There is no substitute for the good old fashioned smell of a clean house!  Not the smell of Mr. Clean and bleach...just clean.  

"Clean" aromas can be achieved by polishing your furniture, vacuming floors and dusting on a regular basis with environmentally friendly products that have minimal scents or subtle aromas.  After all, what Realtor wants a potential buyer sneezing and wheezing his or her way through a showing?  Most will turn around and leave in a flash!

I highly recommend a product brand sold at Target stores called "method".  The line is inexpensive, easy to use and offers a variety of products for surfaces ranging from glass to wood to granite. They all clean and smell great without knocking anyone out! Remember too that every window, mirror and glass surface should be spotless.

One last thing, if you can't keep up... HIRE SOMEONE!  It is worth every penny and your cost will be returned two fold.  You may have heard it before... if a buyer walks into a dirty house they will wonder what else is being neglected.  It's an immediate turn off and lots of dollars down the drain.

If hiring someone is not an option, make it a goal to clean one prominent feature each day on a rotating basis. That way nothing gets overlooked or neglected.  Many homeowners hire a professional for the initial top to bottom scrub and then use this method to keep it going.

Leave the Scene!

Leave your home when it is showing. If you have children and must stay home, go for a walk!  People do not feel comfortable going through a property where the homeowner is present. Pets should be gone from the scene also.

Buyers like to "kick the tires".  It is most uncomfortable looking in closets and drawers to imagine storgage space while the owner is in earshot.  Imagine listening to a barking dog or whining cat while you are trying to picture living in a home.

Sometimes it may be best to set showing appointments.  It will limit showings and inconvenience some,  but it also cuts down on "looky loos!" and can make life easier for those with big families, pets and hectic schedules. 

Besides, If your home has great curb appeal ( as it should!) an interested buyer will make time to go inside. 

Above all, always be flexible when it comes to showing.