When it comes to selling your home, think of it like a job interview.
Apply the same principles you would use to sell yourself to an employer — like wearing clean, well-matched clothes that aren’t too outrageous in terms of style and color — to your home.  You don’t need your home to appear unique as much as you need it to appeal to a wide range of potential buyers.
Susan Fanire, of Susan’s Staging & Design, said: “In preparing your home to sell, staging benefits you by helping potential home buyers recognize the possibilities of your home becoming their home.”
How you present your property can invite a quick sale, a good price, and many potential buyers to “interview” the house. Your home can shine with quick, inexpensive improvements.
Plan for a yard sale and identify items you can part with. If it’s hard to make time for a yard sale, donate unwanted items to a relief organization such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army.
Eliminate clutter. Recycle magazines, newspapers, bottles and cans. Pack away anything else that you don’t need. Remember, a buyer wants to see space so they can imagine their things in the home instead of yours.
If your home does not have curb appeal, chances are buyers will not even look inside the home. Stand at the sidewalk, and look at your property and objectively appraise what you see. View it as if for the first time and through the buyer’s eyes. Then consider what you can do to make it so it seems to say, “I am great, come inside and see more of me.”
Mow the lawn and trim shrubbery. Fertilize the garden at least two weeks before putting the property on the market and water regularly.
Wash oil spots from the driveway and make sure that the garage door opens and closes with ease.
If you have a pool, be sure the pumps are well maintained and the filter — along with the water surface — is clean.
Remove any out-of-place items lying around the yard. Remove pet droppings and repair any flaws in the fencing.
When it comes to the exterior, clean windows and fix broken glass or screens. These will most likely need to be repaired anyway before you can close on a sale.
If the exterior needs paint and you lack time or money, repainting the trim will update the entire facade of the house. Clean the front porch and be certain the front door opens smoothly.
Inside, hire someone for spring cleaning. You’ll get much more than you invested if you can present a spotless house.
Paint the walls a light, neutral color. Steam clean the carpets if laying new carpeting is not a possible solution to eliminate pet odors.
Wash and wax linoleum floors; repair or replace damaged and missing floor tiles at the house.
If you smoke, reduce smoke odors. Also make sure that all doors open and close. Replace burned-out light bulbs. Keep curtains and blinds open and interior lights on for a bright, warm, and cozy feeling.
Store clutter under beds, not in closet organizers.
Just like the job interview, you want to put your best foot forward.
Gene Thorpe is a California Association of Realtors director, the current secretary/treasurer of the Placer County Association of Realtors, and broker/manager of Pavilion Realty, Inc. You can reach him at Gene@movingtoplacercounty.com.