Getting ready to sell your home? A daunting task, but one that can produce a quick sale at top dollar by following a few of the tips listed below:

Have your carpets cleaned professionally. Hiring a professional company to clean the carpets in the most-used rooms in your home will produce clean, bright carpets that will catch the eye of buyers.

De-clutter your home. If you have a lot of kitchen items on your counters, such as toaster ovens, blenders, cookie jars, etc., you will want to store them away. The less cluttered your home appears, the bigger it will appear to potential buyers. You will also want to clean out and organize your closets. Closets can be a big seller, so the larger your closets appear, the better your chances of selling the house will be.

Paint the walls. Regardless of your preference in decor, a neutral decor will be more appealing to potential buyers. They will be better able to see their own belongings in your home — which will help you sell your home more quickly.

Trim the landscape. Make sure your outdoor landscape is trimmed nicely and is mowed every week. Put a pot of fresh flowers on your front porch and potentially a new welcome mat to welcome people to your home. The better the outside of your home looks as the potential buyers pull up into your driveway or up to the curb, the better your chances are that they will want to come inside to see the house.

Clean your window treatments. You will want to take your window treatments down and clean them. You’ll be surprised to see how dirty and dingy they might have become since the last time you cleaned them.

Put away toys. Make sure your toys are not out and in the way of potential buyers. Toys lying about will also add to the clutter of your home, and may detract buyers from pursuing a purchase agreement.

Clean up pet areas. If you have pets, it will be important to clean and sweep your home more frequently than you might normally do. The less dog or cat hair a potential home owner comes in contact with, the better your chances of selling your home. Also, make sure the cat litter box is cleaned regularly and is free from odor. Lysol will also help ensure your house does not smell like your pet.

Burn candles and incense every day for at least an hour. This will help ensure your house stays smelling good and fresh. Also, buy fresh flowers weekly and have them sitting prominently on your table or on your kitchen counter.

Before you show your home, bake fresh cookies and make cold lemonade. Have them out for your guests to enjoy, along with a note about how they should enjoy “their” new home. Another option is to put apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon in the crock pot. Allow them to cook on low while the potential buyers are walking through the house. This will provide a warm, homey aroma that will welcome potential buyers in your home. Of course, you need to be home to do this!

If you have a lot of pictures in your home, you may want to store some of them. The fewer pictures of you and your family, the better the potential buyer will be able to view themselves in the home as their own.

Using a few of these tips will help you sell your home more quickly, while preparing you to move to your next home. Good luck and happy selling!