; Dust ceiling fans and lighting fixtures while you clean the cobwebs. ; Dust your blinds. ; Wash walls, unless you plan on painting. ; Clean all glass surfaces: mirrors, television screens, patio doors, and windows. ; Polish all wooden surfaces. ; Wipe down any leather furniture. ; Clean out and reorganize closets and cabinets. ; Attack all appliances with cleaning fervor. Make them shine! ; Sinks, toilets, tubs, showers, faucets, and countertops need to be impeccable. Every room is important, but the kitchen and bathrooms will take you over the top. They need to be eat-off-of-the-floor clean. ; Vacuum rugs, shampoo carpets, andmop as if your life depends on it. Attack these tasks last or you will inevitably have to do them twice: Painting: Fresh paint provides a clean canvas. If you have not painted your house in the last year, consider doing the entire inside of the home right now. If you have painted it, you might want to paint a second time. When planning to repaint, include everything. Paint the ceilings, the trim and window casings, and the doors. Do not forget the closets. And of course, paint the walls. Make sure you paint the right way. An artist creates a new painting on a plain, primed canvas. Through your efforts with painting, you are hand delivering your potential buyers a clean, primed canvas where they can imagine their family in your home. Keeping all of this in mind, use neutral colors. That does not mean everything must be lifeless or stark white. That can have a negative effect as well. Rather, you want colors to be unobtrusive. Stick with gray, beige, off-white, and white. If you just painted the master bath turquoise and added cute polka-dot trim, change it! Remember, a blank canvas opens the imagination to endless possibilities. Polka dots do not.
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