Getting your home ready to sell is sometimes a much more complicated job than people realize. Not only do you need to find a good company to assess the house, a good contractor to fix any defects, and a good Realtor to put your house on the market, but you will also have people constantly walking through the house, trying to decide if they want to buy it. Does this sound daunting? Well, it can be, but not if you follow a few simple steps to make your home feel fresh, clean, and inviting.

Clean the house. This might seem like a no-brainer, but you have no idea how many people invite a new Realtor or even potential buyers over to look at their house thinking that they will want to see how the house "normally looks." Buyers are not dumb; they know that houses are normally pretty messy, especially if you have children. What they want to see is your house’s potential, which can only be brought out by a good scrub.

Clean the carpets. Those of you with hardwood floors will need to get out the polish. However, those with carpets and rugs should probably call the professionals. While renting a steam cleaner at the local grocery store might work for upkeep, heavy duty stain removal solutions and deep cleaning systems are required if you want to keep the interest of potential buyers. Remember, you want your carpets looking new and pristine for the "new owners" so they will not try to use "needs new carpet" as a condition of purchase.

Paint the walls. Now, if you have just painted the house, you might get to skip this step. However, if you have just painted your house pink with sponge-painted stars on the ceiling, you will need to paint again. The color of the paint should be neutral in most places, brighter in the kitchen, and professional looking in the office. Also, if you have accent walls in your home, consider painting over them. While they might look nice to you, you don’t want to restrict your buyers. For instance, if you have an Asian theme complete with a dark red accent wall in the living room, some buyers might say, "not my style," and move on without seeing the room’s potential. A good rule of thumb is to make the house as "buyer friendly" as possible.

Clear out the clutter. Speaking of "buyer friendly," new buyers don’t want to see all of "your stuff" in "your house." Typically, buyers want to picture "their stuff" in "their new house." So, get boxes and get to work. Remove all knick-knacks, toys, family photos, and air looms from the shelves, bookcases, and cabinets. You will also need to take most of the books out of the bookshelves. This will create space for their minds to picture their furniture and shelf stuff fitting into the house with ease.

Stage the house. Leave a few collector’s editions or nice looking books in the bookshelves, a few candles and some nice hand towels on the bathroom counter, a few magazines in a fan pattern on the coffee table, and fresh flowers that match the kitchen décor on the dining room table. Remove any pieces of furniture that don’t really match or that take away from the assumed value of the home. For instance, the old beat-up sailor’s trunk that your grandfather gave you from his days in the Navy doesn’t necessarily have to go in the family room. The idea is to make each room of your home look like an inviting place of comfort and quality.

Bake cookies. If you don’t know how to make cookies, buy pre-made dough at the store and throw them in the oven at least 20 minutes prior to any showing. This will give the cookies enough time to bake and cool, and it will give you enough time to leave the house before the potential buyers arrive. Why bake cookies? Because the smell of fresh baked cookies (combined with the look of fresh paint, clean carpets, and staged rooms) will help any house feel like a welcoming environment and a happy home.