Wash windows, eliminate dust anywhere it may buildup including tops of ceiling fans, doors and moldings, polish your appliances and faucets. Consider hiring a cleaning service to stop by every couple of weeks.

Avoid cooking anything with a strong, lingering odor. Bake something yummy. Cookies at open houses are not just there to treat buyers, a pleasant smell like baking cookies or bread can help people connect with a kitchen. If you can’t make something you can fake it with a scented candle.

You want buyers to focus on how amazing your space is, not how disorderly it looks. Remove those piles of shoes from the entry, the stack of mail from the kitchen table and anything else that distracts from your home’s features.

Rooms in neutral tones like tans and whites allow buyers to focus on the spaces themselves, not the color of the walls. To help buyers visualize themselves in your space, remove any art or other décor that might turn off people with different tastes. Buyers want to be able to envision themselves in your home, so remove anything overly personal, like family photos.

Open up all the windows to let in natural light and add floor or table lamps to areas that are dim. A bright, cheery room looks bigger and more inviting.

Potted plants or a few pretty buds in a vase can help bring energy into a space, fill in empty corners and even draw attention to features you want buyers to notice. Just make sure the plants are in good health.

Storage space is a huge selling point, and if your closets are stuffed to the brim, buyers will think you don’t have enough of it. Invest in some boxes, dividers and other solutions that will help you make your stuff look more organized, and remove extra items you don’t need immediately (you can stow them away until you move).

Little tweaks can make a big difference in the overall feel of a room. Kitchen a little outdated? Replace the fixtures, faucets and hinges. Family room furniture beaten up? Throw some slipcovers over it. Make any minor repairs needed and touch up any scuffs.

Stack a few pretty washcloths tied with ribbon, add some scented candles and plants, and buy bathmats and towels in coordinating tones such as light green, blue and white. Something as simple as pretty soaps in a decorative tray can make a bathroom seem more appealing. Close the toilet! When it comes to both showing and photographing your home, this can make a huge difference.

The last thing you want is people bumping into furniture as they tour your home; it disrupts their focus and makes your space look cramped. Do a dry run as though you’re seeing your home for the first time and tweak anything that interrupts the “flow.” Your furniture should fit the scale of the room, so remove of any extra or oversized items that could make your space look smaller than it really is.