You have spent countless hours de-cluttering, repairing, painting, cleaning and you are ready to list your home…but are you?

Home odors are one of the top issues that make buyers turn and run. We all get used to the odors of our homes and we can’t always identify a problem smell. Pet odors and cigarette smoke top the list of problem smells followed by mildew.

Before you put the sign in your yard, have someone you know and trust come over and walk through your home. Ask them to tell you if there is a smell that is offensive and don’t be mad when they do. The next step is to get rid of the smell and that is not always easy. If it is a pet problem the best case scenario is to shampoo the carpets and clean their living areas daily. If you have cat urine issues you may have to tear out the carpet and pad and seal the subfloor before putting in new carpet and padding. If that is a continuing problem it is best to remove the pet from your home until the home is sold. Cigarette smoke clings to carpets, drapes, upholstery and even paint. You may have to completely remove these items and put in new and of course, don’t let anyone smoke in your home!

Using lots of candles or air fresheners simply alert the buyers to aromas you may be hiding. You want your home to smell fresh and clean, not like perfume. These sound like drastic measures but if selling your home is your goal, they are absolutely necessary.

Choosing not to eradicate the problem odors will most definitely affect the selling price and the market time of your home. You only have one chance to make a good first impression so make sure your home looks and smells great before you list your property. You won’t be sorry!

Pets. They come in many different forms: dogs, cats, reptiles, rodents, birds. We love our pets with zeal no matter what form they may take.

For example, I once had a seller whose pet was a ferret. The ferret lived in a cage in the kitchen. On nice days they would roll the ferret out the sliding door onto the deck so he could enjoy the great outdoors. While this might be functional for that family, when you’re selling your home it’s not a good idea. Not everyone shares your animal passion and even less for rodent-type critters. Even fewer buyers want images of rodents running around a kitchen that they are looking to purchase. This particular seller kept the cage very clean and did not let the ferret run the kitchen.

Buyers, however, have no way of knowing this and would not be able to wipe the image from their minds. And no matter how clean the cage, ferrets have their own kind of aroma and it is not reminiscent of baking bread. As a seller you do not want your house remembered as the “ferret house.” That memory will not result in a sale. You want them to remember your home for the space, the amenities, as a house they could see as their home.

So, as sellers, what do we do with our beloved pets? Ideally it is best if we send them on a short vacation to a friend or relative’s house. The next best thing to do is just take them with you when you leave the house for showings. Under no circumstances should you keep your ferret in the kitchen! I understand how hard this could be but keep your eye on the prize! The sooner you sell your home, the sooner you will all be reunited and enjoying time together in your new home.

We’ve also made our web site more social: You can now login with your Facebook, Gmail or Yahoo account to ask a question on our site. Or click the Recommend button on each property to share it with your friends on your Facebook page. Our agents all have blog pages now that update with our new Facebook pages. More big changes are in the works … all part of our commitment to being the technology leader for real estate sales in our fair city.

Around the holidays, it also is a scientific message that carries a little bit of hope. Life, it seems, finds a way.