So you’ve made the decision to sell your home. Now what?

It takes a lot of mental preparation to let go of a space you’ve grown to love, and the process of selling your home can be particularly strange if you are still living in it.

According to Diane LeBoeuf, broker/owner of Competitive Edge Real Estate Services in Tewksbury, there is nothing more important than making a strong first impression on prospective buyers.

LeBoeuf offers these as her Top 3 Tips:

1. Rid the home of clutter, organize closets  (Rooms appear larger & organized closets show there is enough room for storage)
2. Bright lights (whether it's change light bulbs or make sure blinds are open to clean windows)
3. Front entry clean, spit polished & shined  (you only get one first impression & curb appeal is huge)

You have to keep your home tidy at all times in order to quickly accommodate your realtor and potential buyers.

Here are some additional tips that will make your home more presentable to buyers, and also help you prepare to move into your new digs.

1. While you’re cleaning your home for viewers, pack up most of your personal photographs.  They are distracting to potential buyers and this action will help them see the house as their potential home instead of yours.
2. Keep your kitchen clean.  That means flowers on your table, no dishes in the sink, no junk on the counters, and no finger smudges around cabinet handles. Pack up everything but the bare essentials from the cabinets so that they are tidy too. If a prospective buyer opens a kitchen cabinet and sees too much stuff, they will think the kitchen is cramped.
3. Sometimes the old adage “less is more” applies to furniture in your home.  Move some things to storage if individual rooms are too crowded.  It will make the rooms appear larger.
4. If there are window treatments, light fixtures, appliances or other “attached” items you plan to take with you, remove them and replace them before showing your home so that the buyer won’t think they are included.
5. Freshen up paint and make repairs to things such as torn screens, cracked tiles and rotting windowsills before the realtor even puts the sign up. If the realtor sees potential problems like these, he or she might not make showing your home a top priority.
6. If your daughter’s room is pink, or your living room is painted a bold color, consider repainting it a more neutral color. Depersonalizing your home allows viewers to use their imaginations and visualize your home as their own. Don't let buyers walk away remembering your home as "the one with the orange bathroom."
7. Make the beds, and make them nicely!  Don’t just toss the pillows on--arrange them in an aesthetically pleasing way.
8. Make sure all mirrors, windows, porcelain, faucets and appliances are clean and sparkly!
9. Dust and vacuum every single surface, including baseboards, ceiling fan blades, and carpet in the corners of stairs and rooms.
10. Choose a fresh scent that doesn’t smell too much like bleach to clean tiles, tubs and toilets.
11. Little touches like pulling down all window blinds to the same level and making your front entrance inviting set the tone for the way the rest of the house is viewed.
12. Outside is as important as inside. Mow grass, trim bushes, and sweep away cobwebs, leaves and dog hair. 

Last but not least, do a walk-through pretending you are a prospective buyer. Note the things that would turn you off and then fix them!

Happy selling!

For more on all things Tewksbury Real Estate, click here to visit the Tewksbury Patch Real Estate Section with homes for sale, homes recently sold, trends, a mortgage calculator and an interactive map.