I believe that most Buyers have decided whether they like a house or not in the first 10-15 seconds they are inside. First impressions count more than you can imagine. Here's a few of the worst ways to impress a Buyer.

• Eradicate odors, not cover them up

• Remove clutter and extra belongings

• Keep rooms light and bright

• Remove wallpaper

• Remove pets during showings

• Keep kitchens and baths clean

• Manage insects and other pests

When pet odor smacks you in the face as you open the door, it takes a determined Buyer indeed to continue looking at the house. Same goes for smoke, fish, incense, and what I can only describe as the smell of rampant puberty. Have a neutral party do a smell check of your house, and don't be angry at the results.

Other people stuff is a turn-off. A lot of other people's stuff can turn a nice house into a dump. Sometimes too many colors and small items, or a very full room gives a person sensory overload. Who can see a house when all the stuff in it is distracting? You're moving, remember? Pack it up, get it out, give it away. Have a yard sale and donate any remainder to charity.

Dark rooms are not appealing unless you develop your own photo film. This can be an issue in vacant houses, especially. Keep blinds partially open, and place lights on timers, if need be. You don't need every light in the house on, but certainly shed some light on your beautiful house so that a Buyer can appreciate it.

It's a sensitive issue. Wallpaper is a very individualized taste. While you may love your wallpaper and while it may look fantastic with your belongings, the next owner is probably dreading having to take it down, and will account for that in an offer, if the thought of removing all that wallpaper hasn't already discouraged them from making an offer in the first place. Take it down. I know it's a lot of work. Take it down, and don't do a bad paint-over-it job, that just makes it worse.

I enjoy dogs, but many people are fearful of encountering unknown dogs in a strange house. Remove pets for showings if at all possible. Don't lock them in a single room and then not allow a Buyer to look in that room. A barking caged dog or a yeowling crated cat is just as distracting as being pounced on by your pet when entering the house.

Kitchens and bathrooms tend to be the messiest, dirtiest areas of houses - the two areas that we want to be the cleanest! Buyers will be looking inside your oven, so clean it. Buyers will be looking at your tub and toilet, so clean it. Nobody wants to look at filth in those areas, and standards of cleanliness can vary widely. If in doubt, clean it again.

Nothing says welcome home like walking into a spider web. Finding living insects is worse than finding them dead on the counter, but BOTH are not at all appealing. Seeing insects makes a Buyer think the house is dirty and infested. Sweep the corners of your rooms, including the patios, and vacuum up any dead things. I use the vacuum on the living ones as well, myself.