Before officially listing your property on the market for prospective buyers to come and view it, one would be wise to do a couple of small things to ready the property. These efforts, with their minor costs and work, could end up paying back large dividends. Please see below for a few of the most important steps: 1. Clean. Your property needs to show at it's best, so give it it's best foot forward by showing it in an immaculate state.

2. Remove/Put Away. A buyer will want to move right in, and have the ability to picture themselves there. Many people are 100% visual, and will have trouble looking past what is in front of them; thus, you definitely want to put away excess items that make the property appear cluttered and smaller. It may even be worth it to get a small storage unit on a monthly basis if you don't have the room. Look at the below pic, as it is a perfect example, and looks like a model home.

[flickr size="small" float="left"]http://www.flickr.com/photos/42659427@N02/4156178432/[/flickr]

3. Painting. Depending on what condition the property is in, it may be wise to consider painting the interior to give it that clean and new look. Stay away from any non-neutral colors, as you want to appeal to the broadest percentage of buyer's as possible--white is usually best.

4. Gardening. If the property is a house, curb appeal is very important. You want the buyer to arrive and instantly think the outside looks great, and I can't wait to enter. If you think about it, you don't want the buyer "turned off" before even entering the premises. So definitely do what you can to manicure the lawn.

These are just a few items that could cost a few hundred dollars and a little bit of time and energy, but could yield many ten's of thousands in terms of enhancing a buyer's perceived value. Remember, perception is reality. Show buyer's the property in it's absolute best condition and increase your chances of selling your home faster and for more money. As the saying goes, ''you never get a second chance to make a first impression," and this applies to real estate as much as dating.