Professional “staging” may include the exterior, but if you’re doing it all yourself, try the five things outlined in this video. 1 – Landscape & lawn. That’s the first impression; make it a good one. Mow, prune, edge and get rid of junk! 2 – Paint And Clean! You don’t have to do the whole house, but the front door and lintels should either be painted or cleaned. 3 – Leaks & Repairs Small visible problems can become large mental objections and change how someone feels about your house. Fix ‘em beforehand. 4 – Pets Some people have allergies and concerns. Time for Fido to visit a friend. You weren’t including him with the house anyway. 5 – Get Fresh Eyes Have your realtor or a friend who’s willing to be candid tell you what you missed. Or pay a staging professional for a report. We don’t really see familiar things well – so let them be your ‘test buyer’ so you can present the best first impression to the real ones.