One of the most important pre-listing steps for you to do is to turn your "home" into a "house." Some people refer to this step as "de-personalization." De-personalizing your home removes any potential visual obstacles that prospective buyers may have in trying to picture your home as theirs. When prospective buyers come to visit your home, or view it online, they need to be able to picture themselves with their belongings in your home. Often times a home will either not sell, or not sell at the desired price, because potential buyer's cannot see past the current homeowner's possessions to envision the home as their own. Here's some tips for de-personalizing your home.

• Remove all family photographs except for just a few.
• Neutralize the decor to make sure room colors will have broad appeal.
• De-clutter the house.
• Make all touch-up repairs that prospective buyers might see.
• Deodorize the house.
• Evaluate the curb appeal, and improve as necessary. Your curb appeal should be at least average for the neighborhood.