One of the most common mistakes made by FSBO (for sale by owner) mistakes is a failure to prepare the house for sale. When the market is difficult and is a buyer's market you will need to go the extra mile to make your house attractive to potential buyers.

First you'll want to make sure the house is cleaned. That means clean windows, rooms, carpets and yes ceilings. You'd be surprised how many buyers look at ceilings. Make sure that sinks, toilets, tubs and showers are spotless. The idea is to make the house sparkle so that potential buyers looking at the house can have a warm positive feeling about such cleanliness.

Fix or repair everything people can see and test. That means faucets, toilet flushes, drains, stovetops, water dispensers in the refrigerator and lightbulbs. In short you'll want to eliminate everything in the house that can give the buyer a cause for unease.