Make your home more appealing to buyers

Dear Readers: Are you thinking about selling your home? The upcoming months are a great time to list your home for sale, and here's a checklist that will make it more appealing to buyers:
First, get rid of any clutter inside or out! A noncluttered area appears larger and less busy.
Add flowers to your garden, or hang flower baskets near the front entrance.
A fresh coat of paint inside and outside, if necessary, is always a plus.
Clean doors and windows, and sweep sidewalks, driveways and patios. Power washing will remove most stains.
Clean the entire inside of the house, paying special attention to the kitchen, bathrooms and master bedroom.
Remember that clean, orderly closets and cabinets make the whole house appear less cluttered.
The day of a showing, make sure all beds are made, clothes and shoes are put in their places and curtains are opened to let the sunshine in. Take a quick walk-through to ensure that your home is presentable to the potential buyer. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Whenever I travel, I e-mail a copy of my itinerary to all of those people whom I am planning on seeing during my trip. I include not only the flight plans, but the names and phone numbers of those I plan to see, including the street addresses and (when possible) the approximate dates that I hope to visit them. I also send a copy to a Web-mail account that I have so I can quickly look up the addresses to find a map to their homes, or call to get directions. Rod Wood, via e-mail
Dear Heloise: When a family member is confined to bed or is in need of extra help, and the caretaker needs to be in another part of the house, place a cordless-phone base unit on the bed with or beside the patient. Then, carry the handset part of the phone with you or even place it beside your bed at night.
Whenever the patient needs help, all he or she has to do is push the pager button on the phone base, and the handset will ring (beep). Mrs. Dean Klumpe, Texarkana, Texas
Dear Heloise: My son, Randy, was helping me put adhesive paper on the shelves in my pantry. The backing was difficult to remove, so he came up with an idea that made it easier to get the back paper started so that it would peel off. He put a piece of tape on the corner of the paper side, which gave a better grip and made it easier to peel the paper off. Gertie Hampton, Grand Junction, Colo.
Dear Heloise: I believe I have a better way of keeping the shower door clean.
I mounted a shower-curtain rod just inside the walk-in shower door and hung a shower curtain. Just slide it closed when taking a shower, and the door stays clean. Emil Harenberg, Lady Lake, Fla.
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate