What turns you off the most when house hunting?  Or, what makes you fall in love with a new home?  Share your thoughts, as many more people are putting their homes on the market.

It's tough.. putting your home up for sale and making it the most appealing in the neighborhood.  But some simple steps could help you get that home sold.  Even in a somewhat not-so-hot real estate market right now. 

Rita Horvath joined us recently on our 4pm news.  Here are some specifics from her.. to get you onto your next destination.

1. In line with de-personalizing the house, you should remove all family pictures, personal collections (sports trophies, fishing pictures, beanie babies, miniature Eiffel Towers, etc.).  Further items to remove include anything with political or religious connections, equipment for disabled or special-need persons, and excess furniture beyond the minimum design needs of the space.

2. Before staging, the house will need heavy-duty decluttering, since other people's clutter can distract potential buyers from imagining the house as their own.  Examples include magazine stacks, mail repositories, shelf-filler knickknacks, more than a minimal amount of kitchenware, partly-emptied food containers, populations of children's stuffed animals and inventories of toy construction materials, and anything suggestive of pets.

3. Deal with all causes of odors, but don't try to mask them with air-fresheners, sprays, or especially scented candles, because these dodges will only draw attention to the inescapable hint of something fishy going on.

4. Make sure to replace dead plants with living ones, both inside and out.

5. In case I haven't made it clear already, I can't stress cleaning strongly enough.  In other words, no dirt must be visible.

6. Avoid emptying rooms out totally.  Many buyers have a hard time estimating whether and how their possessions will fit into a new space.  Help them out by providing furniture and decorative items go give them an idea of what can go into a room.