Amy Smythe Harris is the broker/owner of Urban Provision Realtors in The Woodlands.

Every week, we ask a real estate professional for their Short List, a collection of tips and recommendations on an essential topic in real estate. This week, we talked with Amy Smythe Harris, the broker/owner of Urban Provision Realtors in The Woodlands.

10. I encourage my clients to check out the Houzz or Pinterest apps to get ideas on what buyers are looking for.

9. Clean out closets. Organize closets, pantries and cupboards, because they show buyers that your client is a homeowner that is conscientious about their personal home.

8. Wipe down baseboards. Clean air ducts intake vents plus change filters. Change out those nasty old air duct vents.

7. Learn the beauty of Magic Eraser! It is an awesome tool!

6. Your client painted a room Pepto Bismol Pink for their Pretty Princess – paint over it with Sherwin Williams Kilim Beige. It is the top-selling color they have, and goes great with everything! Sherwin Williams has an app called Color Snap that will show them colors.

5. A little bit of sweat equity goes far. A buyer hates an unclean house. Clean grout, baseboards, wipe down ceiling fans, get rid of the cobwebs, make your shower sparkle, pressure-wash driveways, get the debris off the A/C units and clean windows and blinds. If you don’t have time to do it yourself, try a local handyman or look on Fiverr.com to see if you can hire it out inexpensively.

4. Cut down foliage so the buyer can see the yard! Add a few potted plants near front door, depending on your area.

3. Paint front door! Put a new lock on front door if the listing’s is showing signs of age.

2. Declutter! Declutter! Declutter! Rent a storage unit if you need to.

1. Clean out the garage! The garage is not just a junk area. Buyers want to see it, and they feel if a garage is well kept, then the rest of the home has been maintained.