One of the most important goals a home seller has is getting the price he or she needs to sell the house. This sounds like a simple task, but has several variables including location, how the housing market is doing, how other properties in the neighborhood are doing, and so on. There are a few simple tips a home seller can do to ensure he or she gets the right price and the right buyer.

Curb Appeal

When a potential buyer drives up to the home, how the home looks on the outside makes a huge first impression. Even if a home is in a great neighborhood or has wonderful upgrades inside, a potential buyer may drive away without looking inside due to the home’s exterior. There is no second chance to make a first impression! Make sure trees and bushes are trimmed, clean up any weeds or clutter, and make sure the exterior of the home is in good repair. This may mean you hire a landscaper or handyman, but it is not necessary if the home and yard looks neat and clean.

Remove All Clutter

The primary goal is to find a buyer who walks into the home and can envision the home belonging to him or her right away. You want the home to be inviting, but neutral. This is really what the term “staging” means. Put away your family pictures and personal collections. You may be very proud of your Hummel collection, but buyers want to visualize their things in the home. Pick up the everyday things that may be left around like papers, backpacks, and dishes. Make sure your furniture is clean and tidy.

Small Home Improvements

In some cases, small home improvements can mean a big difference in home value. Perform small repairs, like nail holes in the wall or caulking around the bathtub. A new coat of paint, in a neutral color, makes the home feel fresh. Updated fixtures like lighting and fans will make the home feel more modern, and don’t need to cost and arm and a leg. New carpeting may be a little costly, but can bring a great return on the investment in the final price of the home.

Pets

Friendly family pets are wonderful, but not all potential buyers are pet lovers. Be sure your pets are put away or looked after while showing the home. Clean up toys, dishes, and litter boxes and try to discreetly keep them from view. Be sure all fur is cleaned up to be tidy and to respect those potential buyers who may have allergies.

Lighting

Good lighting is a great way to make a home feel warmer, larger, and more inviting. Take down heavy curtains and open the blinds. Make sure bulbs are replaced and turn lights on all over the house. If you upgraded some lighting fixtures, be sure they accent special areas of the home. Good lighting will also accent those areas you might have missed while cleaning, so again, be sure to go through the home as a potential buyer and notice what they might see.

These simple tips do not need to be costly, but could mean thousands of dollars in your home’s final value.

Every year, it's the same thing. The holidays come in with a WHOOSH! If we have been dedicated to our success (diet, gym, business goals), then we tend to allow some wiggle room around the 

holidays. Our family joke around Thanksgiving is "Get your fat pants on!". We allow small, or large, indiscretions. We can miss one day at the gym because we burned so many calories running around and shopping. We allow a cookie or three. We overindulge at the holiday party, then sleep in the next day when we were supposed to work on our budget. In the midst of the hustle and bustle, we look back on the year and wonder where the time went and why we didn’t reach those goals we set for ourselves last January.

January is here again! What are your goals or resolutions for this year? Do you actually have a system in place to achieve them? If not, can I make a suggestion?

Turn your life into a game.

Seriously.

In Steve Kamb’s book, Level Up Your Life, Kamb outlines how to create your “Alter Ego” superhero who tackles your goals fearlessly, goes on Epic Quests, and builds you a body for adventuring. While you are doing this, you are “leveling up” and building strong, long-term habits that help create the perfect You. The You that you have always dreamed of being.

Anyone who is a fan of video games, board games, or choose your own adventure books will grasp the concept immediately. You create a character, gain loot, recruit allies, level up and get stronger so you can tackle more difficult challenges. This concept can be applied whether you are young, or more mature, whether you are single or running a busy family. The key is to set very specific goals (one of mine is to attend a noodle festival in Japan

 I saw on the Travel Channel), then break that large goal down into smaller “quests” and assign point values to them (like find the date/place of the noodle festival, get passport, figure out costs). As you complete smaller

 quests and gain points, you level up!

The more quests you tackle, the closer you are to being more physically fit, traveling more, spending more time with your kids, doing the work you love, and building better habits. The main thing is to DO something. Learn from DOING, not just dreaming.

You don’t have to be an expert at Dungeon and Dragons or World of Warcraft to understand and use the concepts. Everyone should have goals. Goals get us to bigger and better things in our lives. If you have tried vision boards and checklists and The Secret and you keep coming back to January with very little accomplished, maybe you need a different vehicle.

Turn your life into a game.

Ready to play?

Steve Kamb is the founder of Nerd Fitness. His book Level Up Your Life is available through Rodale Books