You love your house. You've made it your own. You have sweat-equity, memories, and things - lots of items around your house. Believe it or not, selling your home means creating a new slate. Sometimes this means peeling back what you worked so hard to create. The dark green in your living room probably won't appeal to all buyers.

Step 1: Take a trip to Sherwin Williams in South Portland, and buy some paint. Fix simple cosmetic things in your house that you've noticed, and your buyers won't like - like that chipping paint for instance. Or the nick from when you moved your couch in and hit the wall.

Step 2: Declutter. I know it's hard, but I swear it feels good. You won't have to move so much, and it allows you to start fresh when you purchase your next home.

Step 3: Get ready to interview agents. A prepared real estate sales associate should have a marketing plan, a pricing strategy, and make you feel confident that they know they're doing.

For more insight on how to prepare your home to sell, read HGTV's post: http://www.hgtv.com/design/decorating/design-101/10-best-kept-secrets-for-selling-your-home