When we first told some of our neighbors that we were moving to France and, therefore, selling our house here, the reaction was very positive. There were lots of congratulations but the real excitement seemed to be centered around the house. Everyone appeared to know someone who would buy it and true to their word, we did have visitors. In fact, one brother and his fiancé returned twice but their bank has not been forthcoming with a mortgage. We certainly aren’t opposed to using a real estate agent, but it would have been convenient to have passed “under the radar” and sold directly to a buyer.

Like many of you, for years we’ve been watching those TV programs about buying and/or selling houses and we’re always surprised when a seller does not follow the real estate agent’s suggestions about how to stage the home for a quick sale. You know the things like price it correctly from the start, empty the closets and all the clutter, take down any family photos, turn on all the lights, etc. Now it’s our turn especially since we have an agent coming by this afternoon and we all know that you only get one chance to make a good first impression.

Although I haven’t seen it recently on any of those “top 10 ways to sell your house quickly” lists, I remember reading years ago that the sense of smell plays an important role in how you feel about a place. We’ve been in antique stores and basements where the musty odors said anything but “welcome”. I read that brewing a pot of coffee or baking some cookies just prior to the arrival of your guests is a good way to set the stage. You can see in this photo the still-warm loaves of dark German rye bread that Bill just pulled out of the oven. If the aroma of a bakery doesn’t pull ’em in, nothing will!