'Showing' a home is an important part of selling a home. The buyers who come to view your home will be encountering a very emotional experience, not only because they are going to spend a huge wad of money - but also because they are trying to visualize themselves in someone else's home and trying to imagine it as if it were their own home.

How successful they are in imagining it to be their own home depends on how cleverly you have managed to eradicate your family's 'stamp' on the home.

When we move into a new home we want to make it feel like it is our own. Most of us have an emotional attachment to our home, and while this is a good thing, it is best if we can be detached from it when it comes to the sale of our house.

There are many ways in which we can make a buyer feel like an outsider, almost intruding into your house. This negative vibe will not help the buyer warm toward your home. One way for the buyer to bond with your house is for you to ensure that all of your personal belongings are out of the way. They could be packed into boxes all ready to move.

Presumably, you are hoping to sell your home quickly, so schedule a quick walk through the house with your realtor to help you to identify any areas you may have missed. There are employable experts in the field of 'home staging' but it is also something that you can achieve easily yourself. It is not very expensive, or troublesome, and it only requires that a few simple rules be followed.

It can be described in one word as de-personalizing. This means that they do not want to see your grandchild's finger painting on the fridge door, or the oil painting of the family dog hanging on the wall, or the golf trophies on the shelves! Any religious or cultural artifacts which may deter others from feeling comfortable in your house should also be removed.

Have you checked for curb appeal? Have you washed the windows and swept the driveways? Removed your garbage cans?

In the bathroom, do not have any shampoo bottles or toothbrushes showing.

The personal ornaments and photos in the living room must be packed away. Keep all the side lamps on and if you have wooden floors, remove the rugs and show it off. If it feels overcrowded put some furnishings in store to make more space.

Ensure that kitchen appliances are sparkling clean, fix any dripping faucets and check the caulking around the taps. Remove those fridge magnets and tuck toasters etc in a cupboard. Empty counter tops give a suggestion of more counter top space.

Does your house look like a show home now? Are all traces of you and yours removed? This is the key to appealing to your buyer's emotions.

Provided by the writing team of Eileen McAdam. Eileen is a real estate agent based in the Upstate New York real estate area. If you're thinking about relocating to the Hudson Valley real estate market, visit www.villagegreenrealty.com.