Your agent is bringing a potential buyer to your home in 15 minutes. What can you do to make your home presentable in such short time? Follow these quick tips to get your home ready for its best showing when you have 30 minutes or less.

Start at the beginning:

• Make sure that the front door presents well.
• Sweep or shovel steps and walkways, if needed.
• Pick up any toys, tools or other out-of-place objects and store them away quickly.

Head inside:

• Open window treatments and turn on the lights.
• Put any dirty dishes in the dishwasher.
• Make the beds.
• Put any dirty laundry inside the washing machine.

If you still have time:

• Quickly run the vacuum and/or sweeper to give carpets and floors a fresh look.
• Wipe down counters and tabletops.
• Warm some vanilla on the stove or have cookie dough ready to put in the oven to give the house a welcoming scent.

It would be wonderful to have your home in showcase condition 24 hours a day, but we understand that it's not always possible. It is important to present your house in the best light and make it available to as many qualified buyers as possible.