Mounds of pungent laundry sit sorted on the bathroom floor. You hate to even think about the kitchen. Sure, agents say, buyers like to picture themselves living in a house. But they apparently prefer to imagine it is a house that is clean, neat and free of dirty dishes, soiled clothes and messy children. The dishwasher is another safe place.
Agents advise sellers to keep their dirty dishes there.
Merritt, the No. 1 local seller for the company, always tries to get to a home that is for sale before the potential buyers arrive. Occasionally I have made a bed. It's just part of the job. She has been known to take papers scattered across desks and put them in a neat pile. After the potential buyers leave, she tries to return everything to the way it was.