There are a lot of people that will give you advice on how to get your home ready to sell. The important thing is to remember that you know have a product to sell and in order to get the best contract you need to present it as best as you can.

Here is a list I found that I felt made several great points.

There's a lot more to selling your house than setting up a sign and waiting for buyers to come. This is a business decision. Your goal is to make your experience as simple as possible-for you and the buyer.

The following 10 steps can get you started. It starts with attitude.

1. Detach emotionally from the property. Take the long view. Prepare for change. Simplify the surroundings. Wake up and pretend you are a guest in someone else's house (some people are not good guests and this idea might not work for them). Make your bed in the morning. Put the dishes in the dishwasher right away. Distinguish your home from your house. Your home is in your memories and those of the family-a house is the bricks and mortar you are selling. This critical psychological step will make everything that follows easier.

2. Lose the clutter. Root out anything you don't need or use. Do it in steps. It will make moving day that much easier. As for non-priority items you wish to keep, put them in storage.

3. Present the front. Paint if needed. Trim the landscaping. Weed the grass. Plant some flowers. Clean out the side and rear yards. When you like what you see, take pictures.

4. Always be honest - with your buyer, and with the real estate broker. If there is a problem, tell them about it. They will be grateful for your candor and the transaction will work more smoothly.

5. Make the house sparkle, especially the kitchen, bathrooms and your windows. Put jewelry, family pictures and personal mementos into storage or in neatly stacked boxes in a corner of your garage.

6. Disappear when real estate agents show the property. Take a drive, go to a movie, or visit with friends when people are walking through the house. And take your animals with you. (Someone might have an allergy).

7. Get ready to show the house any time. Once it is on the market, it is always a good time to show the house - if you really want to sell it. That agent that is unable to give more than a moments notice could well be bringing your buyer.

8. Let the buyer keep the drapes, and everything else that is normally part of the property. If there is something that is emotionally special and you can’t leave it behind then replace it before you put the house on the market. You don’t want buyers fixating on what will not be staying instead of remembering why they should choose your property over the others.

9. Keep your cool. Buyers and sellers both tend to go a little crazy during a sale. Don't get emotional; keep your sense of humor. This is a business transaction and is not personal. Some people will give you a low-ball offer. Don't get offended; give them a counter-offer you consider fair.

10. Consider getting out of the way at the time of inspection so that the buyer feels comfortable asking the inspector hard questions.

The more professional and calm the process stays, the better a shot you will have with the fewest surprises.