I’m not totally familiar with Storm Lake, but Monroe/Snohomish is a bit more rural than other places. If I’m right about where you are, I would think that your property might be most suitable for a particular type of buyer, who likes to be away from things. For any property, you should focus on the main selling points of the property and area to attract suitable buyers. For example, if you have a large piece of land, or an equestrian setup, etc. Focusing on the attributes that are specific and desirable to your area might interest the right kind of buyer. Also, out in Snohomish, lower property taxes are also a big plus! You know your property and why you bought it, so maybe that’s a good analysis to start with…Good luck!!

I think that sometimes sellers leave the house before they know that a showing is scheduled, although this brings up another good point–when your house is on the market, you can never let your guard down! Not only should you keep your house in good, clean order at all times, but you need to put your valuables away too!

When I had my house up for sale, I constantly felt like a fugitive, having to flee from my home, sometimes on a moment’s notice!

2. Have your adult child who is living at your home not get up during the day to leave? Surprise agents and prospective buyers by having them nap away in a dark room smelling of illegal substances and be sure the listing agent doesn’t mention their presence to keep the surprise intact for viewings.

3. Lay out all of your political and religious preferences for all viewers to see – over and over – so that they stop looking at your house and start thinking about you, the seller, personally.

4. Forget about cleaning up the yard, especially if you have dogs. Buyers and their agents find it fun to dodge “dog-bombs” when they go check out the back yard.

5. Have lots of bad photos, with no lights on, and no sense of the layout of the home. No, really Mr/Ms listing agent – I think by not having photos of the bedrooms that it will tempt my client to go see the house in person! Get real! I can’t tell you how many buyers I work with that say “If there aren’t photos, or they aren’t good photos, I’m not interested.”

In this case, I would try to strike a balance between keeping an inconspicuous eye on things while at the same time giving the potential buyer the freedom and space to walk through the home. Perhaps greet them at the door, offer to answer questions if they have any, and then let them walk through while you are situated in the home, in the general vicinity (as opposed to following them room to room).

When they are getting ready to leave, I think it would be perfectly fine to say goodbye and do a last check to see if they have any questions (or are carrying out more than they came in with).

Redfin’s got some good general guidelines here:
http://p1.rfimg.us/v4.4/images/4_0/text/pdf/listing_your_home_with_Redfin-the_gory_details_v2.pdf