• Give the house a lived-in look to thwart any unwelcome visits. Set a couple of lamps on timers, and have a neighbor or friend check on the house daily to take in mail, park a car in the driveway, and close and open drapes and windows. Continue using a gardening service or hire someone to cut the grass regularly. During the winter months, arrange to have snow shoveled from the walks and driveway.
• If you remove the furniture, have the house cleaned and painted. Furniture, rugs and decorations tend to hide or minimize imperfections. When furniture and artwork have been removed, every blemish and bruise becomes accentuated, faded paint and wallpaper become more noticeable and scratches and nicks stand out.
• Leave behind a few select pieces of furniture and keep the window treatments in place. Instead of producing a spacious appearance, an empty room tends to look smaller than a furnished room. A chair or lamp on a small table will confer a sense of scale and help potential buyers gauge whether their furniture will fit the space.
• Consider employing a home care specialist marketing service. At no cost to homeowners, the house is professionally decorated, and trained and insured home care specialists, or house sitters, maintain it in show-to-sell condition. Most companies require home care specialists to mow the lawn, shovel snow, even pay pool maintenance and utilities. Having someone living on site discourages vandalism, protects against deterioration and weather hazards and may even reduce insurance costs. (Check with your insurance carrier.) Using a service of this kind may help you sell the house faster and at a better price, while relieving you of property management duties. Search the Internet for professional house sitters in your area.
• Find a real estate professional with experience selling vacant houses. Very often, these agents specialize in relocation. According to an article in the Detroit News (To Sell an Empty House, Pay Full Attention to the Upkeep, July 29, 1995), sellers should have their relocation specialist monitor the condition of the house with regular visits; twice a week would be reasonable. And agree up front that if a problem develops, a contractor will be arranged for and the work verified by the relocation specialist.

Mike Cromie of Prudential Properties Northwest I, Palatine, can be reached at 847-705-6500. Mike Yeats of Prudential Properties Northwest, Arlington Heights, can be reached at 847-398-4600.