First impressions count.

You may not be able to tell a book by its cover, but you’ll likely pay more for a book if the cover is charming and attractive.

If your home is for sale, or soon will be, creating a positive first impression is one of the most important things you can do. Thankfully, it’s not hard. Here are 12 steps you can take; most of them fall under simple maintenance and organization, but some of them could possibly help you decide when it’s time to move.

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Most people heading into retirement inevitably make some sort of real estate decision—whether they downsize, relocate to a different community or make renovations to an existing home that makes the place more accessible to live in as they get older.

So, not surprisingly, there are numerous real estate mistakes people in this group make.

“Real estate is usually one of the biggest assets retirees have, but it’s the area with the most emotional attachment—and a place where it’s very easy to mess up,” said Larry Luxenberg, managing partner with Lexington Avenue Capital Management, a financial advisory firm in New City, N.Y.

Below are five common retiree real estate stumbles.

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When you treat your furry, feathered or scaly friend as a member of your family, it’s important to keep your pet’s needs in mind in any pending home purchase.

Ensuring whether local ordinances, regulations and neighborhood environment welcome pets will affect how well your beloved acclimates to your new home and how much freedom there is for his or her activities.

Here are some tips to help ensure your future home and neighborhood are pet-friendly:

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If you’re planning a move, you may have an overwhelming urge to throw all your possessions into cardboard boxes, tape them shut and think, “I’ll deal with this after moving!”

We get it. But before you start dumping drawers into boxes willy-nilly, we implore you to declutter first.

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The year 2014 saw a steady build-up of housing momentum that is expected to carry the market into 2015 gains, according to a realtor.com® report released today.

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