What are the buyers worried about?

Believe it or not. All buyers are very influenced about a house from their first look. Grandma was right. First impressions do count. One question that I always ask buyers before the home inspection is, Do you have any concerns about the house? Most of the time the first issue they are concerned about is something they saw when entering the house. The buyer makes a decision about how well the house is maintained by what they see on the outside. The house to your right is a well maintained 12 year old house. The roof has normal wear for a house of this age. Some of the potential buyers may not be able to get past the streaks on the roof. The moral of the story for the home seller is to know your home.
When selling a home it is important to elicit an objective opinion. Be prepared to answer questions about the appearance and operation of the home. Also, make a list of things you know are broken. Making these repairs before the home inspection will significantly improve the chance of a smooth sale. Keep in mind, you will not be able to repair everything and the home inspection may bring out issues you do not know about. Prioritize your repairs, if you have to choose between several repairs, lets say a broken front window and a basement closet door, repair the window. The window will be noticed and the concerns about the home will follow.

If your home is different from others in its operation let the buyers know. For instance I was recently in a home that needed a wall switch to be flipped before the dishwasher would work. The owner quickly explained that the reason is that they have small children that like to push the dishwasher button when they pass. Their solution was to wire the dishwasher to a wall switch. The children could not turn on the dishwasher. Their problem was solved. New owners would need to know this to run the dishwasher.
Finally, access your major systems in the house. If you have older systems that are working, you may want to offer a home warranty. You can offer it as a sales incentive or only offer it during final negotiation. The best home warranties cost about $425.00.