Before you show your apartment you should install new locks on doors and windows, make sure appliances are in good working order, fix or replace leaky faucets and missing or broken hardware on kitchen cabinets and doors, repair frayed wiring, and get rid of insect infestations. Call city hall or your local fire department to find out where smoke detectors should be installed in rental units and what kind should be used. Does the water heater still work? What about the furnace?

Don't forget to take care of the outside as well. If the grass is too long, mow it. Pick up papers that have blown into the yard, remove trash, and rake up the area where the trash bins are located to tidy it up.

Before you take anyone through the apartment, inspect it one more time. You want to make sure that none of the faucets started leaking, that water isn't running in the toilet tank, and that the stove and refrigerator are still in good working order.

Try never to show the unit until it is completely ready. Most people are left with a negative impression if it's seen before it is painted and cleaned.