Before putting your home on the market, you will want to take some time to clean it up and make basic repairs. Doing so can make it easier to find a buyer in a timely manner, and it can also increase the amount of money you end up earning for the home. One item that home sellers often forget to address, but that can make a big difference in your sale, is the garage door. Here are a few things you should do to prepare your garage door for a sale.

1. Replace batteries in the remotes.

You would not want someone to arrive to look at your home only for your real estate agent to be unable to open the garage door because the remote batteries have worn out. Replace the batteries in each of the remotes now, and stash an extra pair of batteries in the correct size somewhere in the home. Since garage-door openers often take oddly sized batteries, this can save you a lot of shopping time.

2. Lubricate the belts and rollers.

A squeaky garage door is not doing you any favors when you're trying to sell a home. You can purchase specialized garage-door lubricants, but an all-purpose lubricant like WD-40 will do the trick just fine. Apply a generous portion to any belts and other moving parts in the garage-door opener mechanism. Open and close the door a few times, as this will work the lubricant into the mechanisms. Then take a clean, dry cloth and wipe off any excess lubricant to prevent it from making a mess.

3. Check that the motion sensor is clear.

Garage doors are equipped with sensors to detect whether anything is in the way of the door. If it detects a person or anything else under the door, it will not close properly. The problem is the sensor can get dirty and cause the door to malfunction, which would not be good for the buyers to see. Take a clean cloth and some all-purpose cleaner or window cleaner, and wipe off the sensor. Open and close the door a few times afterward to ensure it works properly.

If you detect any issues with the garage door while performing this maintenance, contact a garage-door repair company. They can give you an estimate for the repairs and can make sure your garage door is in good, working order before you put the house up for sale.