Selling a house in Hillsborough is a lot like romance. It really pays to set the mood.  Real estate pros call it staging -- showcasing the best side of a home to create interest and help you get top dollar.

Here are some tricks to selling your Hillsborough home from the real estate pros:

1. Make room. Clear out as much furniture as you can. Put it in storage, give it to Goodwill Industries or have a garage sale.  "What you want to do is open the house up so it does not look cluttered -- it looks spacious," says Michael Love, president of Interior Options Inc., a New York interior design firm. "And people can picture their own stuff in it." Hallways and doorways, in particular, need to be clear and open.

2. Use counter intelligence. Go through the house and clear off all the horizontal surfaces like kitchen and bathroom countertops. Old magazines? Toss 'em. Knick-knacks? Pack 'em. Counters need to be clear and clean.

3. Follow your nose. A home should smell good. That means no noticeable odor -- no pet scent, no stale cooking smells and no cigarette smoke. "People just don't realize how much odor plays into this," says Scott Griffith, president of ERA Griffith Realty in Brighton, Mich.  "And I find that people who smoke or have pets become so accustomed to the smell, they don't notice it," Griffith says. Instead, have a friend whose judgment -- and nose -- you trust give your home the real sniff test.  Remember the old story about the smell of baking bread or steaming cinnamon potpourri? Today's real estate pros say it's a no-no. Ditto the scented candles and air freshener.

Occaneechi-Saponi Annual Spring Pow-Wow June 11 & 12
One of the tribes who lived on the land we now call Orange county is celebrated this weekend in Hillsbororugh in a Native American Pow-Wow  Come out to meet the current descendents of the earliest Americans and celebrate the rich heritage of the area that is now our home as well.  Since 1996, this annual Occaneechi tribe cultural event features dancing, other entertainment, handmade tribal crafts, food and more at the reconstructed village site along the Eno River. (www.occaneechi-saponi.org) Foot of Cameron Street, Hillsborough. Fri., 6-9pm; Sat., 10am-10pm. Adults, $4; senior citizens and children under 12, $2. (919) 304-3723

The Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation - OBSN for short - is a small Indian community located primarily in the old settlement of Little Texas Pleasant Grove Township, Alamance County, North Carolina.  The OBSN community is a lineal descendant of the Saponi and related Indians who occupied the Piedmont of North Carolina and Virginia in pre-contact times, and specifically of those Saponi and related Indians who formally became tributary to Virginia under the Treaties of Middle Plantation in 1677 and 1680, and, who under the subsequent treaty of 1713 with the Colony of Virginia agreed to join together as a single community

Get ready now for the Hillsborough Hog Day June 18 and 19
Named for a prominant citizen of early Hillshorough NC,  Hillsborough Hog Day has been celebrated each year since 1983.   This annual event features an antique car show, numerous musical groups (including Elvis Tribute by Keith Henderson), more than 100 arts & crafts booths, petting zoo, animal exhibits, games, children's activities—plus a barbecue-cooking contest Fri. night and numerous food vendors.  Government Services Center, Hillsborough. Fri., 6-9pm; Sat., 9am-6pm. (919) 732-8156  Come on out and join us for this one of a kind celebration here in historic Hillsborough, the county seat of Orange County.