Four Tips for Selling Your Home

1- Scope out the Competition

Selling your home can be a really stressful time- even in robust markets. And with all the doom and gloom about the current housing crisis now being reported, the reality is that it home sellers are finding the process more difficult than ever. Seems to me, one of the first things to do is to find out what you're up against.

Just take a slow drive about your neighborhood - and even surrounding communities- to identify as many of your competitors as possible. Your goal is to learn from both the positives and negatives of each home. While every home is unique, doing a cold heartless eyeball comparison may just shed some new light on what to do to move your property. Landscaping and painting are probably the most common tasks to enhance curb appeal. Make sure you get actively involved here, don't just leave this to your realtor.

2- Don't Just Clean -- Stage your Home

Naturally, most homeowners do clean to increase buyer appeal. Equally as important in the sales process is to actually clear clutter and rearrange furnishings. This often adds a feeling of attractive spaciousness and comfort. Some additional carefully selected accents and sprucing up may also help. A few pillows here and there or a new throw rug can do wonders to a room.

And since no one can be completely unbiased, it's especially important here to ask the opinion of others. Try not to just ask good friends and family--- they may be unwilling to be completely upfront for the sake keeping your relationship intact. Seek out the help of more casual acquaintances, if possible. The more unbiased viewpoints taken into account, the better your chances of a successful home sale will be.

Spend some time checking out several episodes of popular renovation/remodeling TV shows for ideas. You may also consider hiring a professional stager. Since this can be an expensive option, shop around first.

3- Team Up with a Mortgage Professional Only