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The first step is to rent a storage locker and fill it with all that clutter from the attic, basement, and garage. Also remove any furniture that makes your home look overcrowded. And you may want to sweep your house clean of such personal items as wedding photos, framed diplomas, or children's fingerpaintings - it's difficult for prospective buyers to see your home as their castle if your family's signature is all over it.
Tone down unique decor. That nude oil painting hanging in the foyer may turn off buyers. Rooms painted in unusual colors should be redone in neutral tones.
"You're not selling your things, you're selling the space," says Barb Schwarz, CEO of StagedHomes.com.
Curb appeal is equally important. Says Long Island, N.Y., agent Diane Saatchi of the Corcoran Group: "The trip from the driveway to the front door can kill a deal."
So slap a fresh coat of paint on the door, hang a wreath, hide the garbage cans, and plant flowers along the walkway.
But in a tougher environment, marketing is everything, and an experienced agent--that is, one who didn't recently jump into the real estate gold rush - can be invaluable in helping you price your home correctly and in getting it noticed by prospective buyers. An agent can also steer you through the tortuous sales process and keep a deal on track when the inevitable glitches crop up.
Your goal should be to seal a deal during "the first two or three weeks your house is new to the market,". That's when your home generates interest from serious buyers who have their radar up for fresh properties. If you're asking too much, they'll move on, and your house will get lumped in with the rest of the inventory. And if it lingers too long, "it can become stigmatized," says Pam O'Connor, CEO of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. "Buyers will think there is something wrong with it." How can you be certain that you're pricing it right? Start by checking out your rivals: similar homes for sale in your neighborhood. But the numbers that you really want are the actual prices comparable homes have sold for recently - a market analysis that any good real estate broker will prepare. And don't cling to memories of what houses were commanding six months ago; if your area has seen a slowdown in sales, you're not going to get top dollar.
