Prepare yourself to sell your house. Do your best to see the house, no longer as your home, but as a product to be marketed. This takes some work, especially if you have been in the home for a number of years and has many memories there, but it is necessary if you want to maximize your potential.

Make the decision whether to market the home on your own or with a Real estate agent.

An Agent will help you Develop a strategy for selling that maximizes your advantages and minimizes your chances for problems.

Prepare the house. Stand back and look at your house as objectively as possible. Would you buy this home? Ask friends and neighbors to do the same, asking them to be totally honest. Overlooking or ignoring flaws could cost you money (or a potential buyer)

Do what is necessary to make your house stand out from the competition. Make certain that your house is fresher, cleaner, and better maintained. A Real Estate Agent will familiarize you with effective marketing and advertising techniques.

Price the house competitively from the start. Adding thousands of dollars more than necessary to leave additional "wiggle room" usually turns off buyers. You can't sell them your property if you don't get the opportunity to show it to them!

Remove most of the "imprint" that you have made on the house. Having a few family pictures around is fine, but if your house is a "shrine" to your family--walls full of personal pictures--you should take some steps to depersonalize it. Buyers must be able to envision themselves in the house, which is nearly impossible if everywhere they turn they stare at you!

Take a step back and look at your house through the eyes of a prospective buyer. What about the home is the most appealing to you? What about the home is the most unappealing or appears to need the most work? (concentrate on those items)

Your home should not be show until after your preparation work is completed. The vast majority of buyers simply cannot envision the dining room without the outdated wallpaper, or the kitchen floor with a new vinyl covering.