Are you preparing to sell your home? Here are tips I share with people who are selling their homes. Price it Right It's important to set your asking price realistically. If you overprice your home in the beginning, you may end up settling for a lower price than you would have normally received. Real estate agents and homebuyers who have done their homework know local market conditions and home values. They won't waste their time looking at homes that aren't priced realistically. Also, mortgage lenders require an appraiser to determine the fair market value of a house before they'll grant a loan. They won't lend money to a buyer for a house that is worth less than the loan. Later, when you finally decide to lower your price, people will bid even lower because your house has sat on the market for so long that they think you are desperate to sell. Multiple Listing Service When selling your home you want to make sure as many buyers as possible are aware of your property. A good way to gain that exposure is through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). The MLS is operated by local real estate brokers and agents. Property listed by any MLS member is immediately available to every other member, so your home is seen by many agents instead of just one. It is definitely to your advantage to have your house listed on the MLS. If your house is not listed, then you only have one agent working for you instead of many. Having a Garage Sale Removing clutter is a very important part of getting your home ready to be seen by buyers. Here's a chance to make some money at the same time by having a garage sale. You can announce your garage sale free at this web site (http://www.freegaragesale.org /). You can sell individual items on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/ ). Here (http://www.organizedhome.com/seasonal/yardsale.html ) is an excellent article with tips for organizing a garage sale at your home. Here (http://www.roo.com/pricing.htm ) is an article about determining a price for your items. An alternative to selling items yourself is to use a consignment shop. Here (http://www.consignmentshops.com /) is a national directory of consignment shops. Your local thrift store will gratefully accept donations and often have trucks to pick up your items. Staging Your Home Staging a house for sale means going beyond just making it look tidy. Typical buyers make up their minds about your home 10 seconds after they step through your front door. Just as stagehands set the stage for a production, you can do the same for your home. It can be made to look cozy, colorful and inviting to make it stand out from the rest of the other houses on the market using things such as accessories, colorful chintz fabric on the tables, fresh bouquet of flowers in a vase, scented candles on the fireplace mantel, and the way that the furniture is set around an area rug. Potential buyers want instant coziness and comfort in the home they'll choose. Here are some tips from professional home stagers: * Pack away most of your family photos. Buyers need to imagine their possessions in the home. * Pack up the bulk of large, personal collections, so that buyers don't get so interested in looking at them that they forget to look at the house. * Remove excess furniture to make rooms more spacious. Clean and organize the closets. Store boxes in an out of the way location or rent a temporary storage unit so you can de-clutter every part of the house. * Remove area rugs if they expose nice hardwood floors. * Buy or borrow living houseplants. They look better than artificial ones. * Create a mood. Bake bread during showings, or place a fresh loaf in a basket on the counter Open House Your house should always be available to be shown, even though it may occasionally be inconvenient. Consider letting your listing agent put a lock box in a convenient place, to make it easy for other agents to show your home to homebuyers. As you are preparing your home, getting it spotless and artfully arranged, think about gathering up your smaller valuables and putting them in a safe deposit box for safekeeping. Packing for Your Move * Put heavy items like books in small boxes. * Pack soft items like towels and stuffed animals in large garbage bags * Drapes can be packed in wardrobe boxes, which can be purchased from a packing store. * Put plastic bags around the hoses of your washing machine and secure them with rubber bands to prevent leakage in transit. * Don't forget to back up your computer files before you pack. Below are some websites with more tips for moving. U-haul (http://www.uhaul.com /) sells boxes and moving supplies. Art of Moving (http://www.artofmoving.com /) has guidelines (http://www.artofmoving.com/moving_guidelines.cfm ) that can help you determines how many and which type of boxes you might need. Change of Address Notices As you prepare to move, don't forget to send change of address notices to your family, friends, banks and credit card companies. This will save you from having to pay late payments and fees. If you're going to be changing Internet Service Providers and will change your email address, don't forget to let people know that, too. The U.S. Postal Service (http://www.usps.com /) offers a moving resource guide, including a complete change of address package and services based on your zip code.

I hope you've enjoyed these tips. Please call me or send an e-mail if you have any questions about buying, selling, or investing in real estate.