Here are a few tips to help make the transition a bit less stressful.

Tips for Sellers:
Price your Home to the Market – If you insist that you must list your home at a predetermined price regardless of current conditions in your local market, you're setting the stage for a major disappointment. Real estate values are determined by the marketplace. Work with a real estate professional who serves your area, knows the current state of your market, and will research comparable sales to help you arrive at a realistic listing price.

Curb Appeal is Crucial – It's true that first impressions are lasting ones, and creating a great first impression is probably the single most cost effective technique for showing your home to best advantage. Your Realtor® will advise you; a thorough cleaning and a fresh coat of paint may be all you need.

Here are a few more no or low cost techniques that help boost curb appeal:


•Keep plantings trimmed and the lawn cut
•Remove all clutter from entrances
•Replace the welcome mat
•Ensure all door knobs, hinges latches and locks are attractive and in good repair
•Clean all windows inside and out; hire a cleaning service if necessary – it's usually worth it.
Keep it Clean – You never know when your buyer is going to walk through your front door; keeping your home clean, clutter free and odor free are the easiest, cheapest and most effective things you can do to help sell your home in the shortest possible time at an attractive price.

Consider Staging – Actually, improving the curb appeal of your home is perhaps the first known example of what has come to be known as home "staging;" a powerful approach to removing the visual clutter from your home and making it visually appealing to the greatest number of potential buyers, using techniques that builders have applied to model homes for years.

Staging your home doesn't have to be expensive to be effective; some basic knowledge of simple staging techniques and the ability to look at your home from a fresh perspective are usually what is needed. ERA Gold Star Property is a preferred property program designed to help you meet the fundamental challenge of standing out from the competition. The Internet, your local library or book store, and your Realtor® are also great home staging resources.