I started to write this post about incentives offered by sellers. For example, an agent in my office recently talked about her builder offering a red 1957 Studebaker as a "prize" for buying one of his expensive homes.  The marketing person in me knew deep down inside that her approach was wrong.  She should have promoted it as "free home when you buy 1957 Studebaker for $350,000!" (or whatever the price was) (does a $350,000 price tag for a 3500 square foot home sound tempting to Californians?).

But as I thought of the ski trips, cash back offers and more, I veered to my personal belief that selling a home will basically demand just a few common sense rules:  Price it right -it must be competitive with other comparable homes, Make sure it's clean, and Stay out of the way of buyers.  Yes, other tips also help like getting rid of clutter, but it typically comes down to the price and condition.

The blog Free Money Finance offered some advice today, including "fresh paint hides other odors."  And a thank goodness for that considering some of the smells I've encountered!  The London Property Guide offers some of the same tips, but my favorite is to "never apologize for [home's] shortcomings."  That goes with my advice to avoid the buyer (impossible to do if you're selling on your own).

Sellers also have to be aware of "sellers disease" as described by Jim at Bubbleinfo.com.  This is when a seller gets a price stuck in his or her head of what the home will sell for.  They will not sell for a penny less, not realizing that the house will languish on the market for months - months that they are paying a mortgage (probably mostly interest).  If they were more motivated to sell, they could've saved that extra 5% they're trying to make by not making those extra mortgage payments.

Well-known real estate blogger Teresa Boardman offers a graphic and succinct advise on selling.  Neer underestimate these three words: Price, condition and location.  I see we think alike!