YOU CAN HELP!

   You just listed your home. What can you do now to help your agent facilitate an early sale? What is your role in the marketing process?

   Actually, you play a vital role in the sale of your home. By pricing your home at fair market value, it will attract interested buyers. By offering your home in mint condition, those same buyers will compete to own it.

   Begin by completing all the necessary repairs and maintenance before the home is first shown. Include cosmetic improvements such as cleaning windows, neatly trimming bushes and shrubs, and shining the shower door. Create a "no excuses" atmosphere in which buyers can get excited about your home.

   Keep your home picked up and spotless while it is on the market. Beds should be made, sinks free of dirty dishes, and bathrooms looking like "Mr. Clean" just departed. An album of color photos of the property in all four seasons can trigger positive emotions and a sale.

   Before each showing, turn on all the lights including closets, open closet doors, and leave the stereo turned down low on an easy listening station. Remove pets to the outdoors, then leave your home during the showing. Prospects hesitate to discuss concerns and questions in the presence of the owners. Leave that to your agent, who will represent your best interests.