Getting a top price for your home is determined these important factors:

1. Market
2. Marketing

You can't do much about the market you're in, but you and your agent can do a lot in marketing your property to overcome any negative market conditions that might be present. This is where an agent's experience comes into the picture. An agent who has never experienced anything other than a hot real estate market may not know how to market your property sufficiently to get you the price you want for your home.

There a lot of tips and tricks in staging your home to potential buyers for a quick sale. Sellers sometimes make the mistake of thinking of their real estate sale as a purely financial decision, but don't overlook the power of the emotional appeal of a home when presenting it to home buyers. This is called home staging, and I can take a look at your home to give you customized advice to help it sell.

There are many things you can do that will keep your home from selling in a timely manner. I suggest avoiding them!

A good real estate agent won't let your home sit forever on the market, because the job of a real estate agent is to sell houses. When a house sits too long on the local MLS, buyers and agents alike start wondering what's wrong with the home (or its sellers). You don't want that!

It's important to avoid making any major credit purchases if you are planning on buying a home soon. Any monthly payments you are making will decrease the size of loan you qualify for by a ratio of about 100:1. This can make a dramatic difference in the homes you can consider buying.

Few buyers realize this, but did you know there's a difference between being pre-qualified and pre-approved? Understanding this distinction can make a difference in whether you get the home you want or not, in some cases.

Did you know that not all sellers are motivated to sell their property? Some sellers have unrealistic price expectation, and no pressing desire to close a deal. In these cases, it is often best to avoid these kinds of sellers, because just as a seller needs to trust that you will carry out your agreement to close in good faith, you have to have the same confidence in the seller.