Step 1. Enhance the curb appeal of your property

You have one chance to make a good first impression. Attract buyers by performing simple cosmetic steps such as:

• Cut the grass and rake the leaves
• Remove tree limbs and debris from the yard
• Plant extra flowers for more color, or spruce up landscapting with potted flowers
• Repair fences and touch-up with paint or stain
• Repaint or replace mailbox
• Remove any clutter from the front and back porch
• Paint window trim and shutters, if outdated
• Wash window panes and replace any cracked elements

Step 2. Clean up the inside of your property

Home buyers are attracted to clean, spacious and attractive houses - on the inside and outside. Getting the potential buyer into the front door is the first step. Once the buyer is satisfied with the outside appearance, the next step is to clean and update the interior of the home. Below is a brief list of ideas to improve the inside of your home:

• Clean the carpets and polish the floors
• Wash inside windows and mirrors
• Clean and polish all appliances
• Remove as much clutter as possible and store it neatly in a closet or garage.
• Repaint or touch up any walls that are scratched or banged up. Also touch up the baseboards
• Rearrange closet and storage areas to reduce the number of items and/or clutter

Step 3. Establish the right selling price

Why does property fail to sell quickly? Chances are the property was over-priced in regard to other similar property in the neighborhood. For example, if you are trying to sell your 3 bedroom home for $239,000 and a similar home in the same neighborhood is listed for $189,000, there is a problem with the pricing structure. Of course, if your property is sitting on a bigger plot of land or if you have made substantial improvements to your property, there may be reason for the drastic price increase. Keep in mind that establishing the property price is the key to selling your property quickly. Do not over-price your property.

Here a few tips for establishing the best property price:

• Find out how much your property is worth
• Set a smart selling price. For example, make your selling price $168,900 instead of $170,000.
• Drive around your neighborhood and find similar property for sale. This will give you an idea of how much property is selling for.
• Some higher end markets will allow you to multiple the total square footage of the home by $100 (or the going construction rate)
• Anyone will tell you that property sells much quicker in the warmer months versus the colder months.

Step 4. Marketing your property

Getting your property exposed to the world will help it sell quickly!

HomeQuickFinder.com provides easy exposure of your property through Yahoo®, Google®, and many other search engines. Over 58% of all buyers start their search on the Internet.

As you create your property advertisement on HomeQuickFinder.com, you are given the opportunity to write a quick description of your property. This description should be short and to-the-point to keep potential buyers interested. Long descriptions are usually not fully read so try to keep them short. The major elements of your property advertisement with HomeQuickFinder.com will be taken care of by asking you a few questions. You will also have the opportunity to add photos of your property to enhance your description.

Depending on the advertising package you choose with HomeQuickFinder.com, you may receive 4 yard signs to drive potential buyers to your property. We work with a third party to product professional yard signs including a "for sale" sign, "open house", and 2 directional signs to help buyers find your property.

Kick off your property selling campaign with an open house each and every weekend until the property is sold. Open houses give potential buyers the opportunity to come by and look at your property inside and out. Most buyers will research your property on the Internet before going to an open house to see what it really looks like. Do not get discouraged if your open houses are not attracting people. Keep having the open houses each weekend to give people the opportunity.

HomeQuickFinder.com gives you 100 free black and white flyers (where applicable) to pass out to potential buyers when they come by to view the property. We recommend that you buy an InfoTube to put on top of your "for sale" sign so potential buyers can pick up a flyer even when you are not home.

Step 5. Negotiating with buyers

In most cases, the buyer will offer an amount lower than the listed price. People tend to bargin for the things that mean the most and are important purchases. Here are a few things to remember when negotiating with the buyer:

• Make sure the buyer can be pre-qualified for the full mortgage amount. If they cannot afford your property, there is no reason to continue talks with them
• Establish good relations with the buyer. If he or she starts talking about changing your favorite wallpaper or knocking down a wall to the bathroom, be sure and agree instead of offend them with your response
• Be prepared for the counter offer. When a potential buyer makes an offer on your property and the offer is lower than the asking price, you will probably want to counter offer the original offer. For example, a potential buyer makes an offer of $163,700 and the asking price is $169,900, you may want to counter offer with something like $168,000.
• If there are major property defects, you may need to drop the asking price or negotiate with the buyer of the price.

Step 6. Closing the deal

On the day of the closing, the buyer will do a "walk through" of the property to make sure all agreed repairs have been completed and the property is in the same condition as when the buyer made their offer. If there are problems, more negotiation between the buyer and seller must take place.

Home closings usually occur 30 - 45 days after signing the appropriate contracts. Depending on the residing state, you may close with an attorney, or with a title company. At the closing, all funds will be collected, any existing loans or liens will be paid, the deed will be transferred, and insurance will be issued insuring a free and clear title. The property seller will receive the proceeds of their property in one to two business days after the closing.