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Keep it clean.

-Clean, clean and then clean. The data is clear that clean houses sell for more and my experience in showing thousands of houses tells me this intuitively. While you are at it, touch up the chipped and peeling paint on the exterior, including fascia, doors and siding. Inside, don't forget to touch up your battered baseboards, dented cupboards and scuffed-up walls. I typically advise renting a storage unit to declutter. Your kitchen and bathroom counters should be clear of clutter and your walls should mimic this minimalism. You want your home to look like a bungalow in Dwell, not Coolio’s hoarders' paradise.Outside, spread some fresh bark in the beds and plant some perennials, annuals, flora, fauna and other interesting plants.

Use an agent

-Using an agent is going to ensure your house sells for the best possible price. Select and agent from a reputable company who has access to multiple websites and a large team of realtors. Century 21 gives you access to see how many times your home is viewed. Choose a realtor with a marketing strategy, and never select a realtor based on lowest commission. Sometimes, listing agents offer low commission fees in order to stand out from other real estate professionals. But the most inexpensive isn’t always the best choice. Make sure that the listing agent can stand by their prices and not easily give in to price negotiations. Be wary of agents who quickly agree to work on a discounted commission just to get your listing while talking terms. If the agent can’t even negotiate to protect their own money, it’s not likely that they will exert more effort into protecting your own interest.

Market appropriately.

-If you don’t professionally photograph your house and put it on MLS, you may as well shoot yourself in the foot while you are at it. Don’t be cheap and don’t let your agent be either.I’d strongly recommend hiring a stager and asking them for an itemized list of things you should do (i.e., declutter, touch-up paint, rearrange furniture, give purpose to rooms, etc.). Once you have this list, complete it or have somebody else do it for you.I’ve sold many places directly or indirectly at open houses and believe this is a necessary marketing method. If you have a nice piece of land, add some drone footage. If you have a nice residence or commercial building, add video, a virtual tour and/or a 3D walkthrough with a program such as Matterport. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and traditional paper advertising all have positive effects, as well.  

Be flexible.

-A client can ask to list a home for $500,000 because he needs it gone ASAP. The problem was that the home was only worth about $350,000. to sell it for $500,000 it could take 5-13 years for the market to catch up, or it could probably sell it in 30-90 days but he’d get closer to $350,000.

Which would he prefer: money or time? Some offers may be contingent upon the sale of a house, a seller may find difficult repairs under an FHA or VA loan or a buyer may want a new roof and new plumbing. Things don’t move perfectly when selling a home. In order to make a real estate deal happen, you often need to be flexible, and not just on the price.  

If you’d like as much money as possible in your pocket after selling your home, you need to plan ahead, work hard and make good decisions. Make sure you proactively select a good realtor or agent who is honest, understands the process, can negotiate and puts your home on MLS.

To sum up: Hire a stager, a professional photographer and make sure your marketing is strong. Put in some elbow grease and declutter, make your windows sparkle and make your home shine before it goes up on MLS. You want your tired, old house to look like something straight out of Martha Stewart or Dwell. Adding video, drone, 3D tours and print advertising all help but are expensive. Even if you aren’t good at math, make sure you understand the fees you are paying and what services you are getting. If you do all of the above, remember to relax, be flexible and have faith that it will all work out. You can do this!