When deciding what price to ask for their home, most persons will unknowingly over-price their home. This can be for many different reasons. It is usually their lack of knowledge of the housing market and what value various home features add to their home and which take away value. Over-pricing your home, whatever the reason, will cause a lack of interest in your home. Most buyers work through real estate agents and those real estate agents know when a home is over-priced. Looking out for the best interest of their clients, those real estate agents will direct their clients to more reasonably priced homes.

If you are going to sell your home on your own, then do your homework. Visit a variety of homes for sale that are similar in size to your home. Note all of the similarities and differences in features and price. Use that information to aid you in determining the asking price for your home.

Another pitfall you should avoid is being emotional about the value of your home. Everyone wants to think that their home is worth more because it is their home! It may be impeccably decorated, but decorations that are going with you and do not add value to your home. Things like a newer furnace and roofing will make your home more saleable, but do not necessarily add value.

While your home is for sale, it is extremely important that it be well kept. Next to its location, your home's curb appeal is the next most important feature that will sell your home. If a home appears to be poorly maintained or is simply unattractive from the curb, it is unlikely that the drive by buyer will want to stop and see the inside.

This does not mean that you must spend hundreds of dollars trying to beautify your home. However, it does mean that the lawn should be cut and trimmed weekly. Plant a few flowers to brighten it up a little. If there are any repairs that need to be completed - complete them. Hanging gutters, peeling paint, broken windows, and garbage of any sort visible from the street is likely to deter potential buyers.

Just remember that in selling your home, half the battle is trying to get potential buyers into your home to see that it is the home that they want!

The external appearance of your home is important in getting potential buyers to view the interior of your home, but that does not mean that you should neglect the interior.

Clean, clean, clean. Spring cleaning would be a good term to describe what should be done to the inside of your home. Keep the windows clean. Remove clutter from window sills, counters, shelves, tables and anywhere else that it may be. Everybody has their little knick-knacks that they display around their home. Just remember, one person's collectible items are another person's junk.

Small rooms can be made to appear larger by increasing the amount of visible space in the room. That means less furniture. If you have any rooms that appear somewhat small and crowded, then remove some furniture from it and store it in your basement or have a garage sale.

Fix all of those little things that you have been meaning to fix for the past year but have not got around to doing. This includes such things as broken light switches, cracks in the drywall, burned out light bulbs and the like. These things can also give the impression that your home is poorly cared for.

Not everyone likes pets and not everyone is a smoker. These things can be a significant negative point to a buyer. Don't let these scents ruin a possible sale. Deodorize your home with some type of deodorizing cleaner. Scented candles and potpurri are fine, but don't over do it. Overly perfuming your home can also be a sign that you are trying to hide something. If you have pets or are a smoker, you may want to consider the great outdoors. Keep in mind that it is only temporary until your home is sold.

So you finally got an offer on your home. Don't get emotional about it if the offer seems absurdly low. You may feel that this is your home! How could they offer such a low price. Most people want to get as much as they can for their money. You are probably no different. When you buy a new car, do you offer to pay the sticker price? Hopefully not!

Negotiations in real estate are not that much different from negotiations to buy a new car. The two differences are that the house costs a little more and you are now the salesman instead of the buyer.

Don't over-react and reject any offer out-right. Counter back with a more reasonable offer that is slightly lower than your original asking price, offer to purchase the buyer a home warranty, or provide some other enticing incentive. This shows the buyer that you are willing to negotiate, but are not willing to be walked on. Most serious and qualified buyers will respond positively to this type of counter offer. Of course, some will not.

Remember, though this is your home, it is just another house to the buyer. Emotions can easily kill a potential sale.

Before accepting a contract, ensure that the contract is full and complete. This is the best way to ensure that there will be no legal action taken against yourself. Though real estate agents like myself are continuously trained on the current rules and regulations concerning the sale of real estate, if you have any concerns about any aspect of the contract, you are urged to seek legal counsel.

If there are certain items in the contract that you are responsible for fulfilling, ensure that you meet your obligations. Whether those items are as simple as being present to let a home inspector into the home or putting a new roof on the home, if you are contractually obligated to perform them you need to do them. Not diverging from the contract ensures that you will not be sued and that the buyer does not have the opportunity to terminate the contract due to your inability to perform as outlined in the contract.

The biggest mistake that a buyer can make is to not get pre-qualified. This doesn't mean ask your REALTOR how much they think that you can afford. REALTORs do not normally have access to your credit report and cannot make a reliable estimate of your ability to make any given payment. The people best qualified are those that will be lending you the money.

Another reason to be pre-qualified by a lender is that you know will know exactly what you can afford and won't waste time looking at those properties that are out of reach. There is nothing worse then finding the perfect home that you thought you could afford, but find out when applying for the loan that you cannot afford it. It can be a very disheartening experience in what is already an emotionally stressful experience.

Contact a lending institution today and get pre-qualified! You will be glad you did.

The next step in buying a home is to determine what features you want in a home and why you want them. Are there certain features that you cannot live without? Know what those features are. You want a three bedroom home with a full basement. Would a four bedroom home with no basement suffice? Knowing what you want and what trade-offs you are willing to make can greatly ease the process.

Some things to consider are the number of bedrooms and full baths? Does it have a basement or is it on a slab? What size is the lot? Bigger isn't always better. What school district is it located in? What is the traffic like on that street? What condition are the other homes on the street? If the home is the only $150,000 home on a street of $90,000 homes, it may not be a wise investment. These are just some ideas. Bottom line - make sure it has everything you wanted or you may find yourself wanting to move sooner than you thought.

Not sure what you want? Visit some open houses and familiarize yourself with what is available on the market. Don't limit yourself to looking at a single price range of home either. Looking at homes you can't afford can help you determine if maybe you should wait another year and save a little more money. It's amazing sometimes what a $10,000 price difference can get you in a home!