Is there any more frustrating feeling than to have had your home on the market for a while and now it isn’t getting any action? You have probably missed your best window to sell your home (the first 4-6 weeks) and you are under the gun to unload this place. In spite of this, you have no idea what to do. Have no fear, because the following tips on how to help your home sell faster may rescue you from the depths of despair and real estate jail.

1. Quit whining and get proactive. There could be any number of reasons why your home is still on the market, but wallowing in self pity is not going to make things any easier for you. Remember that with your best sales window past you, you need to make sure that you maximize whatever showings do come your way. It only takes one buyer to sell your home. Treat every showing as if it could be your last.

2. Kick the clutter. Sellers often underestimate the value of space. If you have packed a room with large furniture and it feels small to you, it is definitely going to feel small to a prospective buyer. Eliminate as much from your home as you can. That includes large but unnecessary pieces of furniture, stuff from your closets, pictures on the walls, etc. The less personal items you have around to distract the buyer, the more their focus is going to be on your home.

3. Wallpaper, Paint, Flooring…OH MY! This may not be an issue that every seller is faced with but it is a biggie. There is almost no home buyer that wants a home with wallpaper. There are certainly instances where it is tasteful and acceptable, but if your walls aren’t cracked and crumbling behind it, take that stuff down. Besides wallpaper, a fresh coat of neutral paint will go a long way to making the home feel clean (even if your home is clean already) and updated. Flooring is a more expensive fix, but if your carpet is outdated or in bad shape, and you have some money…it is time to replace it. You will almost always get your money back on flooring and it greatly increases a homes appeal.

4. Clean like the Pope is coming to visit. If your home is dirty, buyers are going to think that you don’t take very good care of it. Perception is reality when it comes to real estate. If, on the other hand, a buyer walks in to a clean, well-maintained home they are going to assume your house is well cared for and loved home…it doesn’t matter how dirty it was 12 hours ago when your kids had a food fight and your cat coughed up a hairball. Perception is reality…

5.  Curb appeal is key. First impressions are crucial. According to the New York Times good landscape can add 15-20% to your sale price. Bad landscaping can detract as much as 10% for your bottom line. So many people are evaluating homes online; those pictures they look at may very well be the difference between a visit to your home a click of the mouse to the next house in their search. Let your first impression be a positive and lasting one.

6. Price your home correctly. There is no single factor of greater importance in selling your home than pricing it correctly. Look at these two articles for more in depth analysis. The first discusses setting your homes price and the other discusses why pricing is so important.

7. Set the Stage. Home staging is crucially important. Part of home staging involves “kicking the clutter”, but beyond that you also need to consider things that appeal to a buyer’s senses other than their eyes. Play some soft classical music over the radio or a CD player. Bake some bread or cookies before the buyer comes and leave a few pieces out for them to enjoy. Now you have made their eyes happy cleaning and de-cluttering, their ears happy with soft music, and their nose and mouth happy with the food. All that is left is for them to make an offer. Staging your home also involves how your furniture is arranged. Try to arrange your room so that important features of your home are not blocked, and that it flows naturally when you walk through.

Now that you have read the tips to sell your home faster, all you have to do is implement them. Every moment you spend waiting to do these is time lost and time lost is money out of your pocket. Don’t let a single buyer slip through the cracks. Get proactive and you will sell your home faster!