Are you the kind of person who says . . . "thanks, but NO THANKS. I can do it MYSELF!" . . . or, better yet, your favorite song is Frank Sinatra's, "I Did It My Way"? Well, if you are, then this is definitely the article for you.

Based on my experience as a professional home stager and model merchandiser, I am going to give you five fool proof, easy, do-it-yourself ways to keep your house from selling in todays very competitive real estate market.

Just follow these simple guidelines:

Continue to think 'Inside The Box'

The climate of the real estate market has drastically changed in the last couple of years. People are no longer standing in lines knee deep just for the opportunity to participate in bidding wars . . . which often ended up higher than the original asking price of the home! It was an unrealistic bubble in the real estate market that we all knew would have to end at some point. We just didn't know that that end would seemingly come overnight, and with no advance warning.

Today sellers must be innovative and willing to offer new strategies to attract potential home buyers . They can no longer rely on traditional methods of advertising or marketing to get buyers in to even look at their houses. And once in, they have to maximize on the opportunity, showing them a house that will stand out from all of the rest they will be seeing. They have to be able to think 'Outside The Box'.

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff

There are literally thousands of homes in every community for sale right now. It has become a buyers market, causing people to be 'pickier' than ever before . . . because they can be! Buyers will buy what they see. If there are small repairs that have been left unattended that they can see, they then will wonder about the ones that they can't see?

Seemingly small, affordable repair jobs can make the difference between a home that sells quickly, and one that sits on the market for months on end.

Keep It Personal

Purchasers are not buying your home . . . they are buying a house to make their home! By removing personal items such as family photographs they will be better able to focus on the highlighted features of the home itself. You want them to visualize their family photos on the wall, and their family sitting around the dining room table for the holidays! When they can imagine themselves living in the home . . . they have made that all important 'emotional connection'.

Don't let your emotional ties to your home affect your judgment. When preparing a home for sale it's important to remember that the way you live in a home, and the way you sell a home are two very different things!

First Impressions Aren't 'Everything'

Statistics have shown that 'first impressions' are formed within 10 seconds of entering a home, both positive and negative. And there are no do-overs. You don't get a second chance to make a great first impression!

Keep It Vacant

The decision to leave a home vacant on the market is often a costly decision for the seller to make. A well furnished home is your most effective marketing tool, designed to generate market interest from your qualified buyers. Homebuilders have known this for many years, spending thousands of dollars to merchandise each of their model homes. They consider it a minimum investment for a maximum return!

While 10% of Home Buyers can visualize how a home will look furnished, 90% of them can not. Ask yourself . . . Do you really want to limit yourself to that small of a group of potential buyers, especially in such a competitive market?

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