If you’re selling your home, this list of 101 tips is definitely a must-read. In today’s slower market, it’s not enough to stick a sign in the front yard and continue life as usual. Buyers have more than enough homes to choose from, so sellers need to be proactive about getting their properties noticed.

Essentially, selling in a slow market is all about outshining the competition. Here are some specific tips, tricks and ideas to send you on your way:

1. Price accurately.
2. Be aware of market conditions.
3. Look at other for-sale homes within a half mile or less.
4. Look at other similar, recently sold (within the last three months) homes in the area.
5. Get a presale home inspection or appraisal.
6. Set an asking price that reflects an understanding of the current market.
7. If you want to sell fast, aim to be 10% lower than similar homes in the same area. Buyers will take notice!
8. Offer incentives, if possible.

9. Market aggressively through Buy Owner.
10. Consult a Buy Owner representative.
11. Communicate your home’s features to your rep.
12. Ask him or her any questions that are on your mind.
13. Work with the rep to create a customized ad package to meet your needs.
14. Take advantage of Buy Owner’s professional photography.
15. Feature virtual tours in your online advertising.
16. Review the ad copy created by Buy Owner and edit anything you need to.
17. Use your seller tools to create flyers.
18. Distribute these flyers anywhere you can.
19. Link to your Buy Owner ad through free sites online.
20. Use your seller tools to check the stats on your property.

21. Make a good first impression!
22. Aim to make your home stand out amongst the competition.
23. Repaint or power-wash the exterior.
24. Check the exterior of your home for signs of wear and damage & correct them (examples: peeling paint, foundation cracks or loose shingles).
25. Repaint the front door.
26. Make sure the doorbell works.
27. Add decorative accents like a wreath.
28. Place colorful potted plants at the entry.
29. Plant flowers amongst the landscaping.
30. Trim the bushes and add fresh mulch.
31. Fertilize the lawn; make sure it’s manicured.
32. Rake leaves in autumn.
33. Shovel and salt the driveway and walkways in winter.
34. Power-wash the driveway.
35. Clean out the garage.
36. Clean all the windows.

37. Declutter the living spaces.
38. Hold a garage sale to get rid of things you don’t need.
39. Move about half of your stuff to storage.
40. Stage the interior with strategically chosen furniture.
41. Remove all personal items (photos, diplomas, religious items).
42. Clean off the fridge!
43. Organize the closets; put as much away in storage as possible.
44. Remove everything from the floors of closets.
45. Hide away unsightly cords and wiring.
46. Top the beds with fresh sheets.
47. Put out fresh towels in the bathrooms.
48. Scrub the walls and floors thoroughly.

49. Focus on the heart of the home: the kitchen.
50. Replace any damaged or extremely outdated appliances (with good, but not most expensive, alternatives).
51. If cabinets are outdated, consider updating, rather than replacing, them: new knobs or doors can make a big difference.
52. Consider updating fixtures for another cost-effective change.
53. Clear the countertops.
54. Organize the cabinets and the pantry.
55. Clean and wax the floors.
56. Put away unused smaller appliances like stand-mixers and toasters.

57. Fix up the interior.
58. Direct your lighting to highlight key areas.
59. Add lights to all corners of major rooms.
60. Replace lightbulbs with higher wattage ones.
61. Repaint walls with neutral colors.
62. Fix anything that’s broken.
63. Thoroughly clean or replace carpeting.
64. Consider improvements or renovations carefully.
65. Get rid of any unpleasant smells.

66. Create a backyard oasis.
67. Look for ways to play up your outdoor space.
68. Plant a garden to spruce up the look of your verdant landscaping.
69. Keep the pool immaculate and make it seem as low-maintenance as possible.
70. Take care of any surrounding tiling, decking or landscaping around the pool.
71. Adjust the chemical balance to make the water sparkling clear!
72. Keep hoses neatly wrapped up and put away.

73. Be ready to talk to buyers.
74. Known how to screen callers.
75. Ask if they’ve been prequalified.
76. Find out how far along in the selling process they are.
77. Be sure to get contact information.
78. Have key attributes of your home ready to bring up in the conversation.

79. Be available to show your home.
80. Try to be accommodating of the buyer’s schedule.
81. Only show your home when it’s in showing condition.
82. Don’t show your home alone.
83. Be prepared to “quick clean” when necessary.
84. Ask buyers to be prequalified (Refer them to Guaranteed Rate).
85. Keep pets out of sight if at all possible.

86. Hold open houses.
87. Schedule the open house for a weekend afternoon when not a lot of community events are going on.
88. Set the date and flag your open house on BuyOwner.com, through your Buy Owner seller tools.
89. Promote your open house everywhere you can.
90. Make the most of other open houses in the area. Check local ads, and when an open house is scheduled nearby, put out a sign and draw those visitors to your home.
91. On the day of the open house, have a niece or nephew run a lemonade stand out front. This will help draw in other passers-by, inviting them inside.
92. Set the internal temperature of your home to a comfortable level (turn on the A/C or heat, depending on the time of year).
93. Give buyers space when touring your home.
94. Answer any questions they raise.

95. Know how to negotiate.
96. Be as neutral as possible.
97. Build rapport with buyers.
98. Consider all offers.
99. Respond to concerns.
100. Counteroffer.
101. Make concessions.