It’s a new year, the holidays are over, and your house still displays a For Sale sign in the front yard. Though you had hoped to have your house sold by now, that doesn’t mean it’s time to hang the white flag of surrender and take your house off the market. In a slow real estate market, it’s standard for a house to be on the market for up to a year or longer. So instead of getting discouraged, change your game. Take it to the next level. There are always new tactics for home sellers to try, such as these five:

• Visit open houses in your town or surrounding towns. Act like a potential homebuyer and gain perspective on what else is out there, and how other home sellers are trying to spark the interest of buyers. Also, take note of what areas of the house you notice first, and remember this when it comes to your own house.

• Videotape your house. Start from the driveway, head up the front walkway and through the front door, and then tape each room. Watching a video will help you see your house in a new way, and you might notice areas to improve that you otherwise would have glanced over.

• If you’ve been hosting open houses on weekends only, try hosting an open house on a weeknight or even on a weekday. This will attract potential homebuyers who work different hours and can’t make regularly scheduled open houses. Also, the competition of other open houses will be lower at these times.

• Consider every offer. Even if the offer is ridiculously low, consider other factors about the potential buyer. Does he or she have good credit? Is he or she willing to move in when you are ready to move out? In a slow market, it’s smart to decide on a “last resort” amount so that you’re prepared to accept less than you wanted.

• If you’ve updated anything in your house since you purchased an ad with Buy Owner, contact us so that we can update your information. On your own time, use social networking sites to continually market your home to potential homebuyers. Don’t give up!