When you’ve decided to sell, I will be your advocate, your guide, keep you informed and be your fierce negotiator. I will work hard to make yours a great sale.

1. Finish the "honey do" list. Just about every homeowner has a string of little repairs that never quite get done. Now's the time. Stuff that you've long since stopped noticing could be shouting 'deferred maintenance' to every potential buyer.

2. Get inspected. A pre-sale inspection can help in two ways. Professional inspections can identify problems that could thwart a sale in time to fix them. And if there are no major problems an inspection can publicize that fact to skittish buyers.

3. Pack up the clutter. 'Clutter eats equity'.

4. Depersonalize and neutralize. The first items that should go in those packing boxes: family photos, collections and just about anything that says "you". Streamline your artwork and consider toning down bold decorating statements.

5. Clean like a fiend.  I mean Q-Tip clean! You'll need to banish suspect smells as well; you don't want your house to become know in real-estate circles as "the cat pee place".

6. Stage the rooms. Stand in the doorway to find each room's focal point, and use furniture placement to highlight that. You should remove any extraneous pieces of furniture, but you may be able to "repurpose" them in another room.

7. Tend to the floors. Keeping them spotless won't help if their dated, worn or impossibly stained. You shouldn't spend a fortune installing hardwood or tile, though, since you're unlikely to recoup the cost. Look for compromises that can improve the home's appearance without busting your wallet. If the damage to a tile floor is limited, for instance, replacing a few tiles and regrouting might do the trick.

8. Kick up the curb appeal. By now, you probably realize the garden gnomes are a no-no. But you may not realize how many sales you're losing before potential buyers even get to the front door. Most people will start their seach for a home on the internet. If your house's internet photo doesn't 'wow' them, they might never call for a showing. Tha'ts why your front landscaping needs to be in perfect condition.

9. Pick the right publicist. If you're working with an agent, you'll want one who can really sell.  That means somebody who knows your neighborhood intimately and who's enthusiatic about your home. That also means someone other agents want to work with.

10. Set the price right. As markets cool, a too-high asking price can lead to a home being shunned by agents and buyers. A seller may think she's just testing the market, assuming buyers will at least make an offer, but buyers may assume she's unreasonable and move on. Your goal should be a fair price - something that's reasonable given the price of other homes in your area. Buyer's who are actively searching for a fairly-priced home will pounce on what they perceive is fair value.