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In many real estate markets these days selling a house is no easy task, never mind selling your own house. Be that as it may, there are times that you may have to do just that, either by choice or circumstance. If you find yourself in the position of having a house on the market, selling it sooner, rather than later is probably your overriding concern. I've seen a few friends watch their house languish on the market for months recently, and believe me, it's not a good position to find oneself in. Any house payments you make while your home is on the market basically come right out of your profit, because the lion's share of that payment goes straight to mortgage interest, not to reducing the principal balance.

If you are selling your own house, here are some tips that can make the task a bit easier.

Tips for Selling Your Own House 1 -
Price the thing realistically. I know it's your own house, and it's full of your memories, but you've got to put yourself in the position of a prospective buyer. They have no such memories of your abode and if you want them to get any, you can't overprice the thing. Remember, the longer your house sits unsold, the lower your profit. Over pricing will cause a property to sit, instead of sell, and in fact is the number 1 cause of a failure to sell, according to a survey of sellers done in 2006 by real estate firm HouseHunt Inc. It is far better to price it a few percentage points low and sell it right away, than to price it a few percentage points too high and have it fail to sell for 3 to 6 months (or longer). One last bit of pricing advice; price it on the low side of $25K increments and it will be seen by more online browsers. For example, you'll get many more views at $349,950 than you will at $354,950, because of the way most real estate websites search for homes (in $25K or $50K increments).

Tips for Selling Your Own House 2 -
Don't buy a new house before your house sells unless you have no choice. Many Realtors say it's much tougher to sell a vacant property than one that looks happy and full. If you must move out, go ahead, but you should be aware that NAR surveys have found that you're about 10% more likely to reduce the price of your home at some point in the selling process if it is vacant. So if you can, a hot tip is not to move out too fast. You can always rent a place to live while you're finding a new home. It is, after all, a target rich environment for buyers these days, not the seller's markets of years past. Finding a new home will be the least of your worries.

Tips for Selling Your Own House 3 -
Make sure it looks good from the street. Reeaal good. As in “I have to live here” good. Curb appeal is one of the largest factors in setting a positive impression in people's minds when they're house hunting. After a day of looking at 8 - 10 houses, you want yours to be the one they remember. Make sure it's clean, and there are no glaring flaws, especially flaws visible from the street. Look at the landscaping. That is one area that can cause the price to appreciate if it is very good, and actually reduce the price of your house if it is not.

A study published in the Journal of Environmental Horticulture in the 1990's found that for some houses, the landscaping can reduce the selling price of a house by a staggering 10%! Even if it's only 5%, or if it causes your house to stay on the market an extra 90 days, mow the freakin' yard, for Christ's sake! Actually make sure the hedges and bushes are well trimmed, the lawn is completely manicured (unless it's covered by snow now) and there a no dead spots. A new layer of beauty bark is very effective as well, especially the kind that's treated to stay looking new for a year.

Tips for Selling Your Own House 3 -
Make sure it's up to date. You could try to sell the house with the drab, old kitchen, but the price you pay to have the kitchen updated will likely be recovered when you sell, and could easily keep the home from sitting unsold for a long while. New homes now are replete with solid surface counters and stainless steel appliances in many neighborhoods. If your home isn't, and competing new homes are, it could be a tough sell.

Cough up the $8,000 - $12,000 to have the kitchen appliances replaced, and the counters resurfaced if that's what the competition has. Not only will you likely recover all, or most of the cost, but it will likely save you costly market time. Refinishing or refacing the cabinets may be a good idea as well, if yours are a bit worn or dated looking. Failing that, you can at least paint them. Recovering or refinishing the floor is another good use of your money.

Another relatively inexpensive area you can address to make your home look up to date is the lighting fixtures. Old lighting fixtures are one of the things you can replace for relatively little money that have a tremendous impact on the appearance of a space. Ditto the front door. It's the gateway to your palace and something that makes the first impression. For $400 - $600 you can replace it with a nice, new one.

Home Tech Information Systems and Remodeling Magazine publish their cost vs value report on the percentage of costs recouped by various remodeling projects. Here are some interesting bits from the 2006 report. The report actually breaks down improvements by region, as well as nationally. Because the house market in general is not as strong as the last few years, some of the percentages are lower. In addition, you should be sure to factor in the content of other homes in your area and price range. There's no sense in completely remodeling your hoe with a new Wolf gas range, Bosch Dishwasher, Sub Zero refrigerator and slab granite counter tops. If that's far above the standard for other homes in your area and price range. You may sell you home faster, but you won't recoup your investment on a dollar cost basis.

Here are some of the highlights of the report:
% returns on remodeling investments -

Vinyl Siding replacement 83.1% (unless you're in New England, where you'll get 94% back!)
Fiber backed siding replacement 88%
Minor Kitchen Remodel – 85%
Bathroom remodel – 85%
Bathroom addition – 75% (reflects the higher costs associated with the addition, but remember, to factor in your neighborhood norms. For example, if all the homes in your neighborhood have 2.5 baths, and yours only has 1.5, you are in a much better position to recoup you investment. You'll also sell your house faster)
Attic bedroom remodel – 80%

The number one tip to revitalize a space and make your house sell faster is repaint the interior. You'll cover a multitude of problems, make it look better and give it that new house smell people love. The best thing is that paint costs very little and even the most handily challenged can do it in a weekend or two.

Tips for Selling Your Own House 4 -
Clean everything like your life depends on it, including windows, screens, tile grout, and inside the cabinets and closets. Cleanliness is next to godliness, except when you're trying to sell your house, then it's sitting on top of it.

These tips can help to sell your own house, and can keep it from sitting on the market while you forlornly watch your bank balance wither away. For more powerful tips and strategies on making sure your house sells for top dollar, in any market, pick up a copy of the Home Staging Course. It's really targeted at those who'd like to start earning money with their own home staging business (would that be such a bad idea?), but it is full of powerful strategies to help you sell your house as well.