1) Price

Since it is likely there are numerous listings similar to your listings available, it is critical your listings are priced extremely competitively. Ideally your home should be priced within the lowest one-third of similar homes available in the area or subdivision. This may sound obvious but when comparing apples to apples, buyers will always want to see the lowest priced homes first.

So here is a good rule of thumb: If your home gets shown five to ten times with no offers, it is time for a price reduction.

  2) Cooperating Commission

What is the standard co-broker commission in your area?  5, 6 or 7 percent? If you want your listings to stand out, you must offer more commission than everyone else. If 6 percent is normal, your listing should be 7 percent.  Agents do check to see on the MLS how much the seller is willing to pay. And if there are a lot of similar homes to show a buyer they are going to show the ones that they will get paid the most on.

Will an extra half percent make a difference to selling agents? Yes!

3) Financing/Terms

Have your agent’s lender prepare a lending sheet showing various scenarios. Attach a simple graph showing what a potential buyer's rent would be on a home like this and the tax advantage to purchasing the home. Are you willing to offer any incentives to make the deal work, such as crediting some money for closing costs. The easier it is for a buyer to buy the property, the better chance you have that it will sell.

4) Buyer Incentives

Builders today, realizing the shift in the market and having a strong desire to move their inventory, are offering serious incentives to buyers. Some are giving away everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink. They are throwing in items like flat screen TVs and trips to Hawaii . Recently a builder in San Diego gave away a car! Not a bad deal, huh? Buy a home, get a car. Hey, whatever works, right? I love this idea: if the home needs a little work, offer $1000 in free handyman work. This simple idea provides a great service to a buyer.

5) Marketing

Create a thorough marketing plan that incorporates, not just print ads, but online and more creative outlets. My marketing program includes marketing at the local mall, a popular neighborhood restaurant, as well as email campaigns to my large database of local realtors.

6) Access/Easy to Show

This is so simple yet often overlooked. Look, if your home is only available to be shown by appointment between 3:00-3:15 on Sunday afternoons and your agent must be there to accompany, the home will not get shown very often, will it? You must make it as easy as possible. You must remove all obstacles to gaining access to your home. The more accessible and easy to show, the better it is. Having a lockbox on makes it easy for agents to set appointments to see the home. When the showings are limited, they may take their buyers elsewhere.

7) Staging

There is no doubt this will make the home stand out. If there is too much furniture, remove some of the furnishings to create more space. Use a professional to stage the home; buyers will notice the difference. As you know, you only get one chance to make a first impression.

8) Curb Appeal

Last on our list is curb appeal. What does the front of the house and yard look like? Does it make a buyer want to jump out of the car and run into the house? Or do they think, you know we have so many other homes to look at, so let's keep driving! You want to create a pleasing view as buyers approach the home. A few flowers and potted plants can make all the difference in the world. Again you only get one chance to make that first impression.