In many neighborhoods, the home sale market is stronger than at any point in the last five years. Still, some houses that should sell easily continue to languish unsold for a lengthy period.
What's the problem? Mark Nash, a real estate broker and author of "1001 Tips For Buying and Selling a Home," says too few sellers grasp the need to fully prepare their property for market.
Through his more than 20 years in real estate, Nash says he's observed that many homeowners object to the hard work needed to put their property in excellent condition.
Nash says most homebuyers will rule out any property that appears crowded or poorly kept. Everything must be in pristine condition.
"Buyers are fussier than ever, and with good reason. With memories of a tough real estate market still fresh in their minds, they don't want to take any chances," Nash says.
Here are five essential steps for a better property sale:
-- No. 1: Buy a paintbrush and get busy.
To show well, most properties need a cosmetic redo that involves extensive painting.
Of course, you can always hire professional painters. But Nash says many homeowners are fully capable of doing interior painting themselves.
"The secret is in the prep work. If you're a good painter and have the time and inclination to do all the necessary preparations, you can save a lot of money," he says.
Nash recommends that do-it-yourself painters seek guidance from a local paint or home store, which can help with color selection.
When it comes to technique, the websites of major paint companies, such as Benjamin Moore, Duron and Sherwin-Williams, can also be helpful.
-- No. 2: Find others who'd appreciate your superfluous belongings.
As real estate agents know, a cluttered home shows poorly. But many homeowners have difficulty dispensing with serviceable items they no longer use. However, they're more willing to let go of excess belongings if they know someone else will use them.
You can give your extra items directly to a charity such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Or you can find willing recipients through online recycling services. One such program is The Freecycle Network (www.freecycle.org), which helps people "gift" items to others in the same area. (Membership is free and also allows you to pick up items from others who live nearby.)
Of course, to clear out a property it's inevitable that some items that can't be given away must be tossed out.
-- No. 3: Place excess furniture in storage.
Sid Davis, a real estate broker and author of "A Survival Guide to Selling a Home,' says nearly all sellers have much more furniture than they should to present their property well.
To make a dining room seem larger, he counsels sellers to remove extra leaves from their dining table and to leave only four chairs. Also, remove any bulky china cabinets.
In addition, remove all but a few pieces of furniture from your living room or den. Davis recommends you pare down to a single sofa, a couple of end tables and lighting. If possible, you should also remove a large-screen TV.
Ideally, you'll place any huge pieces of furniture into a storage unit until your sale goes through. One alternative is to store these in your garage until you move.
"Buyers are more forgiving of a garage that's crowded than any other area of the house," Davis says.
-- No. 4: Review the track record of any agent you're considering.
Davis urges sellers to take the time necessary to find the best possible listing agent. And he says statistical measures are often helpful as you seek to determine if a listing agent performs well for clients.
Ask the agent for a printout on his or her sales performance over the past six to 12 months. For each sale listed, make sure the printout shows how many days it took to sell the property ("days on market") and how well the owners did at closing ("list-to-sale price").
But Davis says statistics alone don't give you the whole story.
"You also need to check references, a step most sellers don't take because they're afraid of calling up perfect strangers," he says.
-- No. 5: Make sure other agents in your area know about your place.
Davis says open houses help the agents who run them to find new clients. But he believes they're less valuable to the homeowners whose property is on display.
"Most people who come to open houses are curious neighbors who just want to compare their house with the one up for sale," he says.
Fred Meyer, a veteran real estate broker who sells property near Harvard University, says that what's known as a "broker's open" is more useful to sellers. This is an event designed to draw in real estate professionals from the surrounding area.
Meyer says the big plus of a broker's open is that it increases the exposure given to market-worthy properties.
"If the other agents visit your house and like it, they'll influence their clients to also come by and take a look. Remember, agents have a lot of pull in deciding which properties are seen by serious buyers," he says.
(To contact Ellen James Martin, email her at ellenjamesmartin@gmail.com.)