Yes, it is a buyer’s market as some might say but the need or desire to sell your home may still be inevitable.

If you are in this situation then you need to understand your area and the competition. Do you need to price your home the same as a short sale home or a bank owned home? The answer is not likely.
 
First of all most bank owned homes are in need of much TLC and not necessarily a good comparison to yours. Short sales take so long and are not only in disrepair but the wait as well as possible rejection by the bank often times makes many buyers not willing to deal with these homes. While waiting on the bank’s response just imagine how many homes the buyer will miss out on.

This brings us to homes like yours that is a mainstream sale! Mainstream being an operative word here, basically, not a short sale or bank owned home.
 
Most home buyers today are looking for mainstream homes for many reasons. The obvious wait time and frustration in short sales has driven home buyers away from dealing with this type of sale.

The competition with cash buyers and investors on well maintained bank owned homes finds most mainstream buyers in an unlikely position to obtain the home.
 
Buyers have realized that a normal sale in which they can make a reasonable offer, get a response in a timely manner, have an inspection and actually ask for repairs to be done and expect to get the home in good condition is well worth it.
 
Competing with short sale homes and bank owned homes aren’t that difficult. Real estate agents are on top of the market and will know your competition and how well things are selling for in your area. Be reasonable when it comes to pricing because you still need to appraise when it comes down to it. Obviously, making your home look nicer than most of the competition should be the easy part; let your pride in your home show. Take the advice from your seasoned agent on how to stage your home.

Do not get wrapped up in the fact that you think your home is worth more than what it is likely to sell in this market or you will waste a lot of time with little to no showings. You need traffic, traffic brings potential buyers.
 
Make sure your home has several shots or pictures of areas in and around your property that makes a buyer want to see more! Neutral tones and less furniture and belongings make your home feel more open and spacious.
 
You can price your home higher than your competition of short sales and bank owned – just not so far out of reach that you are not going to get potential buyers interested in your home. Homes of all price ranges are selling in this market and yours can too.

Believe it or not, if you and your agent have done a good job, you are likely to sell your home very quickly in a market like this!

Many design firms have developed a way for the homeowner to dress their home in style with minimal costs.

1. Murals, Stencils and Peel & Stick Designs
Not at all a new trend but rather an upscale version is now available to change the tone of your walls and provide a unique change.

2. Moldings
All types of Do It Yourself moldings are available for the homeowner.  Homeowners have inexpensive alternatives to hiring professionals that cost two arms and a leg. There are 3 dimension molding pieces that can easily peel and stick without a need for the homeowner to measure and miter ends.

3. Upscale Window Treatments without the Upscale Costs
I was surprised to find very nice wood shutters, blinds and some looked custom-made all in Home Depot and Lowes. You can purchase the items you want then have an installer from Home Depot’s list of contractors install them at a pre-determined price for you. Some Lowes have this service too.

4. Chair and Sofa Covers
The old tried and true method that our parents used are furniture covers. There are many different looks that can be purchased from an upscale store or right from your neighborhood Target store. This gives your Chair or Sofa a completely different look with very little effort.

This is also a great way to change your home’s look when you’re trying to sell.

We spend so much time thinking how much to budget for dressing up our home but Do It Yourself projects are great for a little change at a time. It doesn’t burn a hole in our pockets and upon comparison you can see that you’ll get the same great appeal and style with a little patience, time and your own two hands.

Your first call should be to the mortgage lender.  Banks understand the economic downfall has placed many homeowners in a corner, unable to make their payments.  Loan modifications, Repayment plans and Reinstatements are all options to help you remain in your home; but many times a loan modification or even mortgage forbearance will not work for you; this is when you give a call to a Realtor and seek other options. 

While selling your home may not be your first choice it’s surely better than a foreclosure and bad credit scores.  A real estate agent can help you negotiate with your mortgage lender and perhaps work out a short sale.

The deal breaker here will be how long you waited to seek out help but any call for help is better than none at all.

When a home inspection is performed the flaws that may be present in the home can be brought to the attention of the homeowner with the notion that the homeowner will now take appropriate steps to correct the flaws. Of course, this is not done merely for cosmetic reasons as isolating problem areas in the home and then fixing those problems will inherently increase the value of a home. After all, if it is suggested that the home have new siding put on it, the new siding will make the home far more marketable than it would have been without the siding. As such, the sale value of the home will increase and, hopefully, it will increase dramatically.

The purpose of a home inspection is not merely to satiate curiosity (although there is nothing wrong with that), but to maintain the maximum value of the home. Real estate is, of course, equity and it is always better to maximize that equity than see it decrease due to benign neglect of oversight.