A great way to market your home for top dollar is to have a home inspection prior to putting it on the market. With the pre-listing home inspection you can make the repairs or identify them and factor them in the price. You have greatly reduced the chance of nasty surprises coming up after the buyer’s inspection. Unexpected repairs can mean money you hadn’t planned to spend or complete renegotiation of the price by a savvy buyer during the option period. Knowing about repairs in advance can make for win/win negotiations, especially if one party can easily make the repairs and the other would need to hire the work done by an expensive professional.

Quick fixes before selling a home always pay off, but which repairs bring the biggest return? Specific answers to this often-asked question largely depend on a variety of factors such as:

• Time of year
• Location of the home
• Market temperature
• Competing inventory

There is no hard and fast rule. But there are general guidelines that apply to most homes. For example, the National Association of Realtors publishes each year the Cost vs. Value Report with Remodeling Magazine, which features various home project costs and returns in four regions, including a national average.

Overall, buyers want to buy a home that has no deferred maintenance, newer appliances, updated plumbing, electrical and heating (including a/c), modern conveniences and is ready to occupy.

If you’re selling your home yourself you’ll have to go out of your way to make it easy for house hunters to tour your home. Without a lock box, you or a friend will have to be at your home to meet agents and their clients. And you must always remember that having you as the seller at the house is, according to most real estate pros, a significant disadvantage. House hunters are less likely to open closets, dawdle in bathrooms, and check out your new basement if you’re hanging over their shoulder or watching TV in the living room. And if they don’t linger, they won’t have a lasting impression of your home. If you absolutely must be at home while potential buyers are there, try to stay busy in the yard or garage. Above all, do not follow them around the house pointing out your remodeling projects or the cute wallpaper you hung in the kids’ rooms.

If you have simply had enough, hire a Realtor! Over 80% of those who attempt to sell their home For Sale By Owner end up using a Realtor.