Contributed by Info Guru Cindi Pearce

You want to sell your home.

You need to get a contract and close as quickly as possible but there haven’t been any offers. This is frustrating and maddening for any homeowner who needs to make a move.

Here are the top ten tips for selling a house and the quicker the better.

10. Timing and seasonal decor

The peak selling time for residential homes is spring and summer. It helps that your property may looks better at this time of year than it does in the dead of winter when everything is dead and the weather is dreary. Put your home on the market in the spring or summer if possible. Home sales are very slow in December and January. However, if you must sell your home in the autumn, for example, take advantage of this time of year. Spiff up the front of your house (and its curb appeal) by artfully arranging some pumpkins and gourds, maybe even a corn stalk, and positioning them on the front steps or porch or in the front yard. This is going to catch people’s eyes and increase the charm (and hopefully hasten the sale) of your home. Put electric candles in the window or a beautiful wreath on the front door. Do not underestimate the value of first impressions.

9. Consult a professional

Consult with a professional realtor about the proper price to set your home. Don’t go too high, don’t go to low and be realistic. You may not get what you want. Decide in advance what you are willing to accept and can live with, harboring no regrets. If you have over-priced your home it is not going to sell quickly or at all, which is a no-brainer.

8. Smells and odors

How does your house smell? Are you a smoker? Do you have pets? Do everything you possibly can to eliminate offensive airborne odors from your home with an air purifier. Also, do your best to remove the source of the stink. Wash down walls, clean your carpets and upholstered furniture. Banish the animals and smokers, at least temporarily, to the outside. More than one potential home buyer has turned and walked away because they didn’t like the way the residence smelled.

7. Front door

Paint your front door. Make sure the porch lights work. A welcoming and inviting front door is going to bring you business. Put a beautiful wreath on the door. A ‘welcome’ mat is nice as well.

6. Lighting

Light up the interior of your home and the exterior, especially if you are showing the home at dusk or night. Add guide lights and step lighting. Don’t underestimate the impact that good lighting can have on a home’s interior and exterior. Lighting can set the mood. It can make a home look cozy and inviting or dramatic.

5. Cleaning

Clean the interior of your home or get a professional to clean it for you. If someone stumbles upon pet excrement or icky stuff in the bathroom this is not going to bode well.

4. De-clutter

Get rid of some of the clutter inside your home. Yes, we know you love your family photos and the collection of African masks in the living room and the assortment of baseball caps in your son’s room but it has been proven time and time again that too much stuff is a turn-off to potential buyers who can’t get past it or see beyond it to the bones of the house and its potential as their future home. De-clutter for the sake of the sale.

3. Staging

Stage your home. Bring in some furniture items that belong to family and friends, or see if you can rent some pieces that are nicer than your own belongings. No one has to know the difference. You return the items, of course, as soon as you’ve made the sell. You want to make the best impression on potential buyers. If your furniture has seen better days, ask (beg!) your mother or best friend to loan you her beautiful sofa.

2. Lawn and driveway

Curb appeal includes your lawn and how it looks. Your lawn must be healthy. Flowers and other types of landscaping enhance the value of your home. Add landscape details like edging, tree guards and mulch. People place great value on outdoor space more than ever before. When you provide this it is going to increase your chances of a quick and profitable sale. Oh, remember to clean your driveway.

1. Spruce up the exterior

Curb appeal really is everything. Look beyond the grass and the entry walk. If your property looks horrible and neglected on the outside, even if it’s delicious inside, no one is going to take the time to give it a look. Invest some time and money into sprucing up your home’s exterior. That should do the trick.