Hundreds of Dollars spent on landscaping, painting and other minor repairs can result in thousands of dollars in added value to your homes' selling price.

Bake Cookies or cinnamon buns before having a showing occur through your broker/salesperson.

What price range you can afford to purchase depnds on a number of factors such as income, credit scores, expenses, down payment, interest rate, PMI and other terms. Consult with a lender before you shop and get pre-approved. This will serve not only to tell you what you can afford, but as a powerful bargaining tool to present with your offer, which may save you thousands in purchase price due to leverage and clout with respect to the seller.

Take care of the little things in your house that need repair and which you may have been avoiding for some time. Torn screens, squeeky doors, wall holes or cracks, painting, cleaning, etc. These improvements can result in much better showings and significantly increase the chances of getting an offer.

Always apply the Home Inspection Contingency in any offer to purchase a home. Your home inspector will inform you, in detail, the condition of the home and potential and actual repairs.

After the home inspection, read the report carefully. If problems exist according to the inspector, then negotiate with the Seller to make the necessary repairs or possibly split certain costly repairs which may have been discovered.

If the home predates 1978 in construction, then also have a lead paint inspection done at that time. Especially if children under the age of 6 (six) years are going to occupy the premises either for rental or purchasing purposes.

A radon inspection can also be useful depending upon the location of the property and the type of terrain the house was built on. Radon is a deadly, invisible and odorless gas which can be present in some homes. Radon remediation may be possible if it is discovered.

Remove all clutter and unnecessary items in your home from visibility. Pack as if you were moving within a couple weeks. This will prevent prospective customers from focusing on your personal possessions and nicknacks and instead focus on your house as it relates to their needs and their own furnishings.

When you think you've found the perfect home, do more research and talk to people who live in the neighborhood, if possible, to get a feel for trends, activities, noise levels, conveniences, future plans for vacant lots or the neighborhood in general.

Depersonalize and neutalize. The first things to pack away are your family photos, albums, collections and anything else that reflects you. Streamline your artwork and subdue bold ornamentations.

Home Selling Tip:

Polish and clean everything and anything you can to present a like-new appearance to your potential buyers. This will be recognized immediately and significantly increase the chances of promoting an offer on your property.

A seller may want to test the market with a high price tag, making the false assumption that buyers will at least make an offer, but instead buyers may assume the seller is being unreasonable and just move on. Your goal should always be a current fair market value price as compared to other recent sales of similar homes in your area.

Home Buying Tip:

Take the time to find the right real estate agent. Find one whom you'll be comfortable with and who possesses the knowledge, experience and expertise to find the type of property you seek and conforms to your budget and other requirements.

Determining a home's current fair market value will help you make a fair offer. Fair market value is determined through sale price history, certain major features of the home such as square footage, lot size, and location, and the recent sale prices of similar homes in your area, usually within 3 to 6 months old. Determining this information will again enable you to formulate a competitive and fair offer.