Although things like location and market conditions are serious issues, they can be overcome. A little effort to improve the things you can control, combined with the right buyer, can bring you success.
First and foremost, you must decide who will represent you. Your two basic options are to represent yourself, or hire a realtor. Choosing to representing yourself cuts out the middleman, gives you a closer, more personal link to buyers, and saves you realtor's fees. However, hiring an expert can save you money in the end, as he or she will be familiar with area listings, will have a list of potential buyers at hand, will be able to clearly understand any fine print, and can speed up the process considerably.
Second, you need to set your price. Although you may have a specific amount of money you need to make from the sale, or a fixed idea of what you think your home is worth, the unfortunate reality is that there is only one way to price your home correctly. You need to look at comparable homes in the area and make an educated determination.
Next, you need to think about the shape your home is in cosmetically. A home can be identical to yours in size, layout, and location, but if it looks more inviting, is cleaner and less cluttered, and has a fresh coat of paint and upgraded appliances, it will sell first, and for more. Take a walk around your home, and inspect it with a critical eye. Is your decor dated, or drab? Is it too taste-specific, i.e. decorated with bright orange walls or your prized antique doll collection? Are there small fixes you've meant to get around to, like imperfect molding, holes in the linoleum, or permanent carpet stains?
Spending even a few thousand dollars on things like paint, flooring and countertops, kitchen cabinet hardware, small repairs, and fixtures can, at worst, make your home stand out from the others on the market and sell more quickly, and at best, give you up to a threefold return on your relatively small investment. Don't over-improve, however. This is not a good time to sink a lot of money into remodeling the kitchen or the bathroom. You likely won't get any return on such an investment, and it really isn't necessary at this point.
A good idea for a (free) cosmetic fix is to remove all personal effects, including photographs, baby toys, exercise equipment, and extraneous decorative items from your home. Buyers need to see themselves living in the home, and this is more difficult if there is evidence everywhere that the home is definitively yours.
Another effective tool you can use is staging. Staging involves setting up furniture, art, and decorative items in a way that is appealing to buyers. You can stage the home yourself using your own and/ or rented furniture, or you can hire staging experts. Many real estate experts recommend staging, especially for houses with open or odd layouts, as it gives the home a put-together look, and lets buyers see how they can make use of each space.
One of the most important improvements you can make to your home is to give it great curb appeal. The front of your home is the first impression a buyer has, and may even determine whether he or she bothers to come in and have a look, or just keeps driving. Fix broken sidewalks, driveways and railings, remove weeds and add attractive plants, and lay down sod.
The bottom line is, you saw enough potential in your house to buy it, and if you carefully gauge the market, price it right, play up its assets, and minimize its flaws, you can be well on your way to selling your house quickly, and possibly for more than you.
