Cathy Liebert of Realty Executives in Hartland says don’t necessarily sign with the first agent you see. "Every seller and every Realtor is different," she adds, "and you need to see things the same way. You also need to hire someone local and full time — not a ‘weekend warrior.’"

Take a fresh look

Waisman and Liebert say sellers need to think like buyers. "Go outside and see what your home looks like from the street," Waisman notes. "What kind of curb appeal does it have? Do the same for the inside. You are selling on two levels, one to the realtor and one to the buyer."

Liebert adds, "Start at the front door. Some people don’t use their own front door regularly, so they rarely see cobwebs and areas that need painting. Have a friend come over and give you an opinion."

Orchestrate the experience

"The homes that are getting the best offers, the highest prices and selling the fastest are those where the owners have shaped their home for the sale," says Katie Falk of the Katie Falk Agency in Whitefish Bay. Falk says her 30 years of experience have taught her, "You have to approach the sale of your home as if you were preparing it for the Parade of Homes, a fancy party or some other special event."

That means, she adds, approaching the sale of a home like it is a luxury product. "You have to have the home perfectly maintained and staged," she says. "That means you have to completely de-clutter it; it should have a mean and lean look so that buyers will look at the house and not the furnishings and personal items. By getting rid of the clutter, you create a sense of order to the place. Homes that are in disarray attract only those who want to rehab and are looking for a bargain."

Falk says she has had clients rent furniture, rugs and beautiful crystal to help show off their homes.

Details, details

Home selling also comes down to the finer points. "Repaint that bedroom that reminded you of your trip to Tahiti in a neutral color," Waisman says.

"Clean the windows and get good lighting throughout the house so that everything shows well even in the evenings," Liebert adds.

Says Falk, "Fix any nicks in the woodwork and, if you have a dry basement, paint it. Just don’t do anything that will camouflage a condition that the buyer needs to know."

Going above and beyond

Melody Stephens, an agent with Coldwell Banker’s Downtown Milwaukee office for almost four years, says selling older single family homes, duplexes and condos of a wide range of ages introduces another level of tips for home sellers.

"For example, sellers of older properties should consider offering home warranties that cover appliances and mechanicals such as furnaces and central air," she says. "That way, the property will be more attractive." Stephens says this is especially true for younger buyers who have not previously owned and are nervous about repairs.

Older condos, she says, also may be unattractive to buyers if the property has not been maintained. "The best advice is to work with your condo board to make sure that the property is brought up to date. This is especially true of those common areas that make a first impression."

In the end, Stephens notes, the best advice is to make sure your home is in the best shape possible. "Buyers have a lot of choices," she says, "so if there’s one thing that turns them off, they may move on."