Do a little research to discover what homes in your neighborhood have been selling for. Compare yours to recently sold homes and set your price accordingly. For example, if you have more square footage, a bigger yard, a new roof or other such features, perhaps you can ask a little more than the average. Leave room for negotiation.

Next, establish clear priorities. If you had to choose, are you more concerned with selling quickly, or getting the most money possible? What would you pay for the house if you were the buyer? Someone else -- a neighbor, friend or relative -- may point out advantages or disadvantages about your house that you hadn’t thought about. Third-party views will help you start thinking of your house as a commodity, with positive and negative selling points. Then you should decide on a price that you feel is competitive and consistent with what other houses in your area have sold for.

If you’re not completely confident in their suggestions, you may want to order an appraisal. Furthermore, the seller customarily provides the buyer with an appraisal after contract; therefore, ordering the appraisal in advance can save time in the long run. Also it provides an accurate asking price.

For a FREE comparative market analysis (CMA) of your home, submit an e-mail with the property address.