It might be that you’ve finally saved up enough for a down payment on your dream home. It might be that you’re moving to a new city and need to dump your house in order to get a new home loan in your new city. Whatever the reason, if you find that you want or need to sell your home fast, there are some specific things you can do to make it happen:

1. Undercut the competition. Selling your home when the market is down means selling for a price less than what you’d like to see. If you want to sell fast, you’re going to need to drop the price even lower. Your price might have to be as much as 10 or 15 percent less what other homes in the neighborhood are going for. You need to figure out the lowest price you’ll accept early on, so that you don’t get your hopes up about finding a buyer at your asking price.
2. Make outside fixes. One of the best ways in a down market to get house hunters to notice your home is to fix up the outside. There are probably a number of short sales, foreclosures or distressed properties in your area. Your house has to look better than those. Make cosmetic fixes to the outside of the home before you work on the indoor décor. Power washing the walls, painting the door, replacing the door handle and weeding the garden will give your house a decent boost.
3. Look for first-time buyers. You want to target first-time buyers. They’re the ones buying right now, due to the new home buyer credit. They’re ready to buy right away, and they don’t have to wait to sell their home before they can buy yours. The average first time buyer is 30 years old and looks online for homes, including via social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.
4. Use marketing tactics. Because most buyers will get their first look at your home online, make sure you optimize your listing. Use keyword amenities, like “pool” or “brick fireplace.” When you take pictures, use a wide angle lens to make the rooms look bigger. List your home at the low end of the price category it’s in. A home listed for $149,000 seems high to someone looking in the $100,000 to $150,000 range, but a home listed for $151,000 seems low for someone looking in the $150,000 to $200,000 range.
5. Emphasize the speed of your deal. Your buyers are going to be looking at short sale and foreclosed homes. Make sure you let them know you can close the deal right away, without having to wait the weeks or months it takes for a short sale or foreclosed deal to go through the approval process.

Photo via The Miami Story