Editors: You are welcome to reprint the following tips, as long as the contact information at the end is included.

With a little extra effort, you can improve the chances that your home will sell quickly and for top dollar. Get potential home buyers off the street and into your home with these tips:

* Make your home sparkle. With so many new houses on the market, buyers often expect a resale home to be in "like new" condition.

* Consider staging. Professionally decorated model homes have set high expectations for how a home should look. If you can afford to stage your home, you should. Staging is proven to benefit sellers both in price and speed of sale.

* Enhance curb appeal. Make sure your landscaping is neat and weed-free. Keep the grass cute, trim bushes and trees, rake leaves, and get rid of yard clutter. Fix sagging gutters, replace missing shingles, and paint areas that are faded or peeling. Finally, add some bright flowers around the entrance.

* Avoid being labeled a "fixer-upper." Take care of all the pesky things you've been meaning to fix but haven't gotten around to. Fix leaky faucets and loose floor boards. Replace broken light bulbs and cracked electrical panels. Patch holes in the wall and cracked ceilings.

* Clean and de-clutter, and then clean and de-clutter again. Throw away old newspapers and magazines. Organize closets. Clean the attic and cellar. Dust the furniture, vacuum the rugs and straighten wall hangings.

* Make your home light and bright. Take advantage of natural light by keeping the curtains open. Make sure the windows are clean.

* Focus on the kitchen and bathrooms. These are the most important rooms in the house so make sure they are renovated and up to date. You can also make small changes to keep them looking fresh and new. Put nice handles on less expensive cabinets and replace old light fixtures with more modern ones.

* Get rid of all that stuff. Box up as much as you can and stack it neatly in the garage, not in the closets. The house will appear larger and potential buyers will be able to picture themselves living there.

* Paint. This is an inexpensive way to make your home pop. Painting the family/living room and the master bedroom will have the biggest impact. Be sure to fix problem areas like chips and water stains. Take down outdated wallpaper and touch up the baseboards.

* Air it out. If you have pets, get rid of as much hair and dander and pet odor as possible. Make sure your home doesn't have any other smells that might turn off potential buyers.

Today's buyers expect a lot. The Internet has made them more educated, wiser and more demanding when it comes to their next home. Sellers need to educate themselves as well. An experienced, reliable real estate agent should help sellers understand current market trends. They should also supply home sellers with pertinent information about their home, like the tips listed above, that will enable a quicker sale at the best price possible.