Ready to sell your house? You and a whole lot of other home owners and sales agents are trying to sell homes, too. You’ve got to make your home stand out from all of those other houses in today’s more robust sales market.

But how? What can you do to get your house noticed? Whether you are selling your home yourself or are going through a realtor or real estate agent, here are a few tips that could help drive home shoppers your way …

Raise your visibility – Using social media to get your listing in front of more people is a simple and cost-free step you can take. Have family and friends share your listing on their social media sites and social networks, especially Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Be sure to naturally incorporate, in your listing that you put online, words that would be used in online searches by people who are in the market for a home like yours. The words should fit in naturally if you are being truthful about the details of your home. Put emphasis on the best features of your house. These are part of your major selling points.

Picture this – Make sure you have the best photos, with high resolution, that nicely show off your home. Spiff up the exterior of your home, as well as your front yard (planting colorful flowers would be nice!), to boost its attractiveness and get great photos. Do the same for the interior rooms; make these spaces as nice-looking as possible. Don’t forget to take photos of your house’s best features. You can use these photos with your listing, online postings and on your signs.

High-quality signs – Even in this digital age where people seem to spend more time on the internet superhighway than walking, driving, or riding a bike down actual neighborhoods, high-quality for-sale signs still catch the eyes of casual passersby. Of course, those great eye-catching signs must be paired with a well-manicured lawn and bushes (or simply, a well-kept front yard), and an attractive front exterior of the house.

Try to be creative and go beyond the typical photo of your realtor coupled with the “For Sale” phrase near it. A creative, customized vinyl sign might also make your home stand out from others on the market in your community or on your street.

One of the main elements of a high-quality for-sale sign – other than being made of sturdy material that can withstand harsh weather – is how informative it is. In addition to the essential info, make sure the sign includes at least two ways to learn more about the house for sale. Consider listing a contact email or telephone number, or a listing number or website address (if applicable). If an open house has been planned, find a way to include the date and time of the event.

By the way: There is no rule saying you can’t have more than one sign in the front yard of the house that’s for sale. But if you have additional signs, make them attention-getting items such as feather flag signs with one or two words on it … something like “House for Sale” or “For Sale”. These feather flag signs will be visible to people further down the block, so you wouldn’t have to depend on someone walking, driving or riding in front of the house to know it’s for sale. Those feather flag signs may not be available locally, but can easily be found from reputable online sources. For quality, affordable feather flag signs or other creative signs to help attract home buyers, visit Half Price Banners. 

Get ready for the open house – Do the things that seem to make sense: Declutter your home, add a few plants, do a deep clean, remove personalized items (such as family photos) so the potential buyer can imagine himself or herself living there, make basic repairs, and paint the interior walls neutral colors and tones, and have people you trust come in and see if they can pick up on off-putting smells (such as animal odors or cooking odors). Sometimes, we don’t notice smells when it involves our pets or our cooking. But an objective individual can help with this.

Home-staging is also worth considering. This is a professional service of setting up homes in a way that helps you create an attractive atmosphere that will appeal to the widest variety of people. It may cost you a bit, but the advantage you could gain may be worth the money spent.

As for the open house itself, you can go basic with light refreshments and water or punch -- and don’t ever underestimate the power and appeal of freshly baked cookies. But some home sellers and sales agents are upping the ante on open houses, throwing affairs that are more like parties … with food, wine and light music. That’s an expensive approach, if you end up having a few open houses. You should probably do a cost-benefit analysis to see if this is a worthwhile option for you.

Good luck selling your house!