If you're thinking of selling this summer, use these killer tips to ensure your success.

Focus on curb appeal.  Keep your lawn in tip-top shape by watering and mowing regularly. Trim the bushes, plant flowers that are summer-heat tolerant, get rid of the weeds, and make your entryway warm and welcoming. A home with poor or a neglected exterior will take longer to sell and likely will sell for less than it should. The exterior and curb appeal of a home can give a potential buyer a pretty good idea of what to expect in the interior of the home, so make sure it’s clean, crisp, and attractive.

Have flexible showing hours. It's not unusual in this market to have requests for multiple showings in rapid succession. Once a property hits the market, people want to see it quickly. Flexibility and trusting your agent to have your best interests at heart are vital. You may be tempted to follow the buyers around and explain all of the upgrades you have done, but don't!  You and your family need to leave so your potential buyer can relax and browse freely. 

Deliver pizazz. Fresh flowers, gleaming windows, clean scents, soft music in the background, and well-staged touches are important to creating an enticing showcase of a home. Staging your home for buyers means setting a tone, and creating an atmosphere they want to be a part of.  Help your potential buyers envision themselves living their ideal life in your house.

Keep it cool.  No one wants to walk into a stuffy home. Be sure the air is on and circulating well. A cool interior will keep potential buyers viewing the home longer. Make sure your AC has been serviced recently by a professional HVAC technician.  One of the reasons buyers have a home inspection is to ensure the home's HVAC systems are working properly, so if a home is warm it's often a potential red flag for a buyer.

Price it right. While it's still a seller's market, overpricing right out of the chute will cause your home to sit on the market. Price it right and you could have the opposite reaction: multiple offers and bidding wars. One of the worst real estate pricing mistakes made is overpricing a home to leave room for negotiation.  Pricing a home incorrectly, for whatever reason, often results in a seller actually taking less for their home than if they were to price it correctly from the start.

There are many ways to get your home sold for top dollar and few if any, headaches. That's where relying on a trusted professional comes in handy. When listing your home, make sure it is staged, priced, and photographed properly to make it stand out from the competition.