8 Tips for Selling Your Home Fast By Jenny McCune, Bankrate.com

As the home-sales season goes in to high gear, you may feel extra pressure to sell your house in a hurry. Here are some ways to set a winning pace in the home-sale race.

• Hire a top-notch sales agent. "You need a good agent, an agent who knows your neighbourhood" says Julie Greenwood, co-owner of Greenwood King Properties, a Houston real estate agency.
• Price it right. The No. 1 thing that will sell a house quickly is price. "That's the name of the game," says Tom Innes, president of Re/Max Commonwealth in Richmond, Va. "If you price it right, it will sell. If you price it wrong, it won't sell."
• Create an adjustable sales plan. Come up with a sales strategy, but make sure it's flexible. What's your initial asking price? How long will you insist on it before making a reduction? How much of a cut will you accept? What about after that? Having a plan in place will help you react quickly, according to Greenwood, and will move your home that much more quickly.
• Clear out the clutter. "Get the clutter out of it," says Stephen Roulac, author of the forthcoming "360 Housing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them." It will make your home more inviting to buyers. "After you thought you got out the clutter, take out more. Get it spare, open and fresh."
• Offer incentives. Incentives can help shorten the sales cycle, but be careful. Agents are divided on how much they help.
• Don't get distracted. What about those "cash for homes" ads you see on matchbook covers, billboards and late-night TV? Agents say houses sold this way are heavily discounted. You will sell your property quickly, but it will go cheap, probably at a price that really won't make you happy. "If it's too good of an offer to be true, it is too good of an offer," says Re/Max's Innes.
• Ask for company help. If you're relocating because of a job change or company transfer, you may be eligible for home-sale help from your employer or a relocation company representing your employer. "Generally speaking, these buyouts are fair," says Todd Thornton, a real estate instructor, consultant and author of "Home Buying Without the BS."
• Rent it. If time runs out and you've got to get out of Dodge without selling your home, consider renting it. Just be sure to strike a deal with the renters so your home will be available for showing. For example, if a home such as yours normally rents for £1,000 a month, offer a discount (say £750) in exchange for the renters making the house accessible for showings to potential buyers.