I gleaned some new tips from an article entitled Back in Balance from the March 2006 Kiplinger's Personal Finance. Some of the piece was the same old stuff but these were tips that I thought were pretty good and new to me:

1. Make your home stand out (Sellers). Stage your home almost like a model home. For single-family homes landscaping is mentioned prominently. I agree that it's the cheapest upgrade that will add value to your sale. Also discussed were putting a smaller bed in the master bedroom to make the room look larger and even moving out to a relatives if that's feasible.

2. Target your offer (Buyers). If a home is new to the market and priced well, make an offer at the top of the range. If the home has been on the market for six months, make an offer at the bottom of the range, or below.

3. Win the beauty contest (Buyers). Some of these were obvious things like getting preapproval and scheduling appraisals and inspections in advance to minimize time. A suggestion I hadn't heard of was to write a "love letter" to a Seller pleading your case. It's suggested that by putting a personal story to the offer, you may stand out.

Good shopping!