When selling your home, Father Time can be your most formidable nemesis. After all, it's not easy to coordinate buying your new home and selling your old one. Perhaps you have to move to take a new job - possibly half-way across the country! In a case such as this, you need to sell fast. Here are some tips to help you accomplish your goal of a quick home sale.

Tip #1 - Determine Your Home's Fair Market Value

In years past, real estate agents had a monopoly on information. You needed to hire a realtor in order to determine how much your home was worth, and therefore, how much you should try to sell it for. Luckily, modern technology has changed things, and you're just as capable of conducting a "comparative market analysis" (CMA) as any overpriced realtor.

A CMA for your home will compare similar houses in your area. It will tell you their sale prices and the length of time that they had to stay on the market. A CMA will also compare your home to similar houses that are currently on the market - so you'll know who your competition is.

If you're in a hurry, your selling price is of paramount importance. Ask for too much, and your home will stay on the market longer than you can afford to wait. But asking for too little is hardly a winning strategy. With a CMA, you will be able to make an informed decision about your asking price You can even get a free CMA online.

Tip #2 - Improve Your Home's Curb Appeal

First impressions are important in life, but they're doubly important in real estate. You want your buyers to be in a positive frame of mind when they walk in your front door, and the best way to make that happen is to improve your home's curb appeal.

If selling quickly is your primary concern, it may be worth the investment to hire a professional landscaping crew, and possibly even to hire contractors to give your house a fresh coat of paint. In the absence of that, consider hiring a cleaning crew to power wash your home's facade. Maybe you could paint your trim or install a new door. At the very least, make sure that your lawn is mowed and all of your kids' toys are out of the yard. This may all seem like a lot of effort, but investing a few hundred dollars and some sweat equity could yield thousands of dollars in an increased sales price, and more importantly, a quicker sale.

Tip #3 - Enhance Your Home's Lighting

This is one of the easiest tips on the list, but you would be surprised what a difference it can make: Simply replace any faulty bulbs and make sure any dark areas in your home are well-lit. Perhaps you could increase the wattage in some of your fixtures. Make sure all curtains and drapes are open when your home is being viewed, and your home will look more vibrant inviting. In fact, you might love the way your home looks so much that you'll be sad to make the sale!

Tip #4 - Hold an Open House

One thing that a realtor will do to sell your home is hold a two-hour open house every Sunday. Is your realtor really worth $17,500 (7 percent commission on a $250,000 home) for two hours of work per week? Of course not! And there's no reason why you can't hold an open house yourself!

Make sure to place an ad the week before in your local newspaper - you would be surprised how inexpensive this can be. You should also create a couple of signs to publicize your open house. Place one in front of your home, and another on the corner of your nearest major thoroughfare. Tie balloons around your signs to make them stand out and grab the attention of prospective buyers.

Tip #5 - Utilize Modern Technology - Advertise Your Home Online

Studies show that an increasingly large number of buyers begin their home searches online. By listing your home with sellyourhome.com, you will have instant access to this growing legion of homebuyers! Better yet, you can use sellyourhome.com to market locally, as well. Just use your sellyourhome.com listing number in newspaper ads, grocery store flyers, and other promotional materials. That way, potential buyers can check out your listing on the web before ever setting foot in your home. Your buyers will arrive at your door ready to make the purchase, and you will save yourself a lot of time and money. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise - you can do it yourself!