Of course you want to sell your house quick and for top dollar. Everyone does! But selling your house quick isn’t an accident. It requires some work.

There are six main steps to get your house in peak showing condition. This is what everyone selling their house should do, whether working with an agent or selling for sale by owner (FSBO). But few people will do all this, which gives you a competitive edge.

First you need to take an objective look at your house. Pretend you’re a potential buyer and pick it apart. Rip it to shreds! We all get used to seeing past certain things. But your prospective buyers and the home inspector are going to see it all. Write down everything you see incorrect with your house.

1. FIX IT Every home needs some minor repairs. Have a home inspection if you reckon your house might have any huge issues (structural, roof, drainage, electrical, etc). Your buyer will have an inspection and it’s better to know of any issues now rather than later.

If you are handy and have the time, you can do the work yourself. But, if you are like most of us (busy), I’d strongly suggest getting some help. You can get referrals from people you know and trust.

2. END IT Unless you are selling your house for a significant price reduction, your buyers do not want to have a list of projects to take care of. Do you have half-finished projects? You need to choose to end them or undo them. And don’t start any new projects. You won’t get a excellent return on your money.

3. DE-CLUTTER When selling your house, you want it to look as spacious as possible. You want people to concentrate on your fantastic house, not your “stuff”.

If you have an issue with clutter, you need to know that you won’t get top dollar or sell your house as quickly if it’s full of junk.

Remember, when you start marketing to sell your home, photos of it will be on flyers, the Internet, and strangers will be looking in your closets! How’s that for motivation?

4. CLEAN Next, clean your house thoroughly. You need to clean things you don’t even remember you have.

See if you can find a checklist that professionals use. This will save you time by showing you the most efficient order to clean your house. Or hire a one-time cleaning service.

Don’t forget the outside of your house. Power wash your siding, gutters, sidewalks, patios, and decks. It will make your house sparkle. You won’t believe how dirty everything was.

5. DE-PERSONALIZE When selling your house, you want to de-personalize it. You want your buyers imagining themselves living in the house, not remembering your family living in the house.

Place away keepsakes, family photos, birthday cards, the kids’ art work on the refrigerator. If you have interests others may find controversial in any way, pack it up! Many homeowners balk at this, thinking it is unnecessary. But also remember strangers will be in your house, so it’s best to store collectibles, valuables, family heirlooms, or anything of sentimental value for their protection. No need to tempt anyone. And accidents do happen.

6. STAGE Staging is the latest strategy to help sell your house quick. Don’t be intimidated, you won’t need an interior decorator. It is simply an advanced form of “rearranging your furniture”. It is knowing what to remove, what to add, and how to rearrange what you’ve got to enhance your home’s excellent features, minimize its flaws, and make it appeal to the majority of home buyers. Kind of like what us gals do with makeup!

Following these 6 steps before you sell your house takes some work but remember you are increasing the value of your house and making it simpler to sell with every step you take.

Be sure to visit http://TruthAboutFSBO.com and sign up for the eye-opening special report, “Revealed: The REAL Reasons Houses Don’t Sell”. This is information anyone selling their house cannot afford to miss. Also visit Deane’s blog at http://TruthAboutFSBO.com/blog where she answers readers’ most pressing house selling questions.

Deane Alban is an experienced real estate investor and author of “The Truth About FSBO – Complete Selling System”. “The Truth About FSBO” provides homeowners with a step-by-step system to sell their houses FSBO (for sale by owner) the RIGHT way.