The market is heating up. No, really, you did read that correctly. Our office is seeing a much higher percentage of homes selling faster than what we have seen in recent times. Don't take my word for it, have a chat to agents from different franchise groups or auctioneers from across Australia as they should be experiencing the same thing.

Yet today’s buyers are still concerned with the real estate market, so it is important that you do everything you can to maximise the chances of selling your home over your competitor.

To set a long story short, the days of simply putting a For Sale sign out the front of a home and getting multiple offers at the first open house are still a thing of the past. The homes that I see selling quickly and for good money in today’s market all have the following ingredients (a recipe Sellers can replicate if they'd like to get a good result).

1. Pristine Presentation. The homes that I've seen sell quickly and for good money are immaculately clean, not a whiff of any obnoxious smells and dressed to the nines. Their photos look like something out of a home decor catalogue and their owners have often spent months in advance cleaning, decluttering, organizing and otherwise sprucing their homes for sale. It doesn’t matter what price range the home is in, the intention is to blow the competition out of the water.

Some sellers are even considering arranging a professional stager to help with some level of staging service or advice. It’s worth doing a little research on this as it is often worth the investment.

2. Ample exposure to the market. The homes that sell the fastest and for the best price have an aggressive marketing plan to reach as many prospective buyers as possible.

Ample exposure can be achieved in several ways. Professional photography, large for sale sign at the front, an aggressive online campaign and a comprehensive promotion strategy using print media.

3. Priced right. The homes achieve the best result are priced correctly to begin with. They are not priced at the top of their markets. In fact, the homes that sell the fastest are priced a close as possible to what they believe is the true fair market value of the home at the time it was listed.

When buyers see a beautiful home advertised for a fair and reasonable price, they show up in droves, eager to get a great home at a fair price. From there, it’s simple, the more buyers you have through, the sooner you will get an offer to buy your home.

4. Show on demand. Hard-to-show homes just don't sell. When you make the decision to sell, make it easy for buyers to view your property. If you make it hard, they're very likely to simply ignore it and head to the next one. Anything that diminishes the chances of a buyer viewing your home will also diminish the chances of a quick sale.

So when selling, keep these 4 simple steps in mind and you’re bound to sell your home faster than your competitors and for a great price.