When selling a home, time is often of the essence. The longer your home is listed without receiving offers, the greater potential for your listing to become “stale” and overlooked.

So what are some of the best ways to speed up the process? Here are six.

Improve your surroundings

Seems counterproductive to spiff up a house you’re about to sell, but there are a lot of aesthetic improvements you can make to your home to make it more attractive to a buyer (without having to shell out too much money or time). It could be as simple as hanging some curtains, touching up dings on the walls or doorways and tightening a loose doorknob. Make the effort—it won’t go unnoticed.

Maximize the space

Perception is a big factor in selling your home in a timely manner. This can include removing large pieces of furniture or clutter to free up some empty space when you’re either staging the space or are living in it while it’s being shown. This can also include simply trying out some lighter paint colors on the walls. It’s true what they say about darker, homier paint colors—they make a room full much cozier (a.k.a., smaller). Take some steps to make your space somewhere a future buyer could visualize spreading out.

List wisely

Not all seasons are built the same when it comes to selling a house. Studies have shown that early summer tends to be a great time to unload your home. A study reported on by the Huffington Post in 2016 found that the first couple weeks of May work best for selling a home, with sales happening as many as 18.5 days faster than in other time periods. These sales also traditionally amounted to a one percent higher purchase price—reason enough to be strategic about when you list.

Name your price

Price can often make or break a closed sale, so make sure that you’re pricing your home both for your ideal amount, as well as a realistic amount. Many buyers will filter their home search by price, so you run the risk of cutting out a huge chunk of your potential buyers right off the bat. Consult your real estate agent on comparable prices and cost per square foot in the neighborhood or region—it’s in their best interests to be experts in this area. 

Help them visualize

Though you and your real estate agent can likely snap a decent couple of photos of your home on your smartphone, it’s a good idea to get some professional-quality pictures taken to really impress in your listing. This could mean calling in a favor from a friend with a quality camera or dropping a little bit of cash for some high-res, well-staged imagery. The online listing has become more important than ever in selling a home, so put your best foot (or picture) forward.

Spread the word

Once you’re all prepped and listed, it’s important to generate leads—make sure you and your real estate agent are adequately marketing your home for sale. This could mean enlisting the help of your connected family and friends on social media or posting a walk-through video of the house on a popular homebuying app or network. According to BiggerPockets^®, more than half of home searches begin on a mobile device and almost 100 percent of buyers search online first.