It’s almost impossible to turn the television on or read an Internet article without bumping into at least one comment about the sluggish real estate market. This onslaught can be especially discouraging if you’re faced with selling a home in today’s economy.

Rather than focus on the challenges many home sellers are dealing with, turn your attention to these few tips that will help position your home as more desirable than others on the market – and that may be the one advantage that results in a coveted contract.

* Be proactive. Instead of leaving a potential buyer to wonder whether or not your home’s condition is truly that which meets the eye, take the initiative and order a professional home inspection. This information will not only put you in a position to correct any problems that may surface, but it will also give you the opportunity to adjust your asking price so that uncharacteristically low offers aren’t received. If the inspection comes back with action items indicated, be proactive and repair them before listing your home. Potential buyers will appreciate this practical measure as one less thing they have to worry about, and you won’t be caught by surprise.

* Get efficient. It’s becoming a common precept that an efficient home fosters an efficient lifestyle, and since Americans seem to be running at a pace faster than ever, this feature alone can become the one trait that sets your home apart from the competition. Take this opportunity to make changes to your home to promote this perception. Consider things such as installing a programmable thermostat, planting shrubbery and trees that will keep the home cool in the summer and warm in the winter, or conducting a professional energy audit to incorporate some of the suggestions. Like the home inspection mentioned earlier, this will send a message to potential buyers that the home’s efficiency is one less thing they’ll have to worry about.

* Stay on budget. Just as buyers don’t want to be faced with the unexpected when it comes to home repairs or upgrading a home’s efficiencies, they don’t like to be caught unprepared for the seasonality of a home’s operating budget. If you live in a state where electricity is deregulated, now is the time to shop for better energy rates so you can pass this information along to the new buyer. Let’s say you live in Texas; through sites such as TexasElectrictyProviders you can compare rates from local providers and choose the best plan for your home. Then, when your home is on the market, you can let potential buyers know what operating costs to expect. Sites such as this exist for most areas and by researching them you’ll be better prepared to disclose this helpful information to the buyer who can often be new to the area and appreciate the local insight.

It’s recommended to all sellers to market their home as more desirable than the competition, and these three ideas work toward accomplishing that objective. To cement this position, it can also be helpful to keep a fact sheet for a potential buyer that highlights the information you’ve incorporated. There’s an adage stating that “information is power,” so why not make full use of the information you find through sites like www.TexasElectrictyProviders.com and pass it on to the potential buyer?

In being able to benefit from repairs that have already been made, upgrades that have already been incorporated and operating costs that have already been researched, potential buyers will see your property as more desirable than the competition – and that just may be the advantage you need to secure that long awaited contract.