Obviously your closest friends and family know that you’ve moved, likely because they helped you lug your heavy boxes and furniture from your old place to your new one. But what about the rest of your friends and family, those you only hear from around the holidays?

A simple postcard will do the trick.

There are dozens of online printing sites where you can design or pick your own card, upload your address book, and they will mail them out for you. One of my favorite sites for designing your own is Overnight Prints. It is fast, simple, and relatively inexpensive when you factor in the time and cost it would take you to do it yourself.

If you like to share pictures of yourself or family, have someone take a picture of you or your family standing in front of your new home. Include on the front a simple message like “We’ve Moved” or “123 Main Street, My New Home.” It’s a fun way to show off your new home.

If you happen to move around the holidays, you can kill two birds with one stone with that holiday letter or card.

The form allows you to set the date you want to begin forwarding your mail. After you have notified the United States Postal Service of your change in address, it can take 7-10 days for your mail to begin forwarding to your new address. You should request this change as soon as you know the date you will be moving into your new home to avoid any delays in delivery. Multiple forms may be required if individuals in your household have different last names.

After submitting the form, you will receive confirmation of your change of address at your current address and at your new address. You will also receive a welcome kit at your new address. Your first class mail will be forwarded to your new address for 12 months. After 12 months and up to 18 months your mail will be returned to its sender with your new address. After 18 months your mail will be returned to its sender or delivered to the current resident at your old address. Your periodicals will be forwarded for only 60 days.

After you have changed your address with the United States Postal Service, you should notify everyone who sends you mail, that your address has changed.

It’s not always easy to look around your home and see what needs spruced up. You look at it every day. But homebuyers are going to take notice. You don’t have to spend a fortune, however, on expensive upgrades to enhance the appeal of your home and make it more attractive to prospective buyers. With a little resourcefulness and creativity the following ideas can cost very little and yet make a dramatic difference.

• Repair and replace. Patch cracks and holes in walls. Fix or change broken light switches, door handles and screens. Replace or re-grout any broken, stained or loose tiles in the kitchen or bathroom. Replace outdated faucets and fixtures. When buyers see small areas of neglect, they wonder what major items need repair.
• Add fresh paint. A fresh coat of paint is an easy, cost-effective way to brighten a room. As a general rule, avoid bold colors and stick with light, neutral tones like off-white or beige to make your home as appealing as possible to the widest range of potential buyers. Don’t forget the ceilings.
• Clear clutter. Clearing clutter from countertops and refrigerator doors will make a kitchen more appealing. Straighten closets to make them appear more spacious. If you have children, keep toys confined to bedrooms. Clean the garage and basement, throwing out anything that you are not going to take with you.
• Clean, clean, clean. Buyers, like everyone, prefer to see clean floors, whether it’s hardwood, linoleum or carpet. Have your carpets professionally cleaned  and replace any carpet that is worn or stained. Bleach and scrub all tile surfaces in kitchen and bathrooms. Use special cleaning products to remove stains from bathtubs and toilets.
• Light it up. Light makes rooms appear bigger and more welcoming. Open the curtains and blinds. Turn on lights, even in daylight. Wash the windows, inside and out. Shine the mirrors or hang new ones. Replacing an outdated chandelier with a stainless steel lighting fixture gives a room a new contemporary look.
• Make a grand entrance. Add a few new flower pots, small shrubs or hanging plants to spruce up the outside. Replace rusty house numbers, drab porch lights and frayed doormats with new ones. Rejuvenate a tired-looking front door with fresh paint or stain.
• Buy new fabrics. Fresh new curtains, lampshades and colorful throw pillows can transform the look of any room. New bedding and duvet covers can also punch up a bedroom. A fresh new shower curtain can drastically improve the look of a bathroom.
• Update hardware. Modernize the look of your kitchen and bathroom with new stainless steel knobs, drawer pulls, towel racks and hooks. Save money by repainting, instead of replacing, dated kitchen cabinets.

When you’re finished, you will be the proud owner of a clean, modern-looking, desirable home that potential buyers will easily be able to picture themselves living in. All you have to do is sit back and wait for the right offer to come your way.

The agent makes adjustments up or down to the price according to factors such as square footage, acreage, age, and condition of your house.  An experienced agent has the advantage of being familiar with the comparative properties and can make adjustments according to considerations such as the level of finish, such as the type of flooring, cabinets, and renovations, inside a home.

Market conditions impact the ideal price of property as well. Supply and demand dictate how quickly something will sell.  If there is an abundance of comparable properties on the market in a given price range, a more aggressive pricing strategy is necessary for your property to gain notice.  Thus, in addition to evaluating properties that have recently sold, your agent must also look at what is currently for sale in your price range.

The most accurate analyses are those in which the agent is able to compare 20 comparable properties within a one-mile radius of your home. Typically, this allows the  agent to recommend a realistic price range that will ensure that you receive top dollar within a reasonable time.

Remember, although a real estate agent can advise you on your home’s fair market value price and can show you how that value was reached, the agent cannot set the price for you. It is your job to review the information from the agent and decide what price is right for you.

When preparing to sell your house, you need to think about your house in the same way that a buyer would. This means that you must distance yourself from your emotional attachment to your house. Although you may have many memories and emotions tied up with your house, you must remember that selling your house is a business transaction.

Keeping these thoughts in mind helps you make sure that your house is competitively priced. It does not matter how great your house is, no amount of marketing or advertising can overcome a price that is too high for the current market.

The fair market value of your house is based upon current market conditions. Because the real estate market continually changes, and market fluctuations affect property values, it’s imperative to select your listing price based on the most recent comparable sales in your neighborhood. One of the biggest mistakes you can make in today’s market is pricing your home at price points of one, two or three years ago. The national median home price dropped more than 15% from April 2007 to April 2008.

Some factors, such as how quickly you need to sell your home and the condition of your home can alter the market price of your home. Being open and honest about your home’s greatest strengths and biggest weaknesses will help you get a better feel for how to best evaluate and market your home.

If, however, your price is competitive with similar homes in the area and shows better than the competition, you will stand a good chance of selling quickly.

When you first list your house on the market, you will get an initial surge of interest. Pricing your home properly is the best way to take advantage of this initial surge. By doing this, you do all that you can to ensure that the people who are most likely to buy your house, will view your house. This increases the likelihood of a quick sale and helps to keep your home from becoming stale on the market.