George Bernard Shaw said ...."I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, they make them" .... pretty powerful words!  But how do they pertain to real estate?   

Well, I believe that home sellers have choices.  They can choose to buy into the doom and gloom being reported about the current real estate market and believe that conditions are too terrible to ever achieve home sale success.  OR they can choose to take the actions necessary to create the circumstances they want. 

While I can't speak to those devastated areas that have been extraordinarily hard hit by foreclosures, I would like to share what I've observed in my market here in Central Connecticut.  Here, houses ARE selling .... just not always as quickly as sellers would like, and at prices that are less than they were during the red hot market of a few years ago. 

Real estate market conditions are far from ideal, yet in my community I see some properties that sell very quickly - sometimes with multiple offers, while others sit unsold for months on end.  So why do some succeed while others fail?  

I don't think it has anything to do with luck.  I believe those who succeed are simply willing to do whatever it takes to create the circumstances they want.  So what does that entail?  What's the secret to home sale success?   Here's my formula:

1.  Decide what you want.  Then discuss with your spouse/partner what he/she wants.  Don't move forward with the sale of your house until you're both on the same page! 

2.  Come to terms with the emotions that are tied to the sale of your home.  This will have a HUGE impact on your success as emotional attachment very often gets in the way of success.

3.  Properly prepare your house for market making it absolutely irresistible to buyers.  Visit www.Ready2Sellin30Days.com to find out how.   

4.  Be REALISTIC about your sale price.  Listen to the advice of your Realtor.  It doesn't matter how pretty it looks, if your house is overpriced it won't sell.

5.  Hire the right real estate professional(s) to help you get the job done.  Real estate transactions are getting more and more complex every day, make sure you have someone who's qualified AND reputable looking out for your best interests.

6.  Stay focused on your desired outcome at ALL times.

No doubt, creating the circumstances you desire often requires doing a whole lot of things you probably DON'T WANT to do.  After all, doing what it takes to be successful (like properly preparing your home for market for example) can be a lot of work.  Keep in mind that these are precisely the same things successful sellers don't want to do either ... but they've just made the choice to do them anyway!

You can choose to do what's necessary to succeed OR you can choose to give up before you've even tried, and blame the bad economy and the depressed market for why you're not experiencing the home sale success you desire.  The decision is yours make. 

In his very famous recording, The Strangest Secret Earl Nightingale teaches a very powerful lesson about success .... Check out this inspiring 3 minute mini-movie to learn Earl Nightengale's secret to success ...  http://www.thestrangestsecretmovie.com/