Selling a home in today's Taos real estate market can be a challenge to even the most creative and motivated home owner. The inventory is extensive and prospective buyers are few. When your home is shown, you need to take every advantage to make sure your's is the home that makes the most favorable impression. Here are a few tips to help make a showing lead to a sale:

1.) Be realistic about your asking price. This may have nothing to do with the price you paid for your home, it's all about recent sale prices and the asking prices for comparable properties in your area. Don't fall into the trap of "we can always lower the price later". If the house stays on the market a long time in the current Taos real estate market, it may begin to lose its appeal.

2.) Leave the house when people come to see it. Prospective buyers need to be on their own to nit-pic, visualize and criticize. The more time they spend doing this, the more likely they are to make an offer. If the buyers have questions, their people will contact your people.

3.) Clean up and de-clutter. Make sure the house is sparkling clean, light, well ventilated and harbors no offensive odors. Remove as many personal effects as possible. It's important for a buyer to be able to imagine their things in your space.

4.) Be honest in the portrayal of your home. An inaccurate description will only lead to a disappointing first impression. A "charming fixer-upper" does not accurately describe a dissolving adobe with a collapsed roof and no plumbing.

5.) Use discretion in improvements you make to increase the value of your home. Check with your Realtor to make sure you are not needlessly spending time and money on improvements which will add little value to your home.

6.) Pictures! They are worth a thousand words so make sure they show your home in it's best light. The camera will pick up things the naked eye might miss (i.e: the dumpster out front, the dishes in the sink, the pile of laundry in the corner). Have plenty of pictures to accompany your listing.