Struggling to Get the Price Just Right

Again, sellers would do well to expend the necessary elbow grease before listing their homes.

Porter, from Long & Foster, last summer worked with homeowners in Montgomery County who resisted even minor cleaning and repair work. The home, though, sold in just three weeks.

That's good news, right? Not necessarily. To move the house in its less-than-pristine condition, the homeowners priced it significantly lower than they could have had it been in better condition.

The homeowners were able to sell the house, but they had to sacrifice profit to do so.

Then there's the issue of showing times. Selling a house is stressful, and having potential buyers tromping through at all hours of the day, and early evening, can make even the calmest of sellers a little crazy.

Some sellers seek to reduce this stress by limiting the times showings can be held.

This is okay if the limitations are reasonable and relatively minor. But an owner who cuts out significant chunks of prime showing time may be asking for trouble: That owner, after all, may be steering potential buyers onto the next house on the list, one that the buyers may bid for instead.

Agents say they explain this to skittish sellers. Again, some don't listen and suffer the consequences.

"The first week is the most important time for a house on the market," Bergman said. "You need as many showings as possible. Making it as easy to show as possible is best."