SELLING A HOME. For most people, it’s a little like being on trial: They’re faced with more questions than they could imagine, and one wrong answer could cost them dearly. For first-timers, the decisions and implications of selling their most important investment can seem overwhelming. Even for experienced home sellers and investors, keeping up to date with the changes in the real estate market — or perhaps finding ways to overcome the problems they ran into last time — can be daunting. That’s why information becomes such an invaluable commodity for anyone selling a home today.

Answers to the Ten Most Common Questions Most Home Sellers Ask. That’s the title of the new series that I’ll be featuring every Monday morning on my new website’s Ask Barbara blog. So let’s get started.

Question #1 - “How can I be sure now is the right time to sell?”

Clarify Your Motives - For some property owners, the decision to sell at a particular time is necessitated due to job relocation or some other personal factor that makes the answer to this question an easy one. However, for the majority of sellers, selling property is a more subjective matter. Therefore, one of the most important first steps any potential seller can take is to decide exactly what his or her own personal motivations for selling are.

Selling in our current buyer’s market requires motivated decision-making. If you are thinking, “Well, I don’t really have to sell right now,” then you are probably not sufficiently motivated. But make sure you count the cost of holding on to your property for another year or two… including carrying costs and the possibility of further price declines in a weak market.

Next Week - “How do I find out what market conditions are like in my area?”

OK. If you just can’t wait for this series to unfold, all Ten Answers are available on request. Just call my 24/7 hotline, toll-free, at 1-888-494-8654, Ext 225 and follow the recorded directions. I’ll get them in the mail to you within 48 hours.