It's time to ask yourself the following question: If I needed to sell my home tomorrow, could a realtor come in and conduct an open house today?"

With the current market conditions, your home needs to be in perfect condition or you likely won't get an offer that's close to your asking price. As we've told you on HomesPlus before, a staged home will likely increase the selling price of your home.

The 2008 Olympics may be behind us, but if you're planning to put your home on the market anytime soon it's likely your training has just begun. Home sales typically pick up during the spring season, which starts right after the Superbowl in January. Which means you have about three months to get your home in tip-top shape if you want it looking svelte for potential buyers. The time to start is now...

It's no secret that homes aren't exactly flying off the market these days. But many people are forced to relocate anyway, because of job or life changes. If you're one of these people, you might find some temporary relief in the rental market.

Just like date night, open houses and showings call for putting your best face forward. But instead of the little black dress or that killer suit, we're talking cleaned out closets and spiffed up kitchens. If you want your potential buyer to ask for a second date...ahem...showing, then you'll want to take a look at these top ten tips for getting your home ready for the big date!

The holidays are here! But if your home is on the market right now, you might be feeling a little less merry and little more grinchy. Understandable. But don't let the less-than-jolly market conditions get you down this holiday season. It's all about properly packaging your home for your buyers; and this time of year staging takes on a whole new meaning.

In today's iWorld, everything is online, amped up - connected at all times. And for all you sellers out there, it's worth taking note of, because most buyers do at least their initial home hunting online. And of all of the virtual open houses out there, the grassroots appeal of craigslist continues to draw homebuyers across the country. So, if you're selling - sign-in, upload those pictures that make your place look like a mansion and take a look at The Nest's list of do's and don'ts when you're selling on Craigslist.com...

Nothing makes you feel refreshed like a few hours at the day spa - facial, massage, maybe a mani/pedi...nothing major, but it's amazing how those few hours can change the way you feel and act; thus, making you more appealing to those you come into contact with.

See where I'm going with this? If your home is on the market - why not refresh it so that others (read: buyers) can see it as the charming home that you know it to be?

If 2009 is the year you see yourself in a new home, now's the time to start thinking about getting your home ready to sell. You may be thinking "What?! Christmas is barely over, I haven't even made my new year's resolutions yet!" and you're right. Kind of. It is early, but perhaps you've heard of a little thing called a "buyer's market." And if you're going to sell, then you need to be prepared for what you're getting into.

Even if you're not putting your home on the market anytime soon, there's no reason to keep living with that lime-colored linoleum and beat-up old cabinets. Your kitchen is not only the heart of your home, it's also the place where potential buyers (and your guests!) look to guage the quality of your home. So if your kitchen is stuck in the 70's, now is the time to think about bringing it into the 21st century. Because it will only add value in the long run - and you may as well get to enjoy it while you still live there!

Check out what areas in your kitchen add the most value...

Last week, I interviewed a gentleman from Prudential Preferred Properties, who talked about a tool on their website that allows people to understand what's happening in real estate in their area. At first glance, Market Watch seemed like one of those basic reports that gives you realtor jargon and graphs that mean nothing to you, but I signed up anyway. When I started to receive the weekly reports via email I learned several things:

1- My husband and I should have waited another year to buy. (I kept that little nugget to myself)
2- The Market Watch report comes in an abreviated form (called a "summary report") for people like myself who suffer from self-diagnosed ADD.
and 3- There's no guessing - they tell you what all the graphs and numbers mean to you in straight, easy-to-understand terms. Love that.

More info after the jump...

HomesPlus puts me in regular contact with real estate professionals in and around Chicago and I'm always curious how their listings are doing. I've had a few tell me they simply aren't taking listings unless the seller is fully aware of what they're getting into and absolutely MUST sell the home. One realtor explained to me that in some Chicago neighborhoods there is currently a year's worth of home inventory on the market right now - meaning that if starting today, no additional homes were put on the market, then it would take 12 months for all of the homes already on the market to sell.

But, there are plenty of people in a position where they simply don't have a choice - a life or career change is forcing them to sell. If you're one of these people, then take a look at the videos below - find out what you're getting into when you decide to sell and what you should do to prepare your home to get it sold fast and for as close as possible to your asking price. Because these days, it's not just about your realtor - you have your work cut out for you if you want your home to sell...

If your home is on the market then you know what staging is. You also probably know that while it used to be something that only high-end homes and developers were worried about, now it's something that every seller needs to do just to keep up with the competition. This weekend, we're featuring an on-the-market home in Homewood in which staging made a huge difference.

If you're selling your home, I'm sure you've heard plenty about what you SHOULD do - keep it clean, get rid of the clutter, spruce up your "curb appeal." But has anyone ever sat you down and explained to you the things that you definitely should NOT do? Well, here's a little list, as compiled by Mary Umberger for the Chicago Tribune. And pay attention, because now is not the time to shoot yourself in the foot when it comes to selling your home!

Whatever you do, DO NOT:

-Be unrealistic about the price. Sellers these days should be in the bottom 30% of pricing when compared to the comps and in the top 30% for condition.

-Take lowball offers personally. All buyers are doing it, it's just a fact of the current market. Don't let it miff you - hit back with a counter offer and see what happens.

-Be present at showings. Honestly, for a buyer it's just weird. First impressions count and even if you're just the nicest host ever - the buyer needs to see themselves as the home's owners; not feel like a guest in your home. (This goes for pets too - take them with you.)

-Ignore common elements in a condo or apartment building. Yes, your place should be in top condition, but so should the lobby, courtyard, common stairs, etc...and the buyers are going to see that first.

-Overpersonalize. You may love those Precious Moments you've been collecting for decades, but overkill on the personal taste is a killer with buyers. Neutralize, neutralize, neutralize!

-Choose the highest offer without looking at the buyer. It's tougher for buyers to get qualified these days, so you have to pay attention to the quality of your buyer before you accept an offer. Otherwise you might end up with a sunk sale.

-Skimp on online photos. Big mistake. Buyers do their first home shopping online now, and if you don't have many quality shots (inside and outside) then they're not wasting their time on a showing.

For more do-nots, click here.