Market your house by listing it online, with a website, photographs, and even yard signs and curb appeal as well as by “staging” it as a potential home for buyers inside. So what can you do with the things you have in places potential buyers will want to consider for their own things?

Remember, though, you’ll need to do your research first—on recently sold properties in your area and properties currently on the market—to determine an attractive selling price. Keep in mind that most home prices have an agent’s commission factored in, so you may have to discount your price as a result.

Get a storage unit to house the things you won’t need while your home is on the market. A place to hide all those things currently sitting in your garage, your attic, your basement, in closets, or even in a crawlspace. Advisers generally recommend removing about a third of such things from your home – anything you don’t use every day. And if you store it in a portable unit, it can all be brought to your new home.

You might also have to pay your mortgage company a cancellation fee for satisfying the mortgage early, before its full term. If you have a $300,000 mortgage, including the cancellation fee, and if you sell your home for $400,000, you’ve got $100,000 left.

If you don’t own your home free and clear, your mortgage company might take the biggest bite out of your home sale proceeds. You can’t sell your home without satisfying your mortgage at the time of closing.

Remember the comparative market analysis you or your agent did when you bought your home to determine a fair offering price? Buyers will do this for your home, too, so as a seller you should be one step ahead of them. There are people who sell their own homes successfully.

Believe it or not, there really is a right time to sell during the year. Winter, especially around the holidays, is typically a slow time of year for home sales. People are busy with social engagements, and the cold weather across much of the country makes it more appealing just to stay home. Because fewer buyers are likely to be looking, it may take longer to sell your home, and you may not get as much money. However, you can take some consolation in knowing that while there may not be as many active buyers, there also won’t be as many competing sellers, which can sometimes work to your advantage. Whether you’re working with an agent or going it alone, setting the right asking price is key.