There’s no doubt it’s a tricky real estate market in many areas of the country. With more choices and negotiating power, buyers are pickier, and fewer people as a whole are looking to buy. Besides the well-known strategies of enhancing curb appeal, staging and removing clutter, what tips can see you and your real estate agent through the successful sale of your home?

Keep communication lines open

“The seller-agent relationship has to be one based upon open communication and trust,” says Robert Bailey, a National Association of Realtors regional vice president and owner of Bailey Properties in Santa Cruz County, Calif. In a relationship-based business, it’s important that you have full confidence in your real estate agent. Moreover, don’t make assumptions, says Bob Christian, chief operating officer of Lynwood, Wash.-based Century 21 North Home Realty.

Before you sign an agreement of services, make sure you and your broker are on the same page. The scope of “full service” in real estate is very wide, says Christian, so have it spelled out for you. Most full-service agreements include a competitive market analysis, recommended improvements to your home and a detailed marketing plan.

Price strategically and set your house apart

In a market where buyers have the luxury of being choosy, it’s important to set a fair price, or even a slightly lower-than-market price, for your home. “You need to price a home based on the most recently closed escrow in your market, rather than your neighbor’s sale price,” says Bailey.

By pricing your home at or below similar sales, you’re likely to sell the home more quickly, and in the end, make more money than if your house sat on the market for an extended period of time. Creating incentives is another useful strategy for selling real estate, Christian says. All things being equal, a buyer is more likely to purchase a home with a home protection plan or warranty, or one in which part or all of the closing costs are covered.

Extend your market reach

“One of the most critical components of marketing in today’s marketplace is to expand your reaches as far as possible,” Christian says. Take advantage of technology, he says, and advertise beyond your local region. Try listing your home with online forums where potential homebuyers browse. Look for buyers going through transitional life changes such as job relocations, advises Bailey, because “the life cycle goes on independent of the marketplace.” If you decide you want to pitch in some marketing time yourself, discuss your decision with your real estate agent to make sure you’re not crossing wires and covering the same territory.

Don’t switch real estate agents prematurely

If your home hasn’t sold by the end of the listing agreement with your real estate agent, it could be that your timeline was too short. “If 120 days is the average time for a home to sell in your market, this should be the minimum listing agreement duration,” Christian says.

Your real estate agent needs ample time to implement a marketing plan, and the property needs to be exposed for the right amount of time. If your agent is using all of the avenues available to sell your home, it’s better to renew the agreement than to switch agents. “When consumers drive by and see a new sign out front,” Christian says, “their initial reaction is, ‘What’s wrong with that house?’ not ‘What’s wrong with that agent?’”