Five Tips for Selling a Home, Fast.

Anyone's lucky to be able to sell a home in this economy, especially when you consider tight-fisted banks and appraisal snafus. Gone are the days when a "quick sale" meant you had an offer in under a week. These days, anything less than six months on the market could be counted as "quick."

So, when after a mere four months my suburban Minneapolis home received an offer from buyers eager to take possession in an ambitious three weeks, I held my breath, hoping nothing would crop up to thwart the sale.

After all, I had heard the talk of how a newly adopted "code" for lenders is essentially an appraisal logjam, and my buyers' financing was contingent upon "satisfactory appraisal of the subject property," as their mortgage broker's letter read. How could I not worry?