Fact: Houses that sell within the first two weeks they're listed usually fetch their asking price. It's simple human nature. Newer listings get the most attention, both from buyers and realtors. Once a house has been on the market more than a couple of weeks, realtors and buyers alike will start wondering what's wrong with it. Most often, the only thing 'wrong' with the house is that it's priced outside the neighborhood limits.

A good realtor can help you avoid that mistake, but it's only one of the tricks and techniques that a realtor will use to help your house sell fast. Many of the techniques that professional real estate agents use are available to anyone. If you're looking for help to sell your house fast, here are a handful of tips that professional real estate agents use to get a sale moving in high gear.

* Price your house right. The right price is within a few percentage points of recent sales of similar homes in your neighborhood.

* Keep your house clutter-free and spotless, inside and out.

* Schedule an Open House. Holding an open house on a weekend afternoon will get your house more exposure and help your house sell faster.

* Advertise your property for sale in multiple venues. Use newspaper, local real estate magazines, online home sale web sites and post printed brochures on supermarket bulletin boards. The more places you post your house, the better the chance that you'll connect with a buyer.

* Keep fresh flowers around. It may seem like a silly psychological trick, but realtors all agree - fresh flowers on the living room or kitchen table help a house sell.

* Use Multiple Listing Service. Yes, you need to be a realtor to list a house on the MLS, but that doesn't mean that you have to pay a commission. There are realtors who'll accept a single, flat fee to list your house for you.

* Pre-inspect. By paying for the inspections that will need to be done when a buyer is ready to make an offer, you may save time on the sale. Remember, it can take as much as six weeks from offer to closing. Any time you save in there will help your house sell faster.

* Engage a good real estate lawyer to firm up the finishing and closing details. A lawyer will ensure that you don't miss anything that may affect and slow totally derail the sale of your house.

* Organize all your papers and have them handy. Those include not only your deed and real estate surveys, but any warranties for home improvements, major appliances and home systems.

The more that you get done in advance of posting your listing, the more you'll help your house sell fast.