selling your home

Even before the latest stock-market plunge, U.S. consumer confidence was already sliding downward, according to a Fannie Mae survey released Monday. Some 70% of respondents say the economy is heading in the wrong direction.

Sales of previously owned homes hit a six-month low in May, and overpriced inventory is a key factor. Though we all watched the real estate market crater, most sellers are still overpricing their homes, and the worst price optimists are the ones who bought after the housing bubble burst.

Most real estate agents would rather endure a root canal than have to show a vacant house for one simple reason: Buyers lack imagination. Part of selling a home, agents say, is selling a lifestyle. You want prospective buyers to be able to envision themselves living in this new space. The general...