LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Selling a home can be stressful, overwhelming, even discouraging. The speed, success, or failure, of your home’s sale can be directly impacted by home staging, photos, and the your real estate agent. Thankfully, there are tips and strategies to help enhance the process.

One such tip is to know your real estate agent.

Angie Hicks, Co-founder of consumer website Angie’s List, speaks of the importance of asking specific questions to know more about the agents you are considering.

“When shopping for a realtor, you want someone that is going to get your house sold quickly and at the price you are looking for, so you want to do your due diligence and ask them questions,” Hicks said. “How long has their average house been on the market, how close to the original asking price did the house sell, and what is their expertise in your neighborhood.”

Realtor Nicole Price suggests that it pays off to clean the home and make prospective buyers feel as comfortable and “at home” as possible. This includes getting rid of personal photos.

“You want the buyers to imagine that they could live in this home,” Price said.

Aesthetics are a major factor when trying to sell a home. Whereas strong or vivid colors can be too intense for some buyers, neutral colors have proved more successful in the market.

It is also considered crucial to get an inspection before putting your home on the market, rather than letting potential buyers be unpleasantly surprised.