If your home is on the market during the spring — peak real estate season in many markets — you’re likely to be competing with your neighbors for a buyer. To draw buyers to your property instead of the house next door, invest in seasonal curb appeal: your landscaping. This tactic helped real estate agent Michael Kelczewski of Brandywine Fine Properties Sotheby’s International Realty in Philadelphia, PA, sell a home that had been on the market for a year. “During the spring season, as comparable neighborhood properties came onto the market, we chose to completely re-landscape the property and hold large open houses,” he says. It worked! The home sold for close to full asking price in a competitive market.

Staging your home for sale can feel like a luxury. But when you’re competing with your neighbors for buyers’ attention, staging your home can help sell your home faster. You’ll get better listing photos and make a better impression at a showing. This is especially true if homes in your neighborhood have similar floor plans and finishes. Great staging can make a space seem larger and really show off a home’s best features.

“Staging is always important,” says Pat Eberle of Raso Realty in Cape Coral, FL. “Reducing clutter allows buyers to see the features of the home and visualize themselves there.” But don’t just stage for your listing photos — keep the furniture in place for the duration. “You can stage a home for professional photos, but if buyers are turned off once they walk in the door, all that work staging and those great pictures go right out the window,” explains Dan Garrison of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Charleston, SC. “Spend some money and time going above and beyond to make your home perfect for a potential buyer for the first moment they walk in the door. That will make it easier to sell your home against the competition.”

When your home is competing with a neighbor’s, those first impressions online matter even more. This is when a buyer considers whether to request a showing for your home — or your neighbor’s home. You want your house to stand out! If your listing photos are dark, blurry, or simply don’t make your home stand out, your home might not draw as many potential buyers. “Finding an agent that hires professional photographers is very important,” says Eberle. He recommends adding video or drone photography for an extra edge. “I also integrate drone video and photography into the virtual tours to go along with high-quality images.”