It is clearly frustrating when you put your home on the market and expect a fast sale, only to find that after six months you are still waiting for an offer. Here is what you can do.

Determine if it is a result of timing. The time a home stays on the market is related to the market's strength, which varies regionally. According to statistics, two-thirds of all homes sold in the U.S. are sold within two month, with the average sale taking place within five weeks. However, homes in the Northeast and West sold slightly faster (four weeks) than those in the Midwest and South (five weeks).

There are also other factors that may be responsible for your home not to sell. These are:

• Pricing the home inaccurately. A house priced at market value gets the interest of real estate professionals and buyers, while overpricing chases them away. Even if the seller adjusts the price later, it's difficult to recapture people's interest. It is only natural to overestimate the value of one's home home sellers should depend on actual reference points, such as an appraisal to help estimate market value. Real estate professionals do comparison by examining similar properties that recently sold in a neighborhood. This practice is the best way to arrive at a realistic asking price.

• Insufficient exposure of the property that is for sale. If you're selling your home on your own, you may want to consider using a real estate professional. Buyers were most likely to learn about the home they purchased through a real estate professional. Sales professionals develop comprehensive marketing strategies to sell a home. They generally use open houses, yard signs, MLS, newspaper ads, the Internet and brochures to give a property maximum exposure. Limited interest and thinly attended open houses may indicate a need for more exposure.

• Condition and appearance of a home. Sellers should not rely on buyers to use their imagination; they need to capture it. Keep in mind that buyers may see seven or eight homes in a single day. The most memorable home will be the one that seemed the brightest, the most spacious, and the most cheerful. This could means rearranging and eliminating furniture, removing excess decor so as to create an open, uncluttered look. Do a visual check of the front of the house from across the street. Does it have curb appeal? It should look inviting, with a trimmed lawn and a freshly painted front door. A real estate professional can offer some guidance in this area.

• Terms and Conditions. Even if the home is accurately priced, and the buyer is delighted with what he or she sees, if the buyer cannot live with the terms of the sale, he or she may walk away. What sort of terms or conditions have you placed on the sale? Evaluate how this may be affecting a potential sale.

• Less-than-desirable neighborhood. Normally, there's not much a homeowner can do about the surrounding neighborhood. But if your home is not selling and you've examined every other factor, this may be something to consider. For homeowners who can postpone selling and are aware that certain issues need to be addressed on the neighborhood level, now is the time to join or organize a town beautification group. By the time you're ready to sell, current eyesores will have been eliminated.