specific timeframe. Wu also said Apple is planning a new store in Shanghai later this quarter, without elaborating. The two new stores would bring the total number of Apple stores in the region to six. Apple already has two stores in Beijing and two in Shanghai. The new stores reflect Apple's confidence in rising demand for its products such as smartphones and tablet computers. Sales in the Greater China region, including mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, helped boost the company's third-quarter results, Chief Executive Tim Cook said in July. Greater China revenue surged sixfold to about $3.8 billion during the three monthice anyway? There are a small number of brokers in most markets who have a better track record than their peers. Most of them have been brokers for a long time and did not lose their jobs when the housing bubble collapsed. Read: All Top 20 U.S. Real-Estate Markets Show Year-Over-Year Declines 2. Get an Appraisal Sellers should obtain an appraisal for their home beforethey put it on the market. One of the major reasons house sales fall apart is that the bank assesses the home for less than the buyer has agreed to pay. For example, a buyer and seller agree on a price, of say $250,000. Then the buyer goes to his bank to get a mortgage. But, the bank appraises the house for $200,000. Now, the buyer has to put up more money. Sellers who get their own appraisals get a realistic idea of what price a bank would value a house at before they enter into a sale. Most appraisers already do some work for banks. An appraisal often tells a seller what a “safe” price is. And an appraisal’s average cost is only about $200. 3. Get the Right “Comp” Sellers must make sure that foreclosures in their area are included in the “comps” the realtor gives them. Traditionally, a broker will give a seller a list of similar properties in the market and that information is part of what is used to set a price. What brokers do not always do is put the price of any foreclosed properties that are comparable into the calculation. A typical foreclosed home sells for 25% to 30% less than similar inventory in the same area. If sellers don’t take that into consideration, their home will not be priced competitively and they put themselves at a disadvantage. Sellers wind up slashing prices after their overvalued properties are on the market for several months without success. 4. Tax Assessment Low property taxes are critical to finding buyers. Property taxes in most cities, towns, and counties have gone up for years as home values appreciated. This revenue is used to run schools and other local services. However, now home values have dropped sharply, and the appraisals by local authorities on which taxes are based are too high. Many cities have a process for homeowners to request lower appraisals, and as a consequence obtain a reduced property tax. Some states even have a board of appeals for homeowners who do not think they were treated fairly. One way for people to get local authorities to cut the tax assessment of their home is to put it on the market at below the appraised price. If the home does not sell for several months, they can present empirical evidence of the lower value. A home assessed for $300,000 that goes on the market for $275,000, but does not sell for a year, is probably not worth $300,000. Read: The Most Innovative CEOs in America 5. Conserve Utilities Turn the lights off! Most buyers ask for utility bills. “Energy wasters” who sell a home will rue the times they forgot to turn off lights, turn down the air conditioner, or left the TV on all day. It would be ill-advised to fake the amount of energy being used by simply living in the dark and cutting utility costs to nearly zero. However, careful and prudent use of energy can cut bills by enough so that a buyer does not have sticker shock about what it costs to maintain electricity, gas, or oil to run a house. 6. Sell “Green” Not very many homes are actually built with environmentally friendly material or heated by solar panels or wind. But, those that are have a special appeal to the crowd that buys green cars such as the Prius. A seller may have one of only a few “green” homes in their town or city. That may make it highly desirable to many shoppers. 7. Curb appeal This item appears on most lists, and many sellers don’t bother to take the advice to prune the hedges or clean the gutters. But, it is even more complex than that. Walk to the road on which your home is located. Now walk toward the house. What does a buyer see for the first time? Most sellers never bother to look at their homes through a buyer’s eyes. Do the shingles need a paint job? Are the shutters looking shoddy? “Love at first” sight is no less rare with homes than with people. 8. Everything is Negotiable Negotiate the fee with the broker. The fee paid