The real estate agent counter-argument is "hey, give me the business, I want the business." But if you've read this far, you've realized I think the best customers are enthusiastic customers, so I'm not going to try and convert you. Yet.
Here are the steps you should take, roughly:
1) Buy Mylanta. (as professionals we do this, too, really.)
2) Figure out what your apartment is worth .
3) Stage it. This can get fancy. Yet at a minimum, this means: The home is cleaned. Clutter goes into a storage unit. New white towels go into the bathroom. Closets are organized like they're an IKEA ad. All personal photos are stored. Pets are sent to live with Aunt Jill.
4) Take digital photos. A pro will charge you $75 to $175 for this; it's worth it.
5) Advertise the apartment in the place of your choice: nytimes.com, craigslist.org, my old stomping grounds NYPost.com.
6) Also, email fifty of your friends, with a writeup, a picture, and a price.
7) Is the apartment not selling? Swig some Mylanta. Also, you may not have positioned it properly. Read my argument on why you need an agent to position it here .
8) Hold an open house, advertised in print, on the web, or on neighborhood flyers. Keep a sign-in sheet.
9) Ask serious buyers to make offers in writing.
10) Negotiate with a buyer (in other words, dicker for best price. This is one place where agents will argue, if you let us, that we can do a better job than you can.)
11) Accept an offer and draw up contracts. Remember that a contract is not valid until it is signed by both parties.
12) Make sure your buyer gets financing.
13) Help your buyer through the co-op board.
14) Have your attorney (you really should pay an attorney $1,000 or $1,500 or so, just so nothing blows up) set up closing.
15) Close and count your sweet, sweet profits.