Trying to sell a home? Put this on your “Don’t Do” list: Do not choose a listing agent just because he or she gives you the highest list price.

This is one of the worst mistakes a seller can make because ultimately, it is not the Realtor who will determine how much a home will sell for; it is the market place that establishes the value.

If your home could sell for whatever you wish, real estate agents would place a lot of multi-billion dollar homes on the market. But that is a fantasy. No, you want to choose a listing agent who will help you determine a realistic viewpoint of your home’s selling price. These are the agents who will work hard to sell your home using unique marketing plans and superior negotiation skills.

Pricing a home is part art and part science, and no two appraisals are exactly the same. It involves comparing similar properties, making adjustments for the differences among them, tracking market movements and taking stock of present inventory. But it’s only an educated guess and the market will ultimately dictate the price.

If you price a home too low, the seller should receive multiple offers which will drive the price up to market value. So there is little danger in pricing a home too low.

However, if you price a home too high, it could backfire on you. According to “About.com Home buying / Selling,” studies show that interest in a home typically wanes after a few weeks, and when the price is reduced, buyers might believe something was wrong with the home to make the price drop. If the home sits on the market too long, it becomes a stale, dated, market-worn home that was overpriced for too long.

Don’t make that mistake. Choose a Realtor for his or her experience, integrity and marketing expertise. The agent who shouts the highest price isn’t necessarily the one who will be able to make the sale.

While kids are playing on the beach this summer with nary a thought of school, there are others laying a foundation for Incline Village’s educational future.

Teachers are being trained, money is being raised and the groundwork is being laid for an International Baccalaureate program for kindergarten through 12^th grade students in Incline Village.

The International Baccalaureate Program is an internationally recognized curriculum that offers 11th and 12th grade students an opportunity to earn the highly-acclaimed IB diploma. To earn the IB diploma, students complete and test in six IB subjects; write an extended essay of independent research guided by a faculty mentor, complete 150 hours of creative, action, and service activities; and participate in a critical thinking course called Theory of Knowledge.

The IB diploma is the crowning goal of the program, but when IB is implemented at all grade levels, the IB program creates a relevant, engaging, challenging and significant educational framework for all children.

Why is Incline Village working toward an IB program? This past spring, a group of community members met frequently to assess education in our community. While it was agreed that Incline is offering a high quality education (Incline High School has been one of Newsweek Magazine’s Top High Schools for the past five years), there has been a decline in enrollment as families move out of the area due to the increased cost of resort living.

Having an IB program in place, especially one that goes from kindergarten on up, will attract families with highly-motivated students to move to our community, adding another feather to Incline’s cap. In Nevada, there are only three high schools, two middle schools and one elementary school with IB programs. In California, those numbers are 84, 22 and 13 respectively. An IB program will set Incline Village education apart.

Organizers of the IB program hope to initiate the Diploma Programme, which is an Advanced Placement-like system for grades 11-12 by the 2011-12 school year, with full implementation for all grades by the 2012-13 school year.

There’s something for parents to think about when watching their children at the beach.