A resolution is simply the act of coming up with a plan--and following it through. And, of course, resolutions aren't just made December 31 or January 1 but on May 5, July 17, September 10 and every other day in the calendar year.

So if 2011 is the year that you're going to finally buy or sell a new house, congratulations for making a resolution. That said, if you're smart, make a few more. After all, the reason so many so-called New Year's resolutions fail is because people make grand pronouncements -- I'm going to lose 30 pounds -- but they don't come up with any more resolutions to make the big resolution happen.

So if you're going to buy or sell a house this year, here are our 11 resolutions for home buyers and home sellers. If you make these resolutions, we can almost guarantee that not only will you follow through with buying or selling your home, the process will go a lot more smoothly than it otherwise would have.

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