#3: I will plan now to price my house as though we're living in 2011 and not 2007.

Chad Rogers, a Realtor with the prestigious Hilton & Hyland real estate brokerage, which specializes in selling luxury homes in Los Angeles, is sympathetic.

"No one ever likes to hear that their home is worth less than they thought," says Rogers. "It's a tough reality for people to be in, but it is a reality. No matter if your home is worth $200,000 or $60 million, it needs to be competitively priced or else it's not going to sell. I always tell sellers that they can sting now or sting much worse, later when their home becomes a stale listing. The price that a home is worth after sitting on the market for six months to a year will be far less than if it was priced right from the get-go."

Now, maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones and will be able to sell your house for more than you imagined. But do the research and see what comparable houses are going for in your neighborhood and price accordingly, even if it's really, really painful. If you're going to someday live in your dream home, you can't live in a dream world.

NEXT: Consider this next resolution >>