Now, why would we go through all the trouble of doing that for free?

Simple.  Approximately 70% of For-Sale-By-Owners eventually wind up using a broker, so we are hoping that if you ever do decide to list your house with a broker, you'd think of us.  That's why.

Did you know that national statistics indicate that successful For-Sale-By-Owners on average wind up accepting about 9% less than what they could have gotten if they had used a professional real estate broker? It’s true, but if you are still thinking you want to give it a shot, then we hope you find these tips helpful. And after you read this, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us. We’ll share with you our honest evaluation without pushing you to get your home listed.

 Five Factors Necessary To Get Your Property Sold...

1.  Setting the right price.  In today's competitive real estate market, buyers have access to more information than ever before. You have one chance to make a good first impression.  In determining your asking price you should calculate the average sales price to list price ratio in your neighborhood.  If you're serious about selling your house on your own you may want to offer a buyer a price incentive. After all, the buyer you're looking for isn't using a broker either. 

2.  Create your marketing plan.  An ad in the paper, a sign in the front yard and word of mouth is a good place to start -- but where do you go from there?  The more qualified buyers that you expose your property to, the higher the odds of finding a buyer that's willing to pay your price. We invite you to take a look at our winning marketing plan in the Welcome Sellers section, and learn some strategies that may help you get your home sold.

3.  Preparing your product.  Many factors come into play in preparing your property for showing.  Before you start presenting your home to prospective buyers, there are some things you can do to spruce it up, without spending a lot of money.

Buyers decide to visit a home after they’ve driven by it. If they like the outside, they’ll go inside, so to make sure they like the outside, your first concern should be the “curb appeal” of your home. Keep the lawn and landscape nicely manicured. Water regularly. Trim the bushes and plant some flowers. Be sure your front door area has a "Welcome" feeling. A fresh coat of paint on the front door looks great.

Now, let’s move to the inside. Of all the rooms in your house, pay special attention to the kitchen and bathrooms. They should look bright and fresh. It is very important that they are clean and odor free. It may be a good idea to hire a professional cleaning crew every other week while your home is on the market. A fresh coat of paint and replacing door knobs will give your kitchen and bathrooms a fresh new look. Keep your kitchen countertops cleared and fix leaky faucets.

Finally, for every showing make sure you replace all burned out light bulbs, open all drapes and window blinds, put pets in cages or take them to a neighbor, remove RVs or unappealing cars from the driveway, clear dirty dishes from the sink and laundry from the washer/dryer, put some soft music and light a scented candle or bake something (an apple with sprinkled cinnamon smells like home for the holidays)

4.  Four questions to ask every caller:  (1) Are you pre-qualified?  (2) What's the name and phone number of the person who pre-qualified you?  (3) How much did you pre-qualify for?  (4) What's your possession deadline? 

You have to separate lookers from buyers.  You don't want to wind up entering into an agreement with somebody that down the road doesn't qualify to buy your property.  If you want, you can call our office and talk to our in-house mortgage broker who will gladly help you pre-qualify your buyers.

5.       Negotiating the sale.  It's a fact even in a seller's market over 90% of the properties sold sell for something less than the asking price. Prepare yourself for offers less than your asking price.  Don't get emotional. After all, one of the main reasons a buyer is shopping For-Sale-By-Owners is to try to get a better price. They know you're not paying a commission.  Be prepared, and present evidence proving the value of your property.  A third party negotiator can literally save you thousands in negotiating the sale of your property.