Can You Sell Your Home Yourself
Right now, over 10% of American homeowners handle their own sales. But in order to join the ranks of the successful ones, you need to realistically assess what's involved. The routine parts of the job involve pricing your house accurately, determining whether or not a buyer is qualified, creating and buying your own advertising, familiarizing yourself with enough basic real estate regulations to understand (and possibly even prepare) a real estate contract, and coordinating the details of a closing. The greatest downside is the demand on your time. Be careful and thorough. Mistakes may cost you the money you're trying to save.
The best reason for working with real estate brokers is the enormous amount of information they have at their disposal. Professionals know about market trends, houses in your neighborhood, and the people most likely to buy there. They also know how to reach the largest number of people who may be interested in your house. Real Estate Agents are trained in areas like screening potential buyers and negotiating with them.
Finally, they're always "on-call," and willing to do the things most of us hate: working on the weekends, answering the phone at all hours, and always being polite.
Set
A Realistic Price
Today's residential real estate market is no place to look for easy profit.
The fact is, prices have generally leveled off from their peak during the
1980's. That's not to say you can't get what your house is worth. You just have
to be realistic about its value, and price it accordingly. A good place to start
is by determining the fair market value.
How
Do You Determine Your Asking Price?
Real estate sales agents suggest asking prices based on a variety of
information you may not have at your disposal, including recent listing and
selling prices of houses in your neighborhood. If you're not completely
confident in their suggestions, you may want to order an appraisal. Next,
establish clear priorities. If you had to choose, are you more concerned with
selling quickly, or getting the most money possible? What would you pay for the
house if you were the buyer? Someone else -- a neighbor, friend or relative --
may point out advantages or disadvantages about your house that you hadn't
thought about. Third-party views will help you start thinking of your house as a
commodity, with positive and negative selling points. Then you should decide on
a price that you feel is competitive and consistent with what other houses in
your area have sold for.
Do
Any Necessary Repairs Before You Put Your Home On The Market
Unless your house is nearly new, chances are you'll want to do some work to
get it ready to market. The type and amount of work depends largely on the price
you're asking, the time you have to sell, and of course, the present condition
of the house. If you're in a hurry to sell, do the "little things"
that make your house look better from the outside and show better inside.
Create
Great Curb Appeal
"Curb appeal" is the common real estate term for everything
prospective buyers can see from the street that might make them want to turn in
and take a look. Improving curb appeal is critical to generating traffic. While
it does take time, it needn't be difficult or expensive, provided you keep two
key words in mind: neat and neutral. Neatness sells. New paint, an immaculate lawn, picture-perfect shrubbery, a
newly sealed driveway, potted plants at the front door -- put them all together,
and drive-by shoppers will probably want to see the rest of the house.
Hand-in-hand with neatness is neutrality. If you're going to repaint, stick to
light, neutral colors. Keep the yard free of gardening tools and the kids' toys.
Remember, when a family looks at a house, they're trying to paint a picture of
what it would be like as their home.
Make
Sure That Your Home Shows It's Best
First, make your house look as clean and spacious as possible. Remember,
people may look behind your doors -- closet and crawl space doors as well as
those to the bedrooms and bathrooms. So get rid of all the clutter; have that
garage sale and haul away the leftovers. After you've cleaned, try to correct any cosmetic flaws you've noticed. Paint
rooms that need it. Regrout tile walls and floors. Remove or replace any
worn-out carpets. Replace dated faucets, light fixtures, and the handles and
knobs on your kitchen drawers and cabinets.
Finally, as with the outside of your house, try to make it easy for
prospective buyers to imagine your house as their home. Clear as much from your
walls, shelves, and countertops as you can. Give your prospects plenty of room
to dream.
List Your Home With Rick Stimac
Rick Stimac offers a marketing plan that will help you sell your house faster and at a better price. Contact Rick today to discuss the sale of your home.
