Archive for the ‘FSBO Tips’ Category

Pricing Houses for Sales by Owner the Right Way

Friday, November 6th, 2009

Pricing a house for sales by owner is as important as preparing it to be shown to prospective buyers. Even at the very start, you should have a range that would not scare away prospective buyers, but would instead encourage them to look at your house and to hopefully purchase it in the future.

The key is to price it just right, not underpriced nor overpriced. Here are some tips that you can take note of as you price your FSBO house:

  • You have to aim to get the price right as early as possible. If you overprice your house, you would not get as much offers as you want. On the other hand, if your house is underpriced, it may create a negative impression on prospective buyers. After all, low-priced items are usually associated with mediocrity and substandard quality.
  • Base your price on the location of your property. Make sure that you know the prices of other homes in your area, since this would affect the price of your house in a big way. For instance, areas that are in demand have high house prices, while those that are not hot in the market would not sell as high.
  • Consider the current condition of your house. Of course, a well-maintained house has more value than one that has a lot of needed repairs. It would be better if you sell a house that is well-maintained and price it higher than a house that looks dilapidated. Buyers want to get a no-fuss house, one that would not require them to get busy just doing repairs and maintenance works. This is your job and responsibility to present a house that is well-kept.
  • Take note of extra amenities. If you have extra amenities such as a pool or a hot tub, you can set the price of your house a little high.
  • Evaluate your house against other properties for sale. This would help you get an idea of the prices of houses near yours. You can look in the Internet and check the prices of other houses. You can even drive around and ask about the prices of houses. This would give you a good range which you can use and base on when you set your house’s price.

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FSBO Homes Tips and Strategies

Friday, April 17th, 2009

FSBO homes are currently hot in the housing market. If you own a couple or a few properties and you are interested in entering the FSBO arena, you have to know that it is not as easy as you think. There are a lot of tasks required for you to be able succeed in such an intense and competitive market.

Currently, a homes for sale by owner stays in the market for an average of 100 days before it gets sold. To be able to sell a property, you don’t just post an ad in the newspaper and wait until someone offers the price you need. There are a lot more factors to be considered, and tips to take note of, when you are selling FSBO homes.

If you are planning to sell your property through FSBO, take note that selling your home fast is not the measure of success in the market. In fact, it is recommended that you let your property sit for a long time in the market until the perfect offer comes. Here are other tips and strategies you can do and use for your

FSBO home:

  • Get all the information you need from potential buyers. Before you set an appointment, it is important that you get all the information about a possible buyer. This is to verify the identity of the client, and so that you can continue to keep in touch with them. Tell your contact to expect a follow-up call from you. This is your subtle way of verifying a potential buyer of your FSBO home.
  • When producing promotional materials, do not put your complete name and other crucial information on flyers, newspaper advertisements and other similar advertisements. Such information can cause damage to you based on breach of security.
  • Do not give your potential FSBO buyers the information about your personal schedule. This is a big no no. keep your family secure by keeping personal and family things private.
  • Keep a log of your callers and inquiries. If you are an FSBO seller, it is important that you keep all the necessary information about your contacts such as their telephone number, their house, vehicle plate number, and others.
  • Only schedule house viewings during broad daylight. Do not schedule home visits during daytime.
  • You can never be too secure, nor you can never be too cautious.

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Preparing to Sell an FSBO Home

Friday, February 27th, 2009

Selling a home without an agent may be a tedious work. But an FSBO homes may be sold with just a simple guideline and some useful tips.

One of the first things to consider is the current housing market. How much are the homes in the area currently sold or listed? Doing research will give the sellers idea on how to deal in their homes for sale by owner.

Knowing the trend of the housing market helps a lot in listing FSBO. Sellers must ask the local county office or check the county website on how much homes were sold in the area. Checking the local paper and the internet for home listings would inform a seller on the current home values. With this knowledge the home owner can do FSBO listing.

Once an FSBO home is listed, the homeowner must then prepare the house for potential buyers keeping in mind that first impression lasts. A home buyer can be turned off easily with a scrappy looking and reeking home.

Properties for sale by owner, buyers drive thru their target homes. FSBO must then look presentable from the streets. Cleaning up the lawn, sweeping out dried leaves and tidying up the landscape may give a good impression. Windowpanes must be well maintained while glasses are kept clean.

The home seller must make sure that the buyer can see themselves living in the home. So the inside of the house for sale by owner must be clutter free. Rearranging furniture may help in making the house look spacious.

To help the potential buyer envision themselves inside the home minimize personal items like photos.

For currently vacant homes and pet owners, they must make sure that their home must be odor free. Putting some lemons on the trash, or boiling vanilla in some water or lighting light and airy scented candles can eliminate odors and make the house homier.

Retouching the FSBO home’s paint can do a lot too. Paint the house with neutral colors for more appeal or light colors for a sense of brightness and largeness for the room.

The goal of all these effort is to impress potential buyers. Presenting the FSBO property in the best possible way attracts more potential buyers and helps sellers get rid of their old home faster.

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Win Over Your FSBO Buyer at First Sight

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

If your prospective FSBO buyer gets wowed at the first sight of your house, it is very likely that he or she is already forming ideas of buying your home.

So before listing your house on FSBO homes, try standing on the curb, walk towards your house and take note of all the things that catch your eyes, giving attention to the details and the general view. And then work towards having a look that attracts FSBO buyers at first sight.

Here are some tips to achieve the winning look:

  1. Repaint your house and highlight features that enhance the facade.
  2. Fix and repaint the gate. Make sure all outdoor lamps work. Replace an old mailbox.
  3. Place potted flowering plants on the front porch. Clean the front windows thoroughly. Make sure that the front door opens easily.
  4. Remove dead plants and mow the lawn. Keep the plants healthy and vigorous. Plant some colorful flowers.
  5. Keep foot paths free of debris. Remove oil spills and grease on surfaces.
  6. Clean out dried leaves and stems from the roof. Align and paint downspouts and gutters. Fix exposed wiring and repair cracked surfaces.
  7. Remove gardening equipment from the lawn. Clean the outdoor grill and make sure it enhances the look of the outdoor living area.
  8. If you have a swimming pool, fountains or outdoor showers, make sure that the areas are clean and the pumps are functioning. Sprinklers and outdoor faucets should be operating too.

When finally you are finished with all the repairing, fixing and prettifying tasks, stand at the curb again and walk toward your house. If you feel like regretting your move and canceling your FSBO listing, then you could be sure the first prospective buyer will fall in love with your FSBO home at first sight.

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Guidelines for a Successful FSBO

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

Technology has made every human endeavor easier. With the help of this amazing thing, selling properties, particularly For Sale by Owner transactions, should be a breeze as well. Through the Internet, homeowners can now put their properties on the market without a sweat, or the help of a real estate agent.

An FSBO transaction is always worthwhile. It spares sellers from having to pay commissions to an agent and it gives them full control of the entire process.

For a successful FSBO, follow these guidelines:

  1. Make sure that your home is ready to sell. A presentable home is very important in an FSBO transaction. Do some enhancements. They can be as elaborate as redecorating rooms and improving the landscape or as simple as scrubbing the carpet and cleaning the house.
  2. Set a reasonable price for your property. A very low price will leave you with a meager profit while a very high price might drive buyers away. Price is the major reason why FSBO transactions fail. To help you decide on a sensible price, hire an appraiser.
  3. Seek the help of a real estate lawyer. They can be very helpful in drafting the sale contract. Also, they can help you learn about complicated mortgage terms.
  4. Market your home. Advertisements range from simple word of mouth to yard signs to internet ads. An open house is also a good advertisement if you want a more personal encounter with potential buyers.
  5. Discuss offers with your buyer. Be ready with counter-offers. Also, assess your buyer’s paying ability.
  6. Have your home inspected. Should damages be found, it is your obligation to have them repaired. Otherwise, you may choose to slash the cost of repair from the amount to be paid by the buyer.
  7. Prepare for closing day. Usually, the buyer does a final inspection to make sure that necessary repairs are done. This happens 30-45 days after contract-signing. All payments are made on that day.

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Good Marketing Techniques In Selling Properties For Sale By Owners

Monday, December 8th, 2008

Selling FSBO homes these days is difficult due to slowdown on house markets. Buyers never get tired of looking for better offers as it is a form of investment for them.

Here are some good marketing techniques:

  1. Make sure to upload good quality pictures for the buyers to see how the house looks like. Everything that they would want to see in the pictures must be organized and do not include unnecessary things.
  2. One of the marketing strategies that a seller must remember is to stress on the good points of the house. Tell the potential buyers what makes it unique among the others and what made the seller purchase the property. Sure, not all the qualities are good, but emphasize more on the positive factors.
  3. Be impressive. Instead of the usual food being served, have it catered as it is one way of enticing potential buyers, agents and brokers.
  4. A lockbox is always important in a property.
  5. Giving a higher commission can motivate the agents.
  6. Providing perks and incentives are good motivation for potential buyers who are on the lookout for homes for sale by owners.
  7. Some examples of perks are:

    • A discount of the property’s total costs
    • House protection scheme
    • 1 year homeowner organization fees
    • Lower interest rate
    • A weekend travel that is good for two
  8. It always pays to advertise. People read newspapers everyday and that is where a seller or an agent can put the advertisement.
  9. Here are some ways:

    • Advertise about a property for sale by owner in a Sunday newspaper.
    • Put up an ad with the photo of the house if possible.
    • Advertise in newspapers that are published once or twice a week.
  10. An interactive tour is a great way of advertising FSBO houses. Potential buyers may have no time to view the house personally, so make sure that they can fully take a look at the house online.

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Bad Marketing Strategies in Selling FSBO Homes

Monday, December 8th, 2008

Despite the slowdown on house markets, there are still homes that are for sale by owners and some were sold easily. The house itself is not the problem. It may be because of poor marketing strategies which are the following:

  1. Uploading bad quality pictures online.
    Before purchasing a home, buyers would want to see how the house looks like. A picture of the house can entice a buyer so it is better to have good quality pictures.

    Here are examples of photos that should not be produced:

    • Dark pictures with closed blinds
    • Sideway pictures
    • Disorganized rooms
    • Uncropped pictures
    • Pictures of pets asleep on the couch
    • Uploading just one photo
    • High resolution pictures without altering the pixels for online viewing
  2. Providing incomplete information about the property.
    Selling properties is a competition. A seller should not miss out on any good points of the house. Stress on the unique qualities and why it is considered a best buy among the others.
  3. Not giving importance to agents and brokers.
    Keep in mind that they are the people who can be a big help in selling homes for sale by owners so never underestimate them.
  4. FSBO homes have limited access for viewing.
    These examples can prevent showings:

    • House without lockbox
    • Limited time for showing
    • 1-day notification to view the house
    • House viewing only by appointment
  5. Giving low commission would not make the agents motivated.
  6. Not giving perks to buyers.

    To entice potential buyers, including perks is one way of doing so. Even if it is not pricey, perks are something free that can be received by them.

  7. Selling without a print ad is like not wanting to sell the house quickly.
  8. Selling without an interactive tour.

Some buyers do not have enough time to personally look at the house. They would rather view an FSBO property through an interactive tour, otherwise they would show no interest at all.

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