Fsbo - Getting The Price Right
If you plan on selling your home privately then getting the price right is an essential part of the process. In most parts of the western world the property market is still, largely a buyer’s market and if your house is overpriced it just won’t sell. You are planning to sell it yourself so you could sell at a lower figure than your neighbors might because you don’t have to account for real estate fees. This is your advantage – your house will surely be cheaper than the guy’s down the road because you don’t have to pay all that commission. This gives you the edge where buyers are concerned.
Get it valued so you have some idea of what the market might pay rather than just thinking of the price you want. Once you have done that you can decide whether you think they have undervalued your property, but remember the best price will attract the most would be buyers to begin with.
The next thing you need to do is to devise a marketing plan. You can’t just hope that someone will see your for sale by owner sign and come inside, sure they might do this but what you really need is maximum exposure if you are to get more prospective buyers through the door. People use different methods, they advertise in their local stores, in the local newspapers, and on the internet, some people may advertise on the radio. Now days there are for sale by owner magazines so advertise in there. The point is to get as much advertising coverage as you can try whatever is available – if it comes down to it get some leaflets printed and put them through people’s doors. Just as there are many ways of selling so there are of buying. Some buyers may see your sign and give you a call, others will be searching on the internet and in the papers for a good deal in an area they want to live in.
One thing that a good real estate agent will tell you is how to get your house ready for selling. If you are selling for yourself then you have to decide when it is ready. You can find plenty of articles in magazines and on the internet about what sells houses. For now there are a few key things that you can do to make your home more attractive to buyers, especially if you don’t want to get involved in a full scale remodeling.
The first thing you should do is get rid of all the clutter. Buyers do not want to see your possessions lying around, they want to imagine what their own will look like in your house. Throw out what you don’t use and put the rest in storage or at the house of a relative or friend until you have sold the house. The second thing you should do is make sure that the house looks as attractive as possible from the outside. Trim your grass and hedges, put some plants by the door and clear the kids’ clutter out of the yard, at least then it looks better to passing strollers and motorists who might be on the look out to buy.
I’m Alan Cramer, if you want to fire your real estate agent and sell your home yourself putting more money in YOUR pocket please check out my website at http://www.fsbomarketing.com to learn how.
Tags: advertise, for sale, FSBO, owner, price, private, value