Homes for sale by owner? Yes indeed. Here are some tips to make it easier on yourself as a home owner who wants to sell your own home without a real estate agent.
While the largest percentage of homes are sold through real estate agents, if your home is so attractive to buyers, why not just sell it yourself and save yourself the cost of the commission – or at the least split it with the buyer so that you both benefit? You benefit with lower costs after it’s all over and they get a lower house price. That’s win / win.
So the question becomes – why not sell your house yourself, and if it so easy then why do so few do it?
The simple answers to the questions are that it is not as easy as you might think to sell your on your own. For many people the whole idea is overwhelming and intimidating so it’s a task they will gladly pay someone else to do.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO SELL YOUR HOME
In order to set the stage to sell your house promptly there are a number of planning and marketing steps. So let’s talk about getting prepared to sell your house. Timing is one thing.
Although houses do sell at various times throughout the year, often buying is fueled at peak times.
A primary market for houses is families. Children have to go to school. Usually parents dont want to disrupt their children’s school year or have to drive the kids back and forth across town to the old school for a portion of the year.
So the two big times for home sales are spring and fall as the school year ends and before the fall start of the next school year. Many of the other homes that are bought and sold are flow-on from the initial sales of the owners of this first group. So the major home selling time of the year is more limited than you might think.
In addition to that there are climate concerns for the appraisal of foundations and yards, and then there is the fact that many people do not want to move at certain times of the year (for example, the Christmas period) and you will see that adequate preparation of your home for sale for those peak time periods is essential for a quick sale and good sale price.
PRICING YOUR HOME
First of all you have to price your home properly and competitively.
One of bigger problems of private sales is a lack of reality on the part of private home sellers. It’s not hard to understand why.
Typically a home owner thinks their property is in impressive condition and of course it’s in a attractive location and yes, it has a better layout or some lovely features that other homes don’t have, so they hike the hoped-for price up to an unrealistic level that is out of step with the real market.
The simple solution to this problem is to have your house professionally appraised by a home appraiser. If you are still not sure you can always pay for a second estimate. Either way you will be still far ahead of the game.
Some people have used actual real estate published data, information from their local city, or even asked realtors for their input and expertise as well.
PRESENT YOUR HOME JUST LIKE A PROFESSIONAL SELLER WOULD
Act as if you were a professional real estate agent selling your home. Make it the most presentable you can.
First impressions are everything. Get rid of a lot of the personal clutter that homes are typically filled with. Clean the house thoroughly. Mow the lawns and cut the edges and tidy the front and back yards up to be their best. Complete those minor repairs around the house that you have been meaning to do.
ADVERTISE YOUR HOME ON THE INTERNET
When making major purchases these days, such as buying a home, most people check online. So be sure that your home is listed on the internet with a nice photo and complete accurate details. The worldwide web is a great way to make sure that it is extensively known that your “home for sale by owner” is available.
BE AVAILABLE AND RESPOND TO PROSPECTIVE BUYERS QUICKLY
Make certain that the phone number or email address is correct and is answered promptly. If you and your spouse work most of the day, either have an answering machine, a cell phone or both. Being easy to contact is most important.
Be prepared to show your home promptly within a reasonable time frame and at times of day acceptable to your potential buyers.
HAVE THE LEGAL PAPERWORK READY
Ensure that you have the legal paperwork available to close the home sale promptly. This involves having at least two copies of the sales contract available. One for your records, the other for the purchaser.
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