Dee's Dozen Tips 2 Sell

1.     Have a HOME INSPECTION

Have your home inspected by a professional trained to look for problems, defects, or missed and deferred maintenance. It's easier and often cheaper to solve little problems before a Buyer and his Agent discover them, as issues that arise during the Buyer's Inspection often lead to expensive re-negotiations.

2.     Make All Required & Suggested Repairs

Repair and fix all items found during your inspection, if at all possible. Get qualified estimates in writing for those items you can't. This will help you prepare to negotiate those items later from a more knowledgeable position

3.     Get a Good CMA or BPO

A CMA (Comparable Market Analysis) is a standard practice when you list your home with a real estate sales person or broker. However, if you're going the "fsbo" route, it would still be wise to go ahead and bring in a REALTOR® to help you determine your best price to advertise. Many will offer this as a complimentary service as an opportunity to meet with you and show you their marketing talents. A BPO is a Broker's Price Opinion, a property valuation analysis that can be performed only by a licensed Broker.

4.     Price Your Home Correctly

Overprice? You might miss out on a great Buyer, or waste valuable time on an extended marketing period.
Underprice? You short your family's pocketbook and can erode your nest egg unnecessarily.
Price your home based on the amount of living space you have, the number & types of rooms you offer, the style of garage, and size & privacy of the yard. Adjust your price based on the current condition of your dwelling. Other factors to consider include, age of the property, local school system and governing body, and Current Sales Trends! Using a REALTOR® with all their expertise and access to marketing and sales data will be the most effective way to help you figure out a marketing price.

5.     Offer a One-Year Home Service Warranty

Home Service Warranties are extremely popular with Buyers, as well as Buyer's Agents, mortgage lenders, appraisers and home inspectors. Many discussions that come up during the home inspection can be resolved with the assurance of some type of service-after-the-sale arrangements found in most of the home warranty service plans. Typically for a few hundred dollars paid at the closing table, you can very affordably cover the "first year of homeownership concerns." Consider this to be an investment in your own piece of mind.

6.     Market your Home AGGRESSIVELY

If you sell it ... they will come?" Don't count on it!
In today's current market most areas have an oversupply of properties for sale and an extreme shortage of ready, willing, and able Buyers. Market your home aggressively in every avenue available to you. Use your community/church bulletins, your workplace newsletter, put out a great yard sign, install an info box with full color property description flyers, and post your property on the internet. Using a REALTOR® will give you access to the largest database in the world of USA properties for sale.

7.     Use Effective CURB-SIDE Marketing

Use a GREAT yard sign - don't skimp on this expense! Even as a "fsbo" you want to avoid the tacky little sign from the local hardware store. And keep it in good repair! People will judge how you maintain the condition of your house, based on the condition of your sign. Design a descriptive property flyer, complete with full color photos and print them off 50 at a time. Install a sturdy Info Box and keep it supplied with a small amount of crisp, clean flyers.

Spiff up the entrance, keep the front yard immaculately trimmed, and make sure the driveway is clean & cleared at all times.

8.     Keep Your Property Clean & Ready To Show

Sounds simple, but this will be one of the most challenging! It's extremely difficult for most families to live in their home while trying to sell. Talk it about it with every member of the family and try to get everyone to agree to pitch in and do their part. Anticipate that many showing requests will come in with little notice. Since your goal is to sell and move anyway ~ go through the house and pack up everything that you don't need or won't need until you relocate. Do your "Spring Cleaning" in advance, clean out your closets, de-clutter your rooms, and store away or haul away everything that is excess.
Actively think about your protecting privacy. Find a secure place to safely put away your personal information, your bills, and receipts. And don't forget to lock up your prescription drugs!
To prepare for showings, get into the habit of picking up each room every night before you go to bed and make sure every room is tidy before you leave for school or work. This little extra effort of following "Mom's good advice" will ease the stress of those last minute appointments. Forget "the baked cookies in the oven" worn out technique, instead grab a bottle of Windex (or other window cleaner) and spritz the trash cans, the sinks & the toilets for a quick "the-maid-just-left" fragrance, throw a dish towel over the kitchen sink full of dishes, and stuff the dirty laundry in the dryer. Then SHOW!

9.     When Showing • Don't Get in the Way

Balance. That dance between too helpful and not helpful enough. Greet everyone at the front door with a warm smile and introduce yourself. As the buyer-candidates will likely be strangers to you, make sure you feel comfortable before allowing anyone to enter your house. (Safety first!) Try to always show in pairs. If you're a single - ask a friend to come and help. Don't be overly chatty. Some people will want to walk about the house without a lot of discussion. Don't let this intimidate you. Some will be studying the room layouts and thinking about their furniture placement. Some people will want you to lead them through the dwelling. Some will want to be free to discover it on their own. Every group will have a slightly different style.
The most important thing for you to remember is - that they are there to see the house - not your kids, not your pets, not your family photos, not your furniture. Don't overwhelm them with sound or additional distractions. Turn off the TVs, put on a little very soft background music, throw out the family, and turn on all the lights. Then lead, follow, or get out of the way!

10.   Set Realistic Goals • For Price, Terms & Timetables

Motivation. How motivated are you? Carefully analyze whether you WANT to sell or NEED to sell.

This one key concept will be the driving factor in the approach and style you should choose to use. The more relaxed and under control your situation is on the selling of your home, the more relaxed you can be with your pricing and terms. Determine if you have time to be able to hold out for an offer that pleases you verses having to take any offer and suffer a loss. On the flip side, if you are in a state of high stress needing a quick sale, you'll need more aggressive pricing and style to attract a faster buyer. You'll want to carefully research and calculate your total cost of the selling process, and then set a realistic price to sell within the timing you have.

11.   Negotiate Fairly & Honestly

When you're lucky enough to get an offer - Be fair. Be calm.

Negotiating styles vary widely from person to person. Don't overact from a low-ball offer, and don't get too excited with a high-ticket offer. There are many components to every deal and not all parts will always surface at the same time. Don't risk misunderstandings by allowing yourself to get into a verbal negotiation - insist a written proposal. Take your time to read thoroughly and review carefully any written offers. Ask questions and document the answers for your files. Attempt to work through each point with a fair-minded attitude. A clear understanding what causes a Buyer to ask for each certain concession will help you to better evaluate its importance to the deal. Assume some adjustments will need to be made on each side.

12.   Don’t Get Greedy • Be Flexible!

Don't assume a better offer will come through. Treat each offer as if it were the only offer you'll ever see. It could be. With a solid understanding of your own bottom line and costs, you can negotiate to strike a deal that satisfies the needs and special situations of each side of the transaction.

All information is provided as a service, but not warranted or guaranteed, and is the intellectual property of Dee A Young and NEW DAY.