With the housing market on the rise, there is no better time than right now to sell your home. If you have been thinking about moving, now would be the time to list your home. However, before placing a For Sale by Owner or FSBO sign in your front yard, there are many things you will need to consider. Although in many areas there may be a shortage of homes for sale, selling a house FSBO is not always an easy task. In many cases, selling a home on your own is a lot harder than you might think. But if you are willing to stick with it and follow some simple guidelines, you can sell your home by yourself. Just realize it will take some effort, time, preparation and a lot of patience.
One of the first steps you need to do, when selling your home, is research homes in the area that are currently for sale or have just recently sold. This will give you an accurate idea of what price to list your house for. When listing your home For Sale by Owner, it is especially important that you list your home at a fair price.
In order to find the value of home recently sold in your area, you can go down to the local county office and obtain the records. Some counties will list recently sold homes on their website. If you are searching for homes that are currently for sale, you can either look them up on the Internet or pick up a local paper that lists homes in your area that are for sale. Once you have an idea of the current home values in your area, you can then list your home accordingly.
Next, you must actually prepare your home to be sold. It is important that when you are putting your house on the market as a For Sale by Owner home that you make a special effort to get the home in order. Begin by cleaning up the home. Keep in mind that first impressions are the most important ones.
If a potential buyer drives by the home and it is in a shambles, chances are they will not take the time to call and ask to see the home. Therefore, start with the outside. Curb appeal is a key element when selling your home For Sale by Owner. Make sure there is no trash or litter in the front yard. Landscaping is essential to curb appeal. Keep the grass nicely manicured and green at all times. If you have shrubs in your yard, make sure they are neatly trimmed and are not overbearing. You want buyers to be able to see past any shrubbery and take note of the house. One aspect of the house that is often over looked is the windows. Make sure the windows are clean and well maintained. If needed, give the outside of the home a fresh paint job.
Next, move onto the inside of the house. Begin by removing any clutter. When selling a home FSBO, you will want to make sure that the home looks as spacious as possible. If you have large furniture either arrange it so that the rooms look as large as possible or consider putting some of the furniture in storage. If you are a collector, you may want to consider boxing up some of your collections.
Remove items that are very personal. Limit family photos to just a few. When selling your homes, you want potential buyers to be able to envision themselves living in the home. You do not want any potential buyers to be distracted by your own personal items.
Make sure the house has a nice aroma about it. If your house stinks, chances are it will not sell. If your home is currently vacant and has been for a while, make sure it does not smell of mold or mildew. Prospective buyers will quickly be turned off by offensive smells. For homeowners who also are pet owners, it is vital that your home does not smell of pets. Chances are, you have become quite accustom to the odor left behind by your pets.
There are a few tricks that can make your house smell good. In the kitchen, cut up lemons or oranges and place in the garbage disposal. This will help to not only eliminate odors but will leave the sink smelling fresh. To give the entire home a good smell, you can boil some water and add vanilla to it. This will give the home a smell of fresh baked goods. You can also light several scented candles throughout the entire house. Make sure the scents are light and airy ones. Otherwise, they can be to overwhelming for guests.
Consider giving the house a fresh coat of paint. The bright colors that you find appealing might turn off an interested buyer. When selling your home, again you want the potential buyer to be able to see themselves in the home. Therefore, neutral colors are more appealing. Light colors will add a sense of brightness to the room, while making it appear larger.
Keep in mind that your main goal is to impress prospective buyers. When selling a FSBO home you want to sell it as quickly as possible. Therefore, it is important that you take the necessary steps to make the house as appealing as possible.
Selling your home For Sale by Owner may seem nearly impossible. And although it does require a lot of patience, hard work and dedication it can be done. Presenting your home in the best possible light is one of the key elements of successfully selling the house. So before listing your home as a For Sale by Owner home follow the above suggestions and tips. And before you know it, you will be replacing your For Sale by Owner sign with a SOLD sign.
Alan King is a successful Internet Marketer and would like to introduce his friend Alan Cramer who is president of Property By Owner, Inc., President and Managing Broker of Priority One Real Estate, Inc., and a Managing Partner of Maxima Title, LLC. In addition Alan spent 3 years as the president of the FSBO Network, an association representing FSBO publishers in the U.S.A. Alan offers a FREE FSBO eCourse on selling by owner at http://www.theFSBOguru.com and For Sale By Owner services for the Northern Front Range of Colorado at http://www.PropertyByOwner.net |
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