Closeup view of Modern Suburban Home for Sale Real Estate Sign in front of modern home
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While most people do end up selling their home with the help of a real estate agent, it’s far from the only option. In short, it is possible to successfully list your home as a “For Sale By Owner” property. It just requires a little more legwork on your part. If you’re thinking of going that route, read these tips first. I’ll show you what you need to do to find a buyer.
Get your home showing ready
Before you put your home up for sale, you should take the time to make sure it looks its best. On the exterior of your home, this means pumping up the curb appeal by keeping up with any current lawn maintenance, investing in some fresh plantings, and making sure that your home looks warm and inviting from the outside.
On the inside of your home, it’s all about staging your interiors so that potential buyers can picture themselves in the space. Start by finishing up any necessary maintenance projects on the home. Then, take the time to declutter and depersonalize the space.
Price it right
When all is said and done, pricing your home right is the key to getting offers. As soon as your home goes up on the market, it will be in competing for offers against all the other similarly-priced homes that are available for sale. If those homes have more to offer in terms of features or square footage, you’ll likely find that your property will get passed over.
As for how to find out how much your home is worth, there are plenty of online home appraisal tools that you can use to get a sense of what your home is worth. You can also search public records data to see what other homes have sold for in your area. Just be sure you’re making an apples-to-apples comparison.
Market it like a pro
The way in which you market your home is incredibly important. Put simply, if you don’t market it correctly, you won’t get traffic. Without a steady flow of traffic, offers will be much harder to come by.
The first key to marketing your home the right way is to make sure to take great photographs. Since most buyers now view listings online before they go see them in person, photos often serve as the buyer’s first impression of a property. With that in mind, consider hiring a professional to do the job or calling in a favor from a friend who has photography experience.
The next step to marketing your property is ensuring it gets the right exposure. You can list your home on sites like For Sale By Owner for free. Alternatively, some agents may agree to list it on your local MLS in exchange for a small fee.
Make sure potential buyers leave with info
That said, marketing your home isn’t just about getting potential buyers in the door. It’s also about making sure they keep thinking about your home after the initial showing is over, long enough for them to decide to make an offer. To that end, you’ll want to ensure that they leave showings with some marketing materials in hand.
You can make up a flyer for this on your own. Be sure to include relevant information about the property such as the address and list price. Add in a few of the best listing photos and highlight any key features of the home like the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, and any recent upgrades.
Hire someone to handle the paperwork
Lastly, though you intend on listing your home on your own, you may want to consider hiring someone to help with the legally-binding parts of the transaction. The paperwork involved with selling a home can be daunting and time-consuming, especially if you’re not used to dealing with it on a regular basis. It may be worth it to hire a third party to make sure it all comes out right.
As for where to go for help, an experienced real estate attorney in your area is always a sold option. Other than that, you may want to take a look at some flat-fee real estate companies. Since their fees are disclosed upfront, these companies tend to offer more a la carte services than traditional agents and you may be able to find a package that suits your needs.