Posts Tagged get your house ready to sell
My FSBO Update – Day 10
Posted by Deane in Sale Of Author's House on April 19, 2010
Last week, we had one very interested party look at our house. He had flown in from CA to look at houses here due to a job transfer. I overheard him say to the realtor that this was the only house he could really see himself living in. Yesterday his wife flew out to look at our house and some others. Their agent told me, “I wish all houses showed as good as yours – it would make my job a lot easier. You should write a book.” 
I couldn’t read the wife’s reaction to the house. She clearly was jet lagged, exhausted and harried. She was catching a flight back from Baltimore to California in a few hours.
The good news about this couple is they HAVE to buy a house ASAP. It is their first house so no contingencies about selling their current house. They have a mortgage broker in their immediate family so getting a loan might be less problematic if the broker really knows the ropes. Now it’s “wait and see”.
Of course, I am not depending on this, so I continued my marketing this week and had another open house.
- I did my daily walk and distributed 50 fliers each day to neighbors.
- I added notice of the open house to my MLS listing.
- I posted on Craigslist as often as allowed.
- I put up handmade bandit signs around a nearby elementary school (lots of daily traffic there). If these moms
lived in MY house, their kids could safely walk to school. What a benefit! - I posted professional “open house” signs at 4 busy intersections near my house and of course, in my front yard.
- I kept my flyer box full!
We had 23 parties attend the open house yesterday. I was very pleased with that. One man stayed an hour and really couldn’t tear himself away. He said, “I’ve been looking over and over for a flaw in this house and I’ve yet to find one.” He also comment he was going to tell a friend of his about this house because, as he said, “Even if I can’t buy this house, I want SOMEBODY I know to buy it so I can at least visit it!” However, people that LOVE your house and can or will get a loan are two different stories. You also have to be prepared for people who don’t love your house and not take it personally!
This morning I sent a thank you email to all who signed in and left me their email address and filled my flyer box.
And now it’s back to work!
We Got It Together And Had Our First Open House Today
Posted by Deane in Sale Of Author's House on April 11, 2010
Even though I paid for my flat fee MLS listing 4 days ago, as of yesterday it still wasn’t live and I was freaking out (just a little).
When you do a flat fee MLS listing through a FSBO site such as FSBO.com, the listing still has to be put on the MLS by a real estate agent and they will farm it out to a local real estate agent that handles their flat fee listings. This will be one of the hardset things you will do to sell your house, but unfortunately, it almost is required for most houses. Here are the issues I had trying to do this simple thing.
- Initially the realtor only gave me half of the documents needed to complete the transaction. Having done this before I knew what was missing. It took me 24 hours to get two additional documents. When I got all the documentation, there were 29 pages that had to be filled out and signed. It reminded me why I don’t like working with them. Everything is a big deal.
- The contract from the agent stated I would get 1 photo (and had to pay for mo), even though FSBO.com clearly states I will get 8 photos so I had to argue for that. They ultimately put all 17 photos on for no extra cost. This is my favorite photo – looking up our front walk. It really shows off the landscaping which is one of my home’s main features.
- Then very sneakily they offer, “from time to time we may do some free advertising – would you like us to include you?”. Sounds good, right? WRONG! Check this off and you have just given them permission to market your house and now you will have to pay them commission.
- The realtor I was given to use never answered their phone. Not once. Iwas stressing because I already had an open house planned and was afraid my MLS listing wouldn’t be up in time. It went live Sat. night for my open house on Sunday. It took me three days (and some nagging) to get my listing up. Ugh.
Three days ago was the day I committed to having my house officially “for sale”. Here’s how it all came together on that day:
- My FSBO “for sale” sign was installed.
- I put flyers in my brochure box.
- The 259Cinder.com website went live. It looks great.
- My Postlets ad was syndicated.
- And I started running ads on Craigslist that had either my Postlet or my website as body of the ad
- I started distributing 150 flyers around the neighborhood, hanging them in plastic bags that fit over a doorknob.
- I put up a sign that said “Open House Sunday 1-3″ in front of my house.
- All marketing that went out this week advertised the open house that we had today.
This morning, I baked chocolate chip cookies, put up “Open House” signs at three major intersections nearby, got a bunch of helium balloons, and printed out a sign up sheet.
We had 13 families stop by which I thought was a great turnout. And interestingly, only one party found out about the house from the MLS listing! (See, I shouldn’t have stressed out about getting the listing up in time!) The others either saw the Open House signs or received a flyer on their doorknob. I’d say half were somewhat interested and 3 or 4 were keenly interested. Everyone loved the house and commented on how much better it was than other houses they had seen. (That is to be expected when you actually put some work into it!)
One neighbor said she belongs to a playgroup and there are several moms looking for houses in our neighborhood. As soon as the open house was over, I sent her an email with links to my website and my email and phone number. It pays to be proactive and make it as easy for her as possible. Of course she knows that I will give her a $500 “thank you” if anyone she recommends buys the house.
Today we also have someone coming by from a Craiglist ad to buy lawn furniture we decided to get rid of. And we have a commitment from a family member to buy one of our cars. We are only taking one car with us that we will tow and then buy another car once we get settled. Our life here is pretty rapidly being dissembled! Which is just what we want.
P.S. After you finish an open house be sure to take down the signs and balloons promptly or you will get stragglers who will demand to see the house after the set time. (Ask me how I know this!)
Two Of The Most Important Things To Do Right When Selling Your Own House
Posted by Deane in Sale Of Author's House on April 5, 2010
Today, my husband took photos because it was a nice bright sunny day. The outdoor photos look great – the sun sky is blue, the grass is “Ireland green”, the trees are budding out, and flowers are blooming. Here is a view of the back of my house. 
However, the indoor photos didn’t come out as good. The light streaming in the windows either caused a glare or made them too dark. My husband is working on adjusting the camera so we can get some better photos tomorrow.
Here is what I got done today:
- I decided on my asking price and what percentage I will offer to a buyer’s realtor and the realtor bonus I will offer. (I’m offering a bonus for a ratified contract by April 30th.)
- I plugged these numbers into my net worth calculator so I know what I will net under my best and worst case scenarios.
- I finished creating my Postlet.
- I’ve finished creating my flat fee MLS listing, except for adding photos.
- I ordered door hanger bags and created a flyer I’ll be taking around to all my neighbors inviting them “pick their new neighbor” and offering them a referral fee if they find a buyer.
Getting your asking price right and marketing effectively are two of the most important things you can do to sell your own house.
EBay Ad That Sold An Unusual High Ticket Item In A Day
Posted by Deane in Sale Of Author's House on April 4, 2010
Here is the ad my husband placed on eBay to sell a set of real estate investment system. I didn’t give a hope in heck that anyone would want this. Who ever heard of Lou Brown?!? But we sold it in two days for the asking price!
I want you to see what a well-thought out ad this is. Interesting, there is currently someone else selling this same item for half the price, and there’s still has not sold I guess because they just put a photo up with no description.
Another tip, we have been throwing in a “bonus” item, too. So if you are selling an exercise bike, throw in a nice water bottle, or exercise DVD you don’t use anymore.
I hope this helps to get your house decluttered so you can be well on your way to selling your own house FAST!
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Most of the real estate investing information products you see offered for sale are not for someone who’s serious about being successful in real estate. My experience has been that these products appeal to the people who “wannabe rich” but don’t want to spend money or do much to be rich. I have read, listened to, watched, studied, attended and implemented the teachings of many real estate investing gurus. Lou Brown is one of the best. I am offering a big helping hand to those who are serious about being independently wealthy through real estate.
Lou Brown is a very experienced real estate investor and an excellent teacher. He teaches not only the principles and techniques of real estate investing, he also gives you all the specific details. This is extremely important so that you can invest well and safely.
We bought this in 2006, so it is not the latest edition. But keep in mind two things: First, the principles of real estate investing don’t change. Second, many of the 13 modules in this course were not updated by Lou Brown in 2006. In other words, the materials are updated only as needed (which proves my first point).
Because you are buying this course second-hand, there is no support from Lou Brown. You are getting a more than 90% discount.
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Volume 5: Personal Property Trusts…….144 pages
Volume 6: Borrowing……………………….164 pages, 1 CD
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Volume 8: Property Management………..196 pages, 7 CDs
Volume 9: Lease Options………………….153 pages, 6 CDs
Volume 10: Owner Financing………………144 pages, 6 CDs
Volume 11: Renovations…………………….170 pages, 5 CDs
Volume 12: Buy Offers, Deal Structuring and Selling……64 pages
Volume 13: Auction Profits…………………167 pages, 6 CDs
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Whole Enchilada Forms Disk
Whole Enchilada Junior Forms Disk
Asset Protection: Trusts – What Are They And How To Use Them, 4 DVD set
Work For Equity – Companion to Renovations Volume: 46 page booklet
Short Sale Profits – Companion to Buying Volume: 28 page booklet
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Before You Sell Your Own House, Sell Your Stuff On EBay and Craigslist
Posted by Deane in Sale Of Author's House on April 4, 2010
I am a minimalist when it comes to accumulating a lot of stuff, and so is my husband. On that we agree. However, as we stared sorting through our stuff and deciding what to give away, what to sell, and what to keep, to my surprise, we disagreed on almost everything! If he wanted to keep it, I wanted to give it away. If I wanted to give it away, he wanted to sell it. Therefore sorting through our stuff took a little longer than I expected. 
I usually am of the mind of giving things away rather than selling them. After all, who would want this stuff I’m now considering “basement clutter”. WRONG. My husband is taking care of selling on eBay and Craigslist, , blow me down, most of the items he has put on eBay (if we can easily ship) or Craigslist (for bigger items), have sold in a day for what he asked! So far we sold a treadmill, an exercise bike, a set of luggage, real estate investment books and DVD’s. I’ve been stunned at how easy it was. And so far we’ve netted nearly $2000! Wow! And we still have quite a few more big items to sell. And to think I wanted to give it away.
However, don’t just slap some crappy ad on there and expect these sort of great results. In my next post, I’ll show you an ad he did for an unusual big ticket item.
So here is my home selling tip for today. When getting your house ready to sell for sale by owner, consider using eBay and Craigslist to help. You will be recycling at it’s best. And other people will PAY you to remove your unwanted stuff!
Day 1 Of Selling My Own House For Sale By Owner
Posted by Deane in Sale Of Author's House on April 4, 2010
Since my goal is to have my house officially on the market one week from today, this morning I did the following:
- Purchased the domain name of my address from GoDaddy, 259Cinder.com. This address will prominently be on my for sale sign and all promotional materials. Money saving hint: Enter ” diggnation” as the promo code. I always get my domains for $7.67 instead of the normal price of $10.00+ this way.
- Set up a free website account at SinglePropertySite.com. I will be designing a website with the domain above.
- I ordered my FSBO for sale sign from BuildASign.com. Here is what it will look like.
Notice it does not say “for sale by owner” on it. Why would it? Who cares? Notice how prominently the website is displayed. THAT is where I want people to go first. Did you know that blue and yellow have been shown to be the most eye catching color combination and most easily ready?
Another thing I will be doing later today is to have lunch with my mom and break the news to her. I will be moving over 2000 miles away from her 
. I’m her only child. She will not be happy and the thought of telling her wrenches my gut. Leaving people you care about, THAT is the hardest part of selling your house and moving.
Get Your Home Ready to Sell Now – Spring is Right Around the Corner
Posted by Deane in Preparation on February 7, 2010
If you are like us here on the east coast, you are digging out from a record breaking snow. You are probably pining for 
spring, which seems like a l-o-n-g way off. But spring is only 6 WEEKS AWAY! So if you plan to put your house on the market this spring, you should start getting ready now.
While you are relatively housebound is the perfect time to go around your home with the inspection and cleaning check lists and the decluttering plan you got with The Truth About FSBO. Unless you keep your house in spotless, perfect condition, you probably will need every minute of those six weeks to fix, clean, paint, and declutter.
You will need to do, as my husband likes to say, get rid of the “yuck” factor. What does that mean exactly? Removing anything outdated, dirty, or cluttered. Almost every one has “yucky” areas that you have grown used to and just look past. I’m embarrassed 
to admit that yesterday I was rumaging in the closet under my basement stair case and found a pile of sunflower seeds and peanut shells – double yuck! We clearly had a mouse in the house sometime that made that area his home.
Almost every house needs the woodwork and trim repainted. A white semigloss will really pop. Repaint any walls that have scuffs or is a wild color that might put buyers off like if your teenager painted their walls black. Sort through every closet and kitchen cabinet – you don’t want a prospective buyer opening something up and having pots and pans crash to the floor or have towels and pillows land on their heads.
To be on track for spring, consider doing one room and one “area” each weekend. An “area” would mean a hall closet, garage, section of the basement, etc. When you look at it that way, six weeks suddenly doesn’t sound very long, does it? You are probably thinking, “I need 6 months!” So if you want sell your own house at the peak time, you need to get started right away.
Don’t forget to stage your home before you put it up for sale. Think about how to rearrange your furniture to make each room look larger and more inviting. Get rid of any heavy dark window treatments and replace with some sheers. Put the Pepto-Bismol in the medicine cabinet and put an attractive candle or soap holder on the bathroom sink instead. There is lots of staging advice including staging videos in The Truth About FSBO.
So don’t delay, get started today to be ready to sell your house this spring!
What Does Light Have To Do With Selling A Home?
Posted by Deane in Preparation on December 9, 2009
(As we head towards the darkest, shortest days of the year, I thought this article about the importance of light was timely. Enjoy these great home selling tips!)
Using light to help sell a home may be everything.
Real estate pros will tell you that when people are looking for a home they will nearly always say they want a place that feels light and airy. Donna Freeman says no one ever asked to see a dark and dreary house.
It’s the real reason dark wall finishes don’t work well at resale.
Buyers want LIGHT.
There are actually 3 aspects to the LIGHT problem in homes.
The first things that bring light to interior spaces are WINDOWS. When your house is for sale you want the windows to be front and center in the lookers’ eyes. How do you do it? You open all drapes and curtains. You hang all drapes and curtains so that when they are open the glass is completely uncovered. Finally you hang all drapes and curtains high, just under the crown molding and wide to make the window look bigger. Windows are the most expensive item in any house so it is important to make them look good!
The next part of making a house look lighter is to have lots of great LIGHTING and have it all on when people are looking at the house. There are 3 kinds of lighting. Ambient lighting is the background lighting that gives a room 
a warm glow all over. Many homes lack good ambient lighting. It is the kind of lighting where you want to see the LIGHT, not the fixture that produces the light. You can get it with a few can lights that wash light up the walls in dark corners, rope lighting that can light the tops of cabinets and wardrobes, and overhead lighting like the kind builders put in rooms. The next lighting you may have is feature lighting like chandeliers or eyeball lights around fireplaces, fountains, art or other special features. The third lighting is lamps and work lighting for counters, end tables and midlevel spaces in rooms. Good lighting can help make up for less than stellar windows.
The third aspect of light in spaces is the COLOR and PAINT finishes in your house. The relocation companies that help corporations sell transferred employees’ homes buy ivory paint by the hundreds of gallons. They do it so they can cover up all those paint mistakes, kid art projects, color disasters and worn walls that homeowners messed up. You don’t HAVE to go with ivory but do go LIGHT. Light neutrals with white trim always do better than dark colors at resale.
A light filled interior is something that buyers want that many homeowners fail to understand or provide when they try to sell their homes. But the magic lighting brings to homes is very important to creating a favorable image and glow in buyers’ minds. Give buyers what they want. Let there be LIGHT. It will really help you sell a home quickly.
About the Author:
Paula is a lifestyle specialists, providing others with her knowledge and insights gathered over her lifetime. She also works with her husband Ron in their mortgage note buying business. Visit their website at Selling A Note or Mortgage Buyers
It’s a Great Time to Get Your House Ready to Sell
Posted by Deane in Preparation on September 2, 2009
I’ve always thought of September as the month of new beginnings. The kids are back in school. The worst of the summer heat is behind us. Vacations are largely taken and becoming a fond memory. I remember I how I spent my son’s first day of school each year cleaning out his room. Man, that felt good!
Fall is a great time to do “spring cleaning” and work in the garden.
And for all these reasons, it’s a great time to sell your house! People are ready to get back to their “real life”.
If you want a step-by-step system to sell your house, I encourage you to invest in “The Truth About FSBO – Complete Selling System”. It has everything you need to sell your house fast. It will help you get your house ready to sell faster, too. Take advantage of the Repair Checklists, Cleaning Checklists, and room-by-room staging tips. Follow the FSBO Marketing Plan. It will help you market your house better and faster.
If you already have “The Truth About FSBO”, don’t let it sit on the shelf. Use it!
If you are serious about getting your house sold before the end of the year, now is the time to start.
