Tips when Selling Your Home By Owner:

DO:          Clear personal photos from counters, tables and fireplace mantels                             DON’T:   Remove all artwork & photos from your walls. Sterile is not a good look.

DO:          Reduce books and knik knaks from your bookcase or built-ins                                    DON’T:   Create an attractive display of your books w/some frames , candles & small items

DO:          Clear clutter from closets including racks, shelves & floor                                           DON’T:    Just throw everything into a laundry basket or open box/bin. Move it out!

DO:           Have Kitchen & Bathroom counters CLEAR in photos & for showings.                     DON’T:     Just throw it all a basket at the end of the counter. Clear means clear!

DO:          Pack up your off season clothes including coats, jackets, sweatshirts, etc.                 DON’T:    Spread the clothes out into other closets.  Everyone wants closet space!

DO:           Clean out your kitchen cabinets/pantry. Pack up holiday or seasonal dishes.    DON’T:    Assume that buyers won’t open your cabinets, pantry, etc. Serious ones will!

DO:            Be honest and precise when answering your prospective buyers questions.      DON’T:     Talk non-stop while showing your home. Share details then be quiet.

DO:            Have a Guest Book open for open house attendees to leave their info.                     DON’T:      Force the issue if someone doesn’t want to sign it. Always be friendly!

DO:             Freshen walls, trim & cabinets with a good cleaning. Paint if necessary.                 DON’T:      Get so overwhelmed with making things ‘perfect’ that you lose market time.

DO:             Put excess furniture, bins, boxes, etc in storage unit/pod IF you can afford it. DON’T:      Take on excessive debt in preparing your home for sale. Stay smart!

DO:             Have confidence that you can market your home w/Buy Owner’s help!                  DON’T:      Believe the ‘noise’ from others that you’re not competent enough to do so!

BuyOwner.com has been helping sellers successfully market their homes AND walk away with more of their hard earned equity for over 33 years. With full Customer Care service + your Personal Marketing Consultant assisting you each step of the way, you are able to sell your home on your own BUT not by yourself!  Before you know it you too will be saying, “Thanks Buy Owner”!

Why is it a good time to sell?

• Interest Rates Are Still Low
• Interest Rates Might Be Going Up
• Economy on Upswing
• Prices Are Still Rising or are Stable
• Buyers Are Still Shopping

Why is it a good time to buy?

• Interest Rates Are Still Low
• Interest Rates Might Be Going Up
• Economy on Upswing
• Prices Are Still Rising or are Stable
• Buyers Are Still Shopping

Get the point? It’s all in perspective. If you want to sell…sell! If you want to buy…buy!  We’re in a unique time so take advantage and give yourself the authority to move forward into your future!!

So you’ve had an open house or a showing. Odds are those buyers have looked at other homes besides yours today or within the last few days. So, how do you make yours the one they remember?

• Have prospective buyers sign a guest book before they walk through your Open House….Do not say “you must sign this or you cannot walk through”. But, if as soon as they arrive you greet them with a friendly hello and a smile while immediately asking them to sign in most likely they will. Prepare the book with a column for Name, Phone Number, Email Address. They might not give you all of it but the purpose is to hopefully have an opportunity to follow up with them after the event or showing.
• If a realtor brings their prospective buyer through ask them to please leave a card. They should give it to you on their own, but if they don’t, don’t hesitate to ask for it.
• Have a prepared “give away” sheet to give them when they arrive, not when they are leaving.  Detail it room by room noting any recent update, upgrades, etc. Include a photo file if possible (easily created on your BuyOwner.com seller’s dashboard!). This allows them to see all your home is offering them plus once they’ve left and are reviewing the homes they’ve seen, something you’ve noted on your sheet may be the very item that stands out to them as a deal maker!
• Have small chilled water bottles for them to grab and enjoy as they walk through your home.  Even better, create labels on your printer with a photo of your home, your address and your contact info and tape it to the bottles. Remember, you’re trying to stand out above the crowd!
• Don’t be afraid to follow up with anyone (buyer or realtor) who have walked through your home and ask for their feedback. Even if they are not interested, their input might prove valuable for your next showing.
• Be friendly….smile…..show no fear….don’t over talk….let them know you’re happy to answer any of their questions.  First impressions of you can be as valuable as a first impression of your home.

The best way to become memorable to prospective buyers is to think like one of them and not as a seller…..what can you do that would cause you to positively remember a walk through of your home? Then add that to the list above. Now go sell your home!!

One of the areas of selling on your own that can be somewhat intimidating is writing your ad….what to include…what to leave out….how to describe your home’s features most effectively….oversell or undersell….what will get you the results you desire?

One thing that will help keep you focused in the right direction is to understand the goal of your online ad. When someone is looking at properties online, they’re asking themselves… “Why should I pay that price for that home in that location?” The job of your ad is to answer with “This is why..this is why…this is why”.  Instead of hoping buyers will choose to walk through your home…Inspire them to want to come over NOW!

You only have a few moments to capture a buyer’s interest so your words need to grab their attention.

Words Matter:                                                                                                                                  Home instead of House:  A house is a building. A home is somewhere you create memories and raise a family. (Includes Townhome instead of Townhouse)

Spacious is more enticing than huge.  Freshly painted in neutral tones is enough…avoid “each room has been painted in neutral tones so as to allow you to come in and create your own  special spaces, etc etc etc. Another example of this elongated drone would be “Bonus room can be extra bedroom, den, office, workout room, hobby room, etc”. “Bonus room” is enough.

Be careful not to overuse words. If you say: beautiful this and beautiful that, comfy/cozy, nestled, dream come true, won’t last, must see, etc….Buyer reads: blah blah blah blah.  Be specific and to the point: Finely detailed…Upgraded throughout….Breathtaking views (but only if they really take your breath away!). Fully renovated. Recently updated. New appliances. Short and again to the point. If your photos are strong (and they need to be) then your words are there to validate what they see.

With regard to location it’s important to include things like: Close to  highways, public transportation, shopping, restaurants, nightlife, schools, parks, hospitals….whatever drives people to your area should be emphasized.

There was a time when fluff was effective because the internet wasn’t available to allow buyers to actually walk though your home before they ever arrive. That’s all changed now. Your ad opens…they look at the photos. If they like what they see, they will read what you write BUT only if it isn’t tedious. Remember, you’re writing and ad not a novel.

Note: If writing intimidates your, consider using the BuyOwner.com Elite or Premium + Photography option. Both include having your ad professionally written!