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!

So you’ve decided to sell your home. You have prepped, cleaned, cleared, shined, landscaped, staged and done everything else you’ve been told you should do. Yet, your home is not selling. Your price is good. People are showing an interest. Everyone says it shows great and yet you wonder why isn’t anyone buying my perfect home? If all those previous items are accurate, perhaps you need to consider that you are the reason your home has not sold. Perhaps you are emotionally sabotaging the sale of your home.

“UH OH I’M SABOTAGING MY SALE” CHECKLIST!

____   I keep finding new projects to complete before putting my home on the market.

____   I don’t respond to calls or emails from prospective buyers promptly.

____   I find any reason for my home to not be available for showing.

____   I actually tell people more negative than positive things about my home.

____   I get defensive when other people say negative things about my home.

____   I ignore advice from people who actually know about selling homes.

____   I cry every time someone shows even the slightest interest in making an offer.

____   I often walk room to room saying, “I really love my home. It will be hard to leave.”

If you’re looking at that list and realizing that not only a couple of them apply to you but you could actually check mark every item, you might need to look in the mirror and proclaim, “I am the reason my home is not selling.”

Your next step? Think through it all and determine that either you’re not ready to sell and that’s ok. Or find some friends/family who will listen to your heart and allow you to share your sadness when necessary while at the same time helping you look to your future plans with a sense of joy and anticipation. Selling your “home” can sometimes be more difficult emotionally that it is practically. Accept that….allow yourself to feel it…..and keep your checklist handy so you can stay on top of your emotions and minimize your moments of sabotage.  Remember, leaving your house doesn’t mean leaving your home behind. You will always have your memories and those keep your home in your heart forever!

First thing to consider is the definition of “As Is”.  This can range all the way from “there was a fire/flood and whatever issues that exist, you’re buying them” to “Some minor issues might come up in an inspection (outside needs to be painted/slight seepage in the basement of an older home/windows need sealing, etc.) and I’m not going to fix them”. It could also be something as simple as that the home has never been updated yet the structure and guts of the home has been very well maintained giving you a great investment opportunity especially if you’re able to perform the updates/repairs yourself.

SELLING: If you choose to sell your home “as is” consider noting in your advertising the nature of the issues and how you’ve taken that into allowance when pricing your home. If you aren’t really sure what the issues might be with an inspection, consider the cost of having one done prior to putting your home on the market and use that to explain your asking price. Don’t be afraid to show comparisons of what other homes have sold for that had similar issues or have sold for more than you’re asking to reflect the deduction you’re making with your price.

Options: (1) Decrease your asking price to reflect the buyer’s cost to make needed repairs.  (2) Offer an allowance to be credited to your buyer at closing. (ie: If you know the exterior needs scraping and painting, get 3 estimates from painters and offer the average cost as an allowance. Use the estimates to justify what you’re offering.

BUYING: Don’t shy away from a property you that meets all your criteria simply because it is being sold “AS IS”. It could just be that the owners can’t afford to or just are choosing not to make the repairs or updates prior to selling and so are using this manner to possibly get out of a bad situation or get a quick sale making this a great opportunity for you. Again, this is especially true if you’re a hands on homeowner with skills to do the repairs yourself. Even if the seller shows you an inspection they had done, you may want to consider bringing in your own inspector just to get another opinion. Even though the seller is not willing to pay for any repairs that come up in an inspection, you can still make your offer contingent on having an inspection done. Once you know what needs to be done, you can calculate your offer + cost of repairs and then decide whether or not you want to proceed.

Whether Selling or Buying, “As Is” can create both positive and negative situations so the key is to educate yourself, have a thorough inspection done, work the numbers and decide if this label benefits you and your home selling/buying goals.