You’ve decided to sell your home. But despite powerful marketing of photos and virtual tours and descriptions, you still haven’t sold. Why?

Perhaps it’s time to do a little updating…on the cheap! Here are five ways to improve your home’s selling potential without breaking the bank:

• Fresh Interior Paint: Remember that time you decided to give the living room a new look just by simply moving the furniture, and you accidentally dinged the wall with that end table? You may have hidden the mark behind a couch or a chair, but a buyer is going to see that little mark as decreased value. Before you sell your home, make sure that all the walls are pristine. Wash them, spackle any ticks or holes and give them a fresh coat of neutral-colored paint.

• New Flooring: Hardwood floors are HUGE these days. However, you don’t need to spend a fortune on Australian Cypress or Brazilian Cherry. You can get the look for less, and buyers may be in for a pleasant surprise when you reveal that your gorgeous wood floors are actually an inexpensive laminate! What could cost you between $5 and $15 per square foot for the real thing may run you as little as $1 per square foot for the look-alike. Imagine the savings!

• Updated Light Fixtures: You’d be surprised what a little change in lighting can do for a room. For example, if there’s a hanging light in the living room or kitchen, replace it with a lighted ceiling fan. You will add a bit of energy efficiency and cut cooling costs, which is always a plus for a buyer. And if the family room boasts the same lamps you bought 10 or 20 years ago, it’s time to get some new ones. You can still take them with you to your new home, but modern, updated looks appeal to potential buyers.

• Lawn Maintenance: First impressions count! Make a good first impression by maintaining your lawn. Unkempt bushes, tall grass, endless weeds and patches of dandelions will send a buyer running for the hills. Even if you’re selling in winter, if you don’t shovel the driveway/sidewalk, buyers have no reason to get out of their cars and walk into your home. Mow the lawn, trim the bushes, pick out the weeds and remove the snow. Show buyers you care and draw them into your home.

• Availability: If you haven’t been around for your open house, make yourself readily available! No one knows your home like you do. Don’t let friends or neighbors conduct your showing. Let buyers know how much you have invested, monetarily and emotionally, into your property. Be there to give tours and answer questions. Also, be open to phone calls or emails. Selling your own home takes a little bit of effort on your part, so be available!

Whether you’re looking to buy your next home or just concerned for the people who want to buy yours, finding a mortgage can become a big headache. No one likes having to shop around, with all the effort it requires, but the truth is that getting the best possible mortgage rate is actually worth it. A good rate can mean thousands of dollars of savings over the life of your loan.

As a company dedicated to providing homeowners with the most cost-effective methods of selling, purchasing and financing properties, Buy Owner can assist you in finding the lowest mortgage rate available. Our company has teamed up with GuaranteedRate.com to get you and your potential buyers the information you need.

So if you or the buyer:

• Aren’t sure how much you will qualify for
• Want to know you’re getting the best rate
• Would appreciate help along the way
• Want a mortgage company you can trust,

Then it makes sense for you to choose Buy Owner’s chosen mortgage team: Guaranteed Rate, a company dedicated to giving you the best rate available. Click here to learn more!

You know how it is when you’ve found something you like online, whether a product to buy, a recipe to try or a restaurant to visit, and you want to print it out? Or maybe you want to e-mail it to a friend who you know would love it?

Buy Owner knows what that’s like, too. That’s why we have easy-to-find print and e-mail buttons right on Buy Owner property listings.

As you can see in the above photo, these buttons allow potential buyers the convenience of printing or e-mailing your home’s advertisement with the mere click of a button.

Plus, you can use those buttons yourself, sending your home’s advertisement to friends or printing out copies to put up on bulletin boards or hand out like flyers!

What’s the best way for home buyers to find their next home? Hint: it’s also the easiest. They shop online.

Not only is the Internet available worldwide, streamed into offices and living rooms 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but it also is convenient whether the weather is sunny or 20 below. As many parts of the Unites States experience frigid temperatures and snowfall this January, keeping many buyers away from open houses or home tours, there’s one thing you can be sure they’re still doing: looking online.

In today’s society, there’s no question that the Internet is an all-important tool in maximizing real estate marketing. Through strategically chosen descriptions and images, you can allow interested buyers to tour your property without leaving their living rooms. That’s a benefit everyone can appreciate.

That’s why it makes sense to advertise with an Internet giant like Buy Owner: you’re putting your home where the buyers are already looking.

If you’re selling your home, this list of 101 tips is definitely a must-read. In today’s slower market, it’s not enough to stick a sign in the front yard and continue life as usual. Buyers have more than enough homes to choose from, so sellers need to be proactive about getting their properties noticed.

Essentially, selling in a slow market is all about outshining the competition. Here are some specific tips, tricks and ideas to send you on your way:

1. Price accurately.
2. Be aware of market conditions.
3. Look at other for-sale homes within a half mile or less.
4. Look at other similar, recently sold (within the last three months) homes in the area.
5. Get a presale home inspection or appraisal.
6. Set an asking price that reflects an understanding of the current market.
7. If you want to sell fast, aim to be 10% lower than similar homes in the same area. Buyers will take notice!
8. Offer incentives, if possible.

9. Market aggressively through Buy Owner.
10. Consult a Buy Owner representative.
11. Communicate your home’s features to your rep.
12. Ask him or her any questions that are on your mind.
13. Work with the rep to create a customized ad package to meet your needs.
14. Take advantage of Buy Owner’s professional photography.
15. Feature virtual tours in your online advertising.
16. Review the ad copy created by Buy Owner and edit anything you need to.
17. Use your seller tools to create flyers.
18. Distribute these flyers anywhere you can.
19. Link to your Buy Owner ad through free sites online.
20. Use your seller tools to check the stats on your property.

21. Make a good first impression!
22. Aim to make your home stand out amongst the competition.
23. Repaint or power-wash the exterior.
24. Check the exterior of your home for signs of wear and damage & correct them (examples: peeling paint, foundation cracks or loose shingles).
25. Repaint the front door.
26. Make sure the doorbell works.
27. Add decorative accents like a wreath.
28. Place colorful potted plants at the entry.
29. Plant flowers amongst the landscaping.
30. Trim the bushes and add fresh mulch.
31. Fertilize the lawn; make sure it’s manicured.
32. Rake leaves in autumn.
33. Shovel and salt the driveway and walkways in winter.
34. Power-wash the driveway.
35. Clean out the garage.
36. Clean all the windows.

37. Declutter the living spaces.
38. Hold a garage sale to get rid of things you don’t need.
39. Move about half of your stuff to storage.
40. Stage the interior with strategically chosen furniture.
41. Remove all personal items (photos, diplomas, religious items).
42. Clean off the fridge!
43. Organize the closets; put as much away in storage as possible.
44. Remove everything from the floors of closets.
45. Hide away unsightly cords and wiring.
46. Top the beds with fresh sheets.
47. Put out fresh towels in the bathrooms.
48. Scrub the walls and floors thoroughly.

49. Focus on the heart of the home: the kitchen.
50. Replace any damaged or extremely outdated appliances (with good, but not most expensive, alternatives).
51. If cabinets are outdated, consider updating, rather than replacing, them: new knobs or doors can make a big difference.
52. Consider updating fixtures for another cost-effective change.
53. Clear the countertops.
54. Organize the cabinets and the pantry.
55. Clean and wax the floors.
56. Put away unused smaller appliances like stand-mixers and toasters.

57. Fix up the interior.
58. Direct your lighting to highlight key areas.
59. Add lights to all corners of major rooms.
60. Replace lightbulbs with higher wattage ones.
61. Repaint walls with neutral colors.
62. Fix anything that’s broken.
63. Thoroughly clean or replace carpeting.
64. Consider improvements or renovations carefully.
65. Get rid of any unpleasant smells.

66. Create a backyard oasis.
67. Look for ways to play up your outdoor space.
68. Plant a garden to spruce up the look of your verdant landscaping.
69. Keep the pool immaculate and make it seem as low-maintenance as possible.
70. Take care of any surrounding tiling, decking or landscaping around the pool.
71. Adjust the chemical balance to make the water sparkling clear!
72. Keep hoses neatly wrapped up and put away.

73. Be ready to talk to buyers.
74. Known how to screen callers.
75. Ask if they’ve been prequalified.
76. Find out how far along in the selling process they are.
77. Be sure to get contact information.
78. Have key attributes of your home ready to bring up in the conversation.

79. Be available to show your home.
80. Try to be accommodating of the buyer’s schedule.
81. Only show your home when it’s in showing condition.
82. Don’t show your home alone.
83. Be prepared to “quick clean” when necessary.
84. Ask buyers to be prequalified (Refer them to Guaranteed Rate).
85. Keep pets out of sight if at all possible.

86. Hold open houses.
87. Schedule the open house for a weekend afternoon when not a lot of community events are going on.
88. Set the date and flag your open house on BuyOwner.com, through your Buy Owner seller tools.
89. Promote your open house everywhere you can.
90. Make the most of other open houses in the area. Check local ads, and when an open house is scheduled nearby, put out a sign and draw those visitors to your home.
91. On the day of the open house, have a niece or nephew run a lemonade stand out front. This will help draw in other passers-by, inviting them inside.
92. Set the internal temperature of your home to a comfortable level (turn on the A/C or heat, depending on the time of year).
93. Give buyers space when touring your home.
94. Answer any questions they raise.

95. Know how to negotiate.
96. Be as neutral as possible.
97. Build rapport with buyers.
98. Consider all offers.
99. Respond to concerns.
100. Counteroffer.
101. Make concessions.