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Posts tagged how to sell your home

The Secrets of Resale Value

Sep17
2008
2 Comments Written by Shanna

Whether you’re currently in the market for a new home, looking to sell the one you live in or very comfortable in your current place, one thing’s for sure: you’ll want to think about resale value.

Resale value, a frequent buzzword in the real estate market, simply refers to the ability of a property to be resold after being purchased. When people discuss this factor, they’re looking at probabilities and future conditions, some of which are predictable and some of which are not. Take, for example, neighborhood. There can be indications of what direction a neighborhood is heading (i.e., lots of new, affluent developments may hint at rising value), but some changes come without expectation: the local school system gets featured as a top district five years from now (value up) or crime/violence increases throughout the area (value down).

So what you want to focus on, in terms of making your home’s resale value its strongest, are the factors within your control. There are some characteristics that will, generally speaking, may a home appeal to a greater pool of buyers. Knowing what these characteristics are can help you know what your home (or your potential new home) has to offer.

+ Bedrooms/baths: It just makes sense: because of the versatility, space and accommodations of larger homes, more buyers are looking for places with at least three to four bedrooms.

+ Views: Surrounding beauty, whether waterfront, woods or something else, can make a property stand out amongst the competition.

+ Landscaping: Well-chosen landscaping can make a huge impact on how buyers view your property, especially because it’s often the first thing they notice. According to Plant-care.com, good landscaping can increase property values by up to 15%!

+ Square footage/storage space: Sometimes buyers look for minimum square footage amounts in their searches, meaning a home with too little space could be ruled out. Often, the more finished living space your home offers, the more potential buyers it will appeal to.

+ Garage: If your property is driving distance from most conveniences, anyone who buys it will probably have a car. And if the buyers have cars, they’ll want a place to put them. That’s why adding a garage can be another smart investment, particularly for homes located in colder climates that are prone to harsh weather.

+ Kitchen: To many buyers, the kitchen is a home’s most important asset. It makes sense to replace outdated appliances and fixtures; just don’t go overboard. If looking to add resale value, choose quality materials that aren’t too taste-specific.

+ Fireplaces: Because of their ability to add warmth and coziness to rooms, fireplaces are definite selling features. Centrally placed in the family room or the great room, a fireplace can make a stunning focal point, too, adding visual interest.

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged buy owner advice, Buy Owner tips, fast sell by owner, home selling, how to sell a home, how to sell by owner, increasing property value, landscaping, property value, real estate advice, real estate investing, real estate selling, real estate tips, secrets to selling a home, selling advice, selling Buy Owner, selling by owner
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Depersonalizing for a Home Sale

Aug17
2008
5 Comments Written by Allegra

Depersonalize Your Home

As we’ve said here before on the Buy Owner Blog, one of the ways to make your home more marketable is to depersonalize it. This is important because potential home owners want to visualize themselves, not the current owners, living in their new home.

Selling your home is, of course, an emotional time. You’ve made plenty of memories, and taking away some of your personality can be a painful experience. It’s necessary though so you can move on quicker and start making new memories in your new place. The people buying your home will want do the same.

There are many common problems sellers face when it comes to depersonalizing their home to make it more marketable. Take a look, and see if any of these hang-ups might be to blame in your home:

Problem #1: You have outrageously painted walls or wild wallpaper.

Solution: Strip the wallpaper off and repaint the walls. Painting is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to change a room. If you have over-the-top colors on the walls, head to your local home improvement store and opt for something softer and more neutral. This opens up the space and helps potential buyers see the room’s advantages.

Problem #2: There are too many photos of your family, friends or pets around. They’re on the walls, sitting on shelves, taking over the fireplace mantel. In short, they’re everywhere.

Solution: Remove the pictures, or at least most of them. Potential buyers will be easily distracted if there are too many photos of the family around. They will begin to focus on a recent wedding, a fun vacation or a special event and not on the architectural details and positives of the home itself. Keep up a few, spread throughout the home so it doesn’t look barren.

Problem #3: You’ve got religious items all throughout your home.

Solution: While it’s perfectly fine to be proud of your religious affiliation, not all potential home buyers will feel the same. Religion is something very personal, and chances are, you’ll have potential buyers from different religious backgrounds coming through your home as well as people who may not be religious at all. Store these items in a safe place while showing your home so it appears to be a neutral space, free from any sort of bias.

Problem #4: You’ve got clutter and an assortment of knick knacks all over. Trophies, collections and hobbies are all on display for everyone to see.

Solution: Again, not everyone will share your passions, and so they are not really interested in seeing it displayed. You want potential buyers to notice your home’s convenient layout, how big the rooms are or how high the ceilings soar above them, not that you were the soccer team’s MVP all through high school and college.

Problem #5: You’ve got a pet who has taken over ruling the home.

Solution: Potential homebuyers may not want or like pets. Many people are afraid of dogs and cats, and if they make contact with yours, it might turn them off to your home. If you have a cat, make sure you keep the litter box clean and out of sight. Keep pets out of sight when you’re showing your home, and keep pet hair off your furniture.

Problem #6: You’ve got an overly decorated fridge.

Solution: There’s nothing wrong with displaying your kids’ artwork, but now is not the time.  It’s not something potential buyers are interested in, but rather it’s another distraction that keeps them from visualizing themselves in your home. Likewise, they are not interested in the dozens of magnets you’ve collected over the years. Remove the unnecessary clutter and, if you need some sort of fridge décor, only keep up a couple of neutral magnets.

The point is not to make your home look sterile and stripped of character, but to make it neutral so a wide variety of potential buyers can envision themselves living there.

If you’re selling your home, make peace with the fact that you will need to depersonalize and get started! Just remember, when potential buyers can see themselves living in your home, they will be more inclined to make you an offer.

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Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged depersonalizing, depersonalizing for a home sale, real estate selling, selling a home, selling a home by owner, selling Buy Owner, selling for sale by owner, Selling Tips, selling your home
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The Secret to Selling Buy Owner

Jul21
2008
2 Comments Written by Shanna

Secret to SellingYou hear about satisfied Buy Owner customers all the time: on television commercials, on Buy Owner’s Web site, maybe around your neighborhood. The value of selling on your own, using Buy Owner, is spreading throughout the nation. Yet, as with anything, there are some Buy Owner sellers who are more successful than others.

What makes the difference? Is there a secret to making a successful home sale in today’s market?

In a word, yes. The secret is… are you ready?… work.

Selling Buy Owner adds incredible power to your home’s marketing plan, through virtual tours, professional ad copy, flyers, quality photo captions, online e-Catalogs and worldwide exposure through our aggressive marketing plan.

But you can add significantly to this plan by doing a little work of your own, thinking outside the box with selling strategies, reading up on tips and tricks for selling and making the most of your Buy Owner advertising package.

The effort will more than pay off in the end. Just look at what successful sellers have to say about their Buy Owner experience:

  • “I can’t imagine paying an agent 6% to do the same thing!”
  • “The selling process went well!  I took people on tours, and then we took out a bridge loan so we could move more quickly. That allowed us to move everything, and our house sold in less than three months after that.”
  • “The results of the sale were exactly what we were hoping for.”
Posted in From Buy Owner Customers, Tips and Ideas - Tagged fsbo homes, how to sell buy owner, real estate market, real estate tips, selling Buy Owner, selling by owner, selling fsbo, selling your home
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Here’s the Secret to Selling Your Home!

Jun26
2008
3 Comments Written by Alexis

Interior Design

Selling a home can be stressful, and, with so much to do, sellers often overlook what may be a crucial factor.

Think about this: buyers want to be able to picture themselves in the house as if it’s their own. The thing that encourages this feeling could be called the secret to the home-selling process: staging.

An integral part of selling a house, staging consists of redesigning current décor to accentuate a home’s assets and characteristics. Some sellers even hire professional stagers to ready their home for the real estate market.

Here are some general ideas to get you started:

PROBLEM-SOLVING

Problem: Bare walls. Houses without any furnishings often seem vacant and prospective buyers have trouble envisioning the empty space as a welcoming room.

Solution: Consider renting or borrowing furniture to give the home a lived-in feeling. Some sellers choose to buy furniture and sell it with the house, sell it in a later yard sale or donate it to charity.

Problem: Too much information. Personal mementos and unnecessary clutter can detract from a home’s natural beauty and architectural detailing.

Solution: Minimize. Begin by renting a storage unit to house unnecessary belongings and clutter. If you cannot afford this, neatly box the excess material and place it in a garage, an attic or a similar storage space.

OTHER TIPS:

Placement, placement, placement. Be willing to experiment with your furniture arrangements. Make sure that high-traffic areas are clear of excess furnishings to maximize space. Reposition sofas and chairs into cozy conversational groups, and place pieces so that the traffic flow in the room is obvious. Don’t push your furniture against the walls, assuming that this will make the room appear larger.

Color! While painting may seem trivial, the right shade or hue can turn an outdated disaster into a modern marvel. Try to select neutral colors that will complement any buyer’s personal design style. Avoid stark whites in favor of warm creams and beiges. If you are selling a home with some history, don’t be afraid to do some research. Victorian homes, or painted ladies, are traditionally known for their vibrant colors both inside and out. Buyers will find this dedication to historical accuracy appealing.

Accessories. Staging is about uniting various elements into one cohesive design. Buyers will be interested at in every minute detail, from the creative layout to the furniture to the seemingly insignificant accents. An odd number of accessories is preferred, especially threes. Consider scale and placement when arranging knick-knacks, or try grouping them by color, texture or shape.

Lighting. Lighting determines how a room is perceived. Light affects color and ambiance, two important aspects of staging. To make your home more inviting, increase the wattage in your lamps and fixtures to 100 watts for every 50 square feet. Then install dimmers so you can vary light levels according to your mood and the time of day. Place mirrors, silver or glass bowls or other reflective objects near lamps to bounce light around the room and make it glow even more.

Test of Time. Try to renovate anything that potential buyers might view as old or outdated. This can mean an expensive overhaul, or, alternatively, some very clever, inexpensive solutions. Place peal-and-stick tiles over old flooring. Remove wallpaper or, if you don’t have the time or the patience, simply paint over it.

Aromas. Keep in mind that odors can linger in a house for days. That pungent fish you had for dinner might have tasted good, but the overpowering scent may have cost you a sale. On the day of the open house, try baking a delicious treat, letting the scent waft through the entire house. Want more tips on scent, see this Buy Owner Blog article.

Green living. Plants and flowers are an inexpensive way to breathe life into a room. Fresh flowers will add color, warmth and appeal to an otherwise dull room. A bowl of fresh fruit works well, too.

Expert opinions. Try consulting design magazines for tips and tricks. Find a room picture that you find appealing and isolate the components that set that room apart. Maybe they arranged the artwork in a unique way or utilized natural light to illuminate a certain detail. Notice how these rooms seem universal, while still retaining a sense of style.

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged buy owner selling tips, home staging, real estate selling, seling buy owner, selling by owner, selling for sale by owner, selling fsbo, Selling Tips, the secret to home selling
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