Posts tagged selling by owner

Promote Your Surroundings

May03
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

Spring is wrapping up and summer is quickly approaching, which most people would consider the busiest months of the year! The sun shines for longer hours, the children conclude their year of schoolwork, gardens and yard foliage burst back to life, festivals arise around every town, outdoor amusement parks and pools reopen and people just generally leave the comfort of their home more regularly!

As a home seller, all of these aspects of summer can help you sell if you know how to promote your surroundings.

When selling, you tend to think that it’s all about the house. Usually, it is. That’s why you should keep the inside clean and decluttered, keep the outside inviting and visually appealing, and keep everything updated and desirable. However, when the summer months are upon us, it’s also equally important to show your potential buyers why they not only want to buy your house, but why they want to buy your house and its location! How do you do that? Research!

Start researching your community’s calendar now, so that when the summer slew of potential homebuyers start flocking to your open houses and following up with your advertisements, you will have already acquired a whole list of reasons why they should want to move here! When making a list, start with reasons closest to your house, and then continue the list as you move further away. Then, decide what reasons your potential homebuyer would be interested in most. For example, if it is a family with young children, mention the neighborhood parks or local schools. If it’s a newlywed couple, mention the renowned cuisine or the waterfront boardwalk.

More examples to include on the list:

  • Neighborhood perks: friendly neighbors you’ve known forever, garbage and recycling services, included maintenance, local parks or bike paths, block parties, community amenities and services, local bus stops.
  • Community perks: favorite area restaurants, distance to convenience stores and malls, family-owned establishments, distance to expressways and other means of transportation, all area churches, schools with impressive ratings, parks and recreational activities, fitness centers, local volunteer groups, book clubs.
  • Specialty perks: most popular seasonal festivals, nearby tourist attractions, free events in parks or through local groups or schools, holiday decorations, gatherings or celebrations, local school programs, parades, bar crawls, charities.

Gain information from sites and bulletin boards in the area, such as those of the park district, schools, churches, local shops and meeting halls, but more importantly, sit down and think about what you’ve loved most about the area. Personal stories and emotions are worth more than a whole list of impersonal perks. Good luck!

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , ,

Recent Customer Feedback

Apr05
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Kristina

feedback

“We listed our house on Jan. 20 with ‘Buy Owner,’ so it took 2 months to sell. We closed the sale on March 25. The buyers…first visited our house on Sat., March 13th, returned on the 14th and we negotiated the price the evening of the 15th…The closing…happened without a hitch. For this we had prayed and feel very blessed.

Thank you for your help. We had two Saturday Open Houses and appreciated the yard signs and the many flyers that were given to the many people who visited the Open House. We did not advertise in any newspaper. The couple that bought the house had seen it on the ‘Buy Owner’ website. Conveniently, they were renting a winter apartment just a mile from our house.

Thank you from satisfied customers”

Karl and Margaret, Oldsmar, FL

Posted in From Buy Owner Customers, Selling Tips - Tagged , , , ,

Sell with Buy Owner

Jan19
2009 Leave a Comment Written by Carrie

how to sell a house

Has your property been on the market for years? Do you fear that your agent will be taking too much of a cut from the selling price of your home? Would you like to sell your home on your own? Now is the perfect time to sell using Buy Owner®!

Why should I sell For Sale by Owner (FSBO)?

By using Buy Owner:

 You will never have to pay commission to an agent.
 You will have access to a team of ad writers and a professional photographer.
 You will have the final say when it comes to customizing your ad.

What is the secret to selling with Buy Owner?

 Add power to your home’s marketing plan.
 Through the Internet listing, market your home to people all over the world!
 Take advantage of the Learning Center for tips to help you sell your home.

How do I learn more about selling with Buy Owner?

 Fill out this form.
 Call 1-800-771-7777. We’re open 7 days a week!

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , , , ,

101 Tips for Selling Your Home

Oct12
2008 6 Comments Written by Shanna

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.

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , , , , , , ,

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

6 Decorating Don’ts When Selling Your Home

Aug09
2008 2 Comments Written by Shanna

Decorating

Motivated sellers know that putting time and energy into preparing a home to sell can more than pay off in the end. Getting things clean, organized and up-to-date is all part of the process. But what many sellers may not know is how important the specifics of these changes can be.

How can you know what updates to make? When you replace things-from carpeting to kitchen appliances-should you go with top-of-the-line or more moderately priced?

The most important thing to remember is to make decorating decisions that emphasize your house, not your style. Here are six tips to get you started:

  1. DON’T paint with bold colors: Repainting the walls of your home’s interior may be a very good idea, especially if you have spots, stains or any kind of damage showing. But if you repaint, choose neutral colors that could accommodate a variety of tastes. Remember, your preferences don’t matter here-this is about appealing to the largest number of potential buyers.
  2. DON’T showcase personal mementos: It’s no secret that well-framed photographs can make a house a home. However, when you’re selling, you want to remove yourself as much as possible from the decorating. Take down degrees, kids’ artwork and anything that may overemphasize your personality.  Focus on making your home a blank slate for someone else’s living space.
  3. DON’T install the most expensive appliances: If your kitchen appliances are very dated, you should probably replace them. Don’t choose the fanciest, most upscale products, however. Remember that everyone’s taste is different. What you want to choose is something simple, clean and modern, which makes the kitchen look its best.
  4. DON’T install the most expensive carpeting: If you’ve lived in your home for a while, you’ve probably seen some wear and tear on your flooring.
  5. DON’T fix what ain’t broke: Now is not the time to make gigantic, sweeping changes to your residence that aren’t necessary. Also, don’t remodel features that are already in good condition.
  6. DON’T continue living as you always have: As soon as you decide to sell, you need to switch gears in the way you’ve been living. Put as much of your things away or into storage as possible. Declutter. Clean out spaces. Only leave out enough furniture to define living spaces.

Believe it or not, going into your home sale with these simple tricks in mind will definitively set you apart from the pack in terms of home quality. Buyers will be able to visualize themselves in your home more easily, making them more likely to move towards a purchase.

If you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to the Buy Owner Blog!

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , , , , , , ,

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 , , , , , , ,

Get a Great Garage!

Jul03
2008 Leave a Comment Written by Alexis

GarageThe garage may be the most overused and underutilized room in the entire house.

Too often viewed as a catchall, most garages are bursting with lawn equipment, seasonal decorations and other unnecessary items that homeowners can’t bare to part with.

While homeowners will spend endless amounts of money renovating and redecorating their homes, the garage usually remains untouched. Your overworked and underappreciated garage deserves a makeover.

Here are some upgrade options to turn your garage from shabby to chic:

Organize! Overhead storage systems are a great alternative for homeowners with an abundance of clutter. They maximize ceiling space and give you back parking and floor space.

Consider upgrading your current flooring. There are many different types of garage floors, but they can be broken down into two categories. Epoxy floor coverings are painted on. This sealant resists stains, seals the floor and gives the floors an attractive appearance. Synthetic rubber and plastic mats will hide any flooring damage. They come in rolled sheets with channels that allow water and other liquids to drain and prevent pooling in your garage.

In new house construction, garage walls are often left unfinished or only partially finished by the builder, and many homeowners never get around to doing anything about it. An inexpensive, long-lasting solution is to use exterior-grade luan plywood. This smooth surface looks good when painted, resists rotting and mildew, and is tougher than sheetrock if it is bumped.

Garage doors are a big investment in the style and comfort of your home. Your garage doors can account for up to 30 percent of the exterior portion of a home that is visible from the street. The style, color and condition of the door have a great influence on the overall appearance and curb appeal of the home. Garage door options include steel, high-density polyethylene and traditional wood styles.

Garage screen doors are the perfect way to turn your garage into a screened-in porch for the summer. These screens usually attach to your garage door by means of Velcro and can be removed for storage when not in use. Aside from keeping out bugs and other pests, many of these screens provide privacy from the outside as well as protection from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

Add energy-efficiency and hands-free convenience to your garage lighting with occupancy sensors. When placed where they can “see” both the car entrance doors and other doors, these sensors will turn on the lights automatically, keep them on while you are moving around the garage and turn the lights off after you leave.

Garage roofs are the overall protector of your garage and everything inside it. Proper garage roof drainage should be installed at all the corners of the garage roof so that rainwater can easily flow down the side drain of your garage roof or the rain gutter of your garage roof without running the risk of collapsing your garage roof.

Posted in Home Improvement, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , ,

Selling Tip: Offset Your Home’s Carbon Balance

Jun28
2008 3 Comments Written by Allegra

green livingLooking for a new way to increase your home’s marketability?

In today’s green-conscious society, making your home more environmentally friendly doesn’t just help you; it appeals to buyers.

People are becoming more aware that carbon offsetting is an answer to the global climate changes, so you make your home more attractive by making it green!

What is Carbon Offsetting, and How Can You Do It?

Terrapass is a company that provides carbon emissions calculators, sells green products and allows people to buy carbon offsets, which fund “clean energy and carbon reduction projects” such as wind power and farm power.

According to Terrapass.com, carbon offsetting comes into existence when a project is created that “reduces carbon dioxide emissions. Every ton of emissions reduced results in the creation of one carbon offset. Project developers can then sell these offsets to finance their projects.”

Purchasing carbon offsets is a great way to help find new, more efficient sources of energy. And by making these simple changes to your home, you’ll not only save money on energy bills, but you’ll do your part to lessen the effects of global warming… PLUS add another benefit to your home’s list of features, helping you appeal to more buyers.

Posted in Green Living, Tips and Ideas - Tagged , , , , ,

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 , , , , , , , ,
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Founded in 1984, BuyOwner.com® is the leading provider of real estate marketing services. We pioneered the "For Sale by Owner" (FSBO) market, which today represents over 20 percent of all residential real estate transactions.

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