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Posts tagged selling fsbo

Old-Fashioned Advice

Jun28
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

house for sale

Having a hard time selling your house? Even though all you hear about these days is new ways of marketing, in a competitive market like this one, sometimes good old-fashioned advice will take you the furthest. This involves you stepping out of your comfort zone.

Hopefully you already completed the first step, which is advertising with Buy Owner. Once your advertisement is set up, you have the support of the nation’s leading for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) company at your disposal. Buy Owner will promote your listing nationwide 24/7 through BuyOwner.com, its 1-800 number and its magazine.

You should do everything you can, too. Take the initiative to “sell” your house everywhere you go.

Use techniques like these:

• Talk to strangers. Though we’re taught not to as children, networking with those around you in grocery stores, churches, libraries, coffee shops and on public transportation might score you a home buyer. You never know, these seeming strangers may be the future homeowner of your house, or they might know someone who is looking. You might as well share your story!

• Hand out flyers or business cards when those you talk to seem interested. Unless you give them a reminder, they’ll forget. On the flyer or card, include the web link to your Buy Owner advertisement and the phone number on your For Sale sign. These sources give all the information the people need. You just need people to go check them out.

• Advertise on Craigslist. Make the most of your Buy Owner advertising by copying the HTML from your Seller Tools that will reproduce your professional listing on Craigslist! Include a catchy title so that people will check it out.

What will sharing your Buy Owner web link and phone number do? It’ll show potential buyers that you’re serious about selling. You set up an advertisement with a credible company and now you’re going the extra mile to make sure that people see the ad.

What happens if you don’t go the extra mile? Buy Owner will advertise your house on social networking sites and on our website. We’ll advertise to people driving past your house when they see the bright yellow sign in your yard. We’ll go the extra mile so you don’t have to. But if your house still isn’t selling in this tough, competitive market, we’re just saying there is more you could do.

Remember, it’s U that makes the difference®!

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged buy owner advice, for sale by owner, selling a house, using buy owner
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The Non-Handy Guide to Selling

May10
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Shanna

non-handy selling

When you’re trying to sell your home, you want to get it in top condition. This can include staging, making energy-saving improvements and fixing anything that’s broken. But what should you do if you’re not especially, well, good at those kinds of things?

How can a non-handy homeowner get his or her property ready for sale? Are there easy-enough-for-anyone improvements to work on? Absolutely. Here are a few ideas:

  1. Paint: You don’t need any special skills to repaint a room, other than an able body and some supplies. For particular advice on changing dark rooms to light ones, see this article.
  2. Add organizers: Buyers like to see custom features and, with closets, these are as easy to add as buying organizers and putting them in.
  3. Add new linens: Simply replacing your sheets and comforters can give your bedrooms a fresh new look.
  4. Add new bath accessories: Similarly, adding a new shower curtain, a bath mat and/or towels can spruce up your bathroom’s appeal.
  5. Go green! You don’t need a green thumb to add a few plants inside or outside your home. Just keep them watered and trimmed, and watch the overall effect on your rooms!

These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to quick and easy improvements. We can’t say enough about cleaning, for example, which makes things look newer and more valuable. Also, simple reorganizing can do wonders for a home’s sense of space and style.

So what are you waiting for? Handy or not, now’s the time to get your home looking its best.

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged fixing up home, Home Improvement, how to prepare for sale, how to sell, non-handy, selling a home
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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 how to sell, selling Buy Owner, selling by owner, Selling Tips
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Best ‘Selling Tips’ Collection

Apr26
2010
1 Comment Written by Alicia

Statistics show that for the past few years, home sales have increased in the month of April. It seems to be the turning point between winter and summer, when homebuyers finally decide that it is safe to move. It is the time between snowfalls and swimming, which is the perfect time to get a sale done with and still have an open schedule for summer events! With that said, you as a home seller need to be doing everything you can to spark buyer interest in your home. Now is your time to shine!

To help you out during this busy buying month, and to hopefully score you a sale, we have collected what we consider our most helpful Selling Tips blogs from our archives. Read up and get to work!

When preparing to sell:

Improve Selling Potential with Inexpensive Updates
Hosting an Auction
How to Sell Fast
Staying Positive In a Slow Market
Selling for the Season: Spring

When showing your house:

Preparing for Surprise Showings
8 Ways to Improve Curb Appeal
8 Tips for Accepting a Bid
Staging for Summer
Prepare for a Spring Open House

When stepping it up a notch:

5 New Ways to Change Your Game
Top 3 Selling Mistakes
Don’t Get Caught with Two Homes
25 Surefire (and Cheap!) Ways to Sell that House!
Top 10 Home-Marketing Tips

If you’re still not sure whether you want to use Buy Owner to help you sell, here are 31 reasons why you should.

Posted in Selling Tips - Tagged buy owner selling tips, how to sell fsbo, selling a home, Selling Tips
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5 New Ways to Change Your Game

Feb01
2010
Leave a Comment Written by Alicia

slamdunk

It’s a new year, the holidays are over, and your house still displays a For Sale sign in the front yard. Though you had hoped to have your house sold by now, that doesn’t mean it’s time to hang the white flag of surrender and take your house off the market. In a slow real estate market, it’s standard for a house to be on the market for up to a year or longer. So instead of getting discouraged, change your game. Take it to the next level. There are always new tactics for home sellers to try, such as these five:

• Visit open houses in your town or surrounding towns. Act like a potential homebuyer and gain perspective on what else is out there, and how other home sellers are trying to spark the interest of buyers. Also, take note of what areas of the house you notice first, and remember this when it comes to your own house.

• Videotape your house. Start from the driveway, head up the front walkway and through the front door, and then tape each room. Watching a video will help you see your house in a new way, and you might notice areas to improve that you otherwise would have glanced over.

• If you’ve been hosting open houses on weekends only, try hosting an open house on a weeknight or even on a weekday. This will attract potential homebuyers who work different hours and can’t make regularly scheduled open houses. Also, the competition of other open houses will be lower at these times.

• Consider every offer. Even if the offer is ridiculously low, consider other factors about the potential buyer. Does he or she have good credit? Is he or she willing to move in when you are ready to move out? In a slow market, it’s smart to decide on a “last resort” amount so that you’re prepared to accept less than you wanted.

• If you’ve updated anything in your house since you purchased an ad with Buy Owner, contact us so that we can update your information. On your own time, use social networking sites to continually market your home to potential homebuyers. Don’t give up!

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged how to sell your home, selling your home
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Wrap-Up of 31 Tips Series

Feb01
2010
1 Comment Written by Shanna

31 reasons

We hope you’ve enjoyed our January series on 31 reasons to sell with Buy Owner! Yesterday was our final post, but in case you missed anything, here’s a roundup of all 31 reasons:

1. No Commissions!
2. Market until Sold
3. The Power of the Internet
4. Custom URLs
5. It’s the Best!
6. Customer Service
7. Marketing Consultants
8. Choice of Placement
9. Professional Writers
10. Community Info
11. Professional Photos
12. Custom Captions
13. Virtual Tours
14. Online Statistics
15. Talking Yard Signs
16. Complete Control
17. No Middle Man
18. eCatalogs
19. Advertise Open House Dates
20. Easy Print/E-Mail Features
21. Google Maps
22. Schools Listing
23. Craigslist Tool
24. Zestimate® Feature
25. Flyers Tool
26. Housefly
27. Buy Owner Blog
28. Green Living Tips
29. Guaranteed Rate
30. Catchy Commercials
31. Proven Track Record

Posted in Selling Tips, Tips and Ideas - Tagged 31 tips to selling with buy owner, how to sell by owner, sell your house with buy owner, selling a house, why use buy owner
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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 buy owner faq, buyowner.com opinions, how to sell by owner, selling by owner, selling for sale by owner, Selling Tips
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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, how to sell your home, real estate market, real estate tips, selling Buy Owner, selling by owner, selling your home
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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 eco-friendly homes, Green Living, selling Buy Owner, selling by owner, selling for sale by owner, Selling Tips
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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, how to sell your home, real estate selling, seling buy owner, selling by owner, selling for sale by owner, Selling Tips, the secret to home selling
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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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