Ten tips to sell on your own
If you ask anyone who has ever tried to sell their home themselves, they’ll tell you that from the moment the “For Sale by Owner” sign goes up, the phone begins to ring. Unfortunately, many of those calls will not be from prospective buyers, but rather from real estate agents looking to obtain your listing. Obviously the idea of not having to pay a commission to a real estate agent is attractive to any home seller. But because of all the issues involved in the process, selling a home on one’s own can be challenging.
The key is to be properly prepared. If you are not, your home could remain on the market longer than you expect because you are not attracting and getting offers from qualified buyers. This can be a point where many homeowners become frustrated and consider giving up their dream of selling their home themselves. However, there are sellers who accomplish selling their own homes, very well. You can be one of them.
Staging Your Home to Sell
One of the first things to do before putting your house on the market is prepare your house for sale. You’ll want to show your house off in its best light to maximize your earning potential. Tour your house with the eye of a buyer – what works, what doesn’t work.
Curb Appeal
Does your house have curb appeal? Can you give it a little more pizazz to draw the buyer in? Would a bit of touch-up paint add dollars to the sale? What about the garden? Is the lawn in order and neatly edged? Are trees and bushes neatly pruned? Are flowers in bloom? If not, it may be time for a garden upgrade. Adding colorful annuals to the front garden will make a big difference. Remember, creating curb appeal will add dollars to your house’s final selling price.
Flowers for instant curb appeal
When selling, it’s the appearance from the street that will very often determine whether potential buyers come in to see the inside, or never get out of their cars. Flowers are one of the easiest and least expensive ways to make the front of your house look inviting and instantly increase the curb appeal of your home. Without any real landscaping at all, flowers can transform a rather drab and dreary looking front yard into one that looks colorful and lush. Especially during spring and summer, you should take advantage of the season by planting pots and flower boxes. You should choose colorful flowers that will be in bloom during the time you’re selling your home. Planting the flowers in planter boxes and pots is easier than planting them in the ground and lets you more easily place them where they can have the most visual impact. You don’t need to have a green thumb, or spend a lot of money to get great results either. You can put together several very nice planter boxes and pots of flowers for well under $100. And it’s easy! One of the nice things about using flowers in this way is that you’ll see the results immediately. And so will buyers visiting your home!