Preparing to Sell Your Home

Most home sellers want to sell quickly and get top dollar for their property.  Take the time to educate yourself and prepare your home before putting it on the market.  If you are to be successful, you must understand the process and develop realistic expectations.  Be unemotional about the sale.  Your home has meant a lot to you over the years but a buyer is not looking at the purchase through your eyes. Once you decide to sell your home, it simply becomes a business transaction and you must take the emotion out of it.

Successful FSBO sellers offer these suggestions:

1.  Research the housing market in your area.  Investigate the length of time homes in your area have been on the market.  Be realistic or you can become disillusioned when you think your house should sell in a matter of days, when in fact the market dictates that it will take four to five months.  If you should sell sooner than expected, wonderful.

2.  Price is the number one factor in determining how quickly a home sells.  Price the home at its true market value, not what you just think it is worth.  Pricing should be based on market conditions, not emotion.

3.  Prepare to spend some money on advertising.  You must let the market know your home is for sale.

4.  Understand that you will spend time answering phone calls, setting appointments and showing the home. Your rewards are well worth it.

5.  Be prepared to handle real estate agents.  Know ahead of time whether or not, and to what extent, you will cooperate with agents.  You may decide that you will want to offer a "half" commission (typically 2.5 -3.5%) to an agent if they bring a buyer to see your property who ultimately ends up purchasing it.

Recognize that the successful sale of your home depends on you.  You must coordinate the process and see it through.                                                           


Helpful information can be found at:

http://homebuying.about.com/od/sellingahouse/ht/homeprep.htm