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Setting the stage - Day 2

House Transformed for $500

Setting the Stage - Day 1

House Transformed for $100

5 Expensive Mistakes a Seller can Make...

How To Avoid The 5 Most Expensive Mistakes Smart People Make When They Sell
A Home…

Mistake #1:  Basing their asking price on needs or
emotion rather than market value.

Many times, people make their pricing decisions based on how much they paid for or invested into their home.  This can be an expensive mistake.  Overpriced homes take longer to sell and eventually net the seller less money.  Consult with a professional real estate agent.  They can assist you in pricing your home correctly from the beginning.

Mistake #2:  Failing to “Show-Case” their home.

First impressions are the most important.  Experience shows that for every $100 in repairs that your home needs, a buyer will deduct $300-$500 from their offer.  Thoroughly clean and prepare your home before you put it on the market if you want top dollar.

Mistake #3:  Trying to SELL their house when buyers come to see it.

One of the biggest mistakes enthusiastic home sellers make is to follow buyers around and try to SELL them on the property.  This can have a negative affect on the buyers.  The best thing is to stay out of the way and let people look at their own pace. They’ll get a better feel for the property and whether the house is for them.

Mistake #4:  Choosing the wrong agent or choosing them for the wrong reasons.

     Many homeowners list their home with the agent who tells them the highest price.  Or they list with the agent who works for the biggest company.  You need to choose the agent with the best marketing plan and track record to sell your home. 

Mistake #5:  Not knowing all of their legal rights and obligations.

      Real estate law is complex.  The contract that you will sign when selling your home is legally binding.  Small items that are neglected in a contract can wind up costing you thousands of dollars.  You need to consult a knowledgeable professional who understands the ins and outs of a real estate transaction.

Words That Sell

Brad Inman's tips for selling your home.

Want to "Speed Up" a Home Inspection?

TOP 10 Ways to a "Cleaner" and "Speedier" Home Inspection:

1.  Confirm that the gas, water and electricity are turned on and that the gas pilot lights are burning.

2.  Secure all pets.

3.  Unlock or remove locks from any items the inspector must access such as fence gates, attic access hatches or doors, electric service panels and special closets.

4.  Remove any stored items blocking access to electrical panels, attic access, water heaters and furnace.

5.  Replace all burned out light bulbs.

6.  Test all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.  Replace any batterries if necessary.

7.  Clean or replace dirty HVAC air filters and verify that the filters fit properly and are in a secure place.

8.  Trim tree limbs back from the roof and shrubs away from the house.

9.  Repair or replace broken, damaged or missing items such as door knobs, locks and latches, window locks and broken glass, window screens, anti-siphon devices on exterior faucets, rain gutters and down spouts (clean if necessary) and chimney flue caps.

10. Clean ashes from the fireplace and remove items from the fireplace hearth area.

Following this checklist will result in a "cleaner" inspection report, which is good news for all!

Jennifer and Clay Campbell

HomeTeam Inspection Service

210-828-5212

TREC #5878

Top 10 Questions that a Seller should ask a Realtor during an Interview before they hire them

1)      What documented and factual evidence do you have to back up your recommended list price? Are you priced to sell or are you priced to sit?

2)      Do you have verifiable track record? What is it?

3)      What type of marketing are you going to do to get buyers in my house?

4)      What type of marketing are you going to do to attract out of town buyers and why is this important?

5)      Do you have a team or an assistant?

6)      Do you have a system that attracts Buyer’s? How do you mix and match with your Seller’s?

7)      Are you willing to make recommendations that are needed to get my home “market ready”? What is your experience on this?

8)       How will you communicate with me?

9)      How many Buyers are you currently working with?

10) How are you going to make sure my needs are tended to?

Staging Your Home For Sale

On my September 13th post; “Top 10 Questions that a Seller should ask a Realtor during an Interview before they hire them!” Question # 7. "Are you willing to make recommendations that are needed to get my home “market ready”? What is your experience on this?” this is such an important factor in selling your home for top dollar fast. Many Sellers’ ask me “Richard please walk the house and tell us what we need to do to sell our home". Some of my common answers are: Your house has to be in the condition as if you were a buyer and you were walking into your home for the first time, you would be wowed big time from the time you get out of the car until the time you walk into the back yard. First impressions are everything. You’re landscaping needs to be in tip top shape with healthy grass, shrubbery, and flowers. The lawn has to always be mowed, trimmed, and edged. The trees need to be trimmed and all leaves have to be raked and bagged. The exterior paint has to be in great shape and no stains on the driveway. Inside the house when you leave, make sure you have carpet vacuum lines from the vacuum cleaner in every room. In the kitchen and bathrooms make sure that all counters are clean at all times. I think you get the point but if you want to get very detailed information, you can download my free book: How to Sell Your Home Fast for Top Dollar by clicking on the link on the left side of my blog. Please check out this ABC's 20/20 piece about staging your Home:

Seller's Tip of the Week

A Realtor putting your home in the MLS, placing a sign in the yard, placing an ad in the local paper, and going back to the office to pray that your house will sell is just not good enough anymore. Believe it or not some Realtors believe in this marketing plan.

We live in a society that our work force is very mobile. The work force is constantly relocating every few years. One of the reasons you hire a Realtor is to expose your home to the market place and the market place is just not local. A matter of fact a huge percentage of the market place are Buyer’s relocating in from another city. You need to hire a Realtor who’s marketing plan includes Internet exposure on sites such as Realtor.com, Yahoo Classifieds and many others. Your property also needs to have multiple photos and virtual tours on all these sites. Many buyers will be looking at homes far in advance upon their arrival. Buyer's will skip over properties that do not have photos and virtual tours. They are no longer driving neighborhoods without Realtors because they can do all their advance searching on the Internet. They hire their Realtor to negotiate and help them get the property they want. Technological savvy Realtors know this and use all tools available to expose your home to the market place. This is what is going to make your home sell fast for top dollar.

Top 10 Questions that a Seller should ask a Realtor during an Interview before they hire them!!

1)      What documented and factual evidence do you have to back up your recommended list price?

Are you priced to sell or are you priced to sit?

2)      Do you have verifiable track record? What is it?

3)      What type of marketing are you going to do to get buyers in my house?

4)      What type of marketing are you going to do to attract out of town buyers and why is this important?

5)      Do you have a team or an assistant?

6)      Do you have a system that attracts Buyer’s? How do you mix and match with your Seller’s?

7)      Are you willing to make recommendations that are needed to get my home “market ready”? What is your experience on this?

8)       How will you communicate with me?

9)      How many Buyers are you currently working with?

10) How are you going to make sure my needs are tended to?