Tips for sellling home on our own?

[bananiem]

We have 2 families interested in looking at our home. We haven't listed it yet and it is not in "open house" condition yet.
I know I need to de-clutter some rooms but what about the main floor that needs to be painted? Should we offer an allowance?
How do you come up with the house price?
There's shortage of houses in our price range here so we're thinking we may be able to do it without a realtor.
So does anybody have any tips for me?
Thanks in advance,
ann

 

[Disney Doll]

~~Declutter as much as possible, even if it means renting storage space. A cluttered house looks smaller.
~~If you aren't going to paint, and it is badly in need of paint, then offering an allowance would be a nice thing to do, but probably wouldn't be a deal-breaker for most people if your house worked in every other way.
~~Look at what other houses in your area that are comparable in size, location, amenities have sold for in the last 6-12 months. I htink you can do this at your Town Hall.

My DH is a realtor, and he often says that the biggest mistake people who are "FSBO-***" (For Sale By Owner) make is that they overprice their house. Remember, to you, it is your home, where you have raised your children, made memories etc. To a buyer, it si a commodity, one of many they have looked at, and they do not have the emotional attachment to it that you do.

 

[Pin Wizard]

I had the same questions. I should be closing on Tuesday, but I have a realtor. I had to decide if I was going to fix and spruce up or sell "as is." I had an appraisal done, so it gave me a good idea. My neighbor was interested in buying it prior to realtor being involved. I really struggled with how much to ask. Turns out with realtor, he told me to list it for $15,000 more than I had in mind for neighbor! I've ended up dropping a bit, but still a good amount compared to appraisal. Good luck!!

P.S. It was on the market 1 day! First guy was here at 8:30 a.m. We had a signed contract by 10:30 a.m.! Woooooooo hoooooooooo!

 

[bananiem]

Who does the appraisal? If we have a realtor come out we have to go with them, right? Is it the same appraisers that come do it for property taxes? Our property tax assessment seems low compared to what houses sell for.
It's a 5 1/2 year old house on 2 1/4 wooded acres. We're thinking the price of what it cost to build, plus the amount a 2 acre building lot would go for. Does that seem reasonable?

 

[dianeschlicht]

Originally posted by bananiem
Who does the appraisal? If we have a realtor come out we have to go with them, right? Is it the same appraisers that come do it for property taxes? Our property tax assessment seems low compared to what houses sell for.
It's a 5 1/2 year old house on 2 1/4 wooded acres. We're thinking the price of what it cost to build, plus the amount a 2 acre building lot would go for. Does that seem reasonable?

Your property tax assessment is usually only a fraction of what the house is actuall worth on the open market. I think you would be doing yourself a disservice to not hire a professional appraisor to come in and give you an evaluation. That will help you decide what price to market the house at. If you have never done it before, it can be risky and difficult to do by yourself, but not impossible. We did it twice without a realtor and twice with.

Be sure to declutter and clean as much as you can. You probably should rent a storage facility to store the clutter. I would strongly suggest slapping some cheap white or light paint on the walls. It makes things look clean and bigger, and usually will increase the appeal. A well kept house will look like it has been cared for by its owners.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

What you need to do is get the "comps" on the homes selling in your immediate area. What are they selling for?? I think the city/county will have this info. It is public knowledge.

You are at peak selling time and you say the homes are in high demand, right? You pretty much can ask a higher amount now (in spring).

Once you get those comps, then you will have a good idea of what you can list it for.

Good Luck!

 

[tar heel]

You really need to get advice from someone who is an expert on this.

You do NOT have to sign a contract with a realtor if they come out and give you an appraisal. They will give you a market analysis for free in an effort to get your business. As a matter of fact, you should get this from more than one realtor. If you are not successful selling it on your own, they probably WILL get your business.

It is NOT the same appraisers who do it for property taxes. Most homes are worth more than their tax value.

I don't think your method for coming up with the sales price is reasonable. Surely, your home is worth more than it was five years ago.

 

[stevenpensacola]

we sold our house ourselves in 11 days! We knew someone who works for a title company who helped us with the paperwork. They were more than happy to help as we used them for the closing. We also had a realtor friend who helped us with the contract. It was not difficult to do and it put more $$$ in OUR pockets instead of the realtors.

 

[kadaten]

I would get a Comparitive Market Analysis from 3 different agents, and I usually only interview agents who come highly recommended by friends/neighbors, or who are extremely successful in selling in my neighborhood. The CMA will let you see how your home compares to others that have recently (6 months or less in most areas) sold, and will give you a suggested listing price for your home. The agents may also make suggestions regarding what to fix or what not to bother with, needed improvements, etc. They should also tell you how they plan to advertise your home, whether they want to hold open houses, agent open houses, etc.

Getting a CMA in no way obligates you to use the services of an agent....that only happens if you sign a contract! You can use the info to try to sell it on your own and if you are unsuccessful or decide not to bother with the work yourself, you can use whichever agent you liked best. If you DO sign with an agent, I'd only sign a 30 or 60 day contract at the most. That way if you're not happy with their services, you're not locked in forever and can go find a better agent. I've just heard too many stories of people signing a 6-month listing and never hearing from the agent again....they don't *try* to sell it, just wait for it to sell itself. Any listing agent should be actively trying to sell your home...not sitting around waiting for it to sell itself!

Good luck with whichever road you choose !

 

[ducklite]

You've gotten a lot of good advice. I would definitely put a coat of eggshell up on every wall in the house. It will make the house look larger and well cared for.

Here's a few other things. As many have said, get rid of the clutter. All of it. Especially the mess on your fridge door. Don't just toss it in the basement/attic/garage. Those spaces should be as empty as absolutely possible.

Clean the carpets. Make sure the house is spotless when showing it. Make sure the kids and pets are out of the house, and if you can't remove the pet, crate/cage it.

Take down all family photo's and put them away. Buyers want to imagine THEIR family in the house, harder to do with yours all over the place. Also put away all the precious momentos of childhood, the artwork, trophies, etc.

Make you food cabinets or pantry look like a store. Line up all boxes and cans labels facing out. In the bathroom tuck the toothbrushes into a makeup bag and tuck them under the sink. Move all feminine products into a dresser drawer.

Turn on every light in the house while showing it. Also most Realtors suggest burning a candle or some simmering potpourrie in a vanilla scent, which has pretty much universal appeal. Of course make sure the beds are made.

Look around and think about little "oohs" you can add inexpensively to add curb appeal. Perhaps some pansies in a planter on the stoop. A brass kickplate on the front door. A coat of paint or vinyl wrap on the mailbox.

Inside think along the same lines. Think about replacing that old light in the kitchen with something bright and fresh. Do your miniblinds look dingy? Toss them and replace with new ones from Wal-mart. Perhaps some new kitchen curtains as well. While your at it, does your toilet seat look like it's seen better days? How about that shower curtain? If it has any mildew, get rid of it, and buy a new one in a nuetral color.

Little things like these that can be done either free of for very low cost can help you get thousands more for your house.

Anne

 

[wilderness01]

Great advice Anne! One more thing per a relator we used once, turn on an easy listening station or smooth jazz on the radio to create a nice atmosphere.

 

[DukeStreetKing]

Get a picture or a statue of St. Joseph and plant it upside down in your front yard.

Your house will sell in no time.

Good Luck.

 

[GIOny]

I don't know if you get Home and Garden TV (HGTV), but if you do there is a new show dedicated to ideas for fixing up a house to sell, it is called Designed to Sell. I think it was on Thursday evening at 10:30 pm where I live but it may be different where you are. You can check their website at www.hgtv.com/ for more information. I like the idea about St. Joseph, I know alot of people who do that and they swear it works and yesterday was St. Josephs Day so maybe that will be good luck for you.

 

[shoes99]

Originally posted by DukeStreetKing
Get a picture or a statue of St. Joseph and plant it upside down in your front yard.

Your house will sell in no time.

Good Luck.

We planted a statue of St. Joseph before we listed Dad's house. We listed on Wednesday 3/17/04 St. Patricks Day at 12 noon. We had a contract offer by 7PM that same night. We signed the contract on 3/18/04 (Dad died on 1/18/04). It has already gone thru attorney review. Wish us luck. I am the ex of Dad & Mom's estate (only a house), and I will share the proceeds with my three other siblings. They lived in this house 49 years...
Michele