Need your help - FSBO
My sister has a home in the Bay Area, CA.
She wishes to sell it herself (FSBO) ..ie avoid realtors commissions
Can anyone send some advice / pointers / suggestions how she can do so
?
Is there a For sale by owner website ?
Any books to read ?
Will it be reasonably easy to sell it herself ?
Does she have to be on the MLS ? or there a similar site where she can
list it ?
Thankyou
Anna
Anna,
Have your friend be aware of folks who will come out quickly and
offer her far less than market value looking for a good deal.
The MLS will bring buyers and buyers agents. The MLS listing that
the buyers agents see also show how much comission is due to them for
bringing a buyer to your door. In the markets I have studied, I have
found MLS participation helps move houses.
Here are some FSBO tips:
Price the home correctly. Overpricing your home will just help
competing sellers by illustrating how reasonably priced they are.
Underpricing your home will bring a quick offer, but you will not get
as much cash as your home could bring you.
Make the house as presentable as possible. First on the outside, give
your house as much curb appeal as possible (trim the bushes, cut the
grass, add fresh mulch, fix the peeling paint on the windows and
doors...)
On the inside, vacuum and steamclean your carpets if they need it. If
there is too much clutter (there usually is), box it all up and put it
in storage. Clear out all of the countertop applicances from the
kitchen (the foreman grill, the coffee maker...) and hide them out of
site. You want to show as much open counter space as possible in the
kitchen.
Go around the house, replace all the bulbs that need replacing, wd40
all of the squeaky doors, and tighten all the loose screws.
If you are thinking of painting, think neutral.
Ask a friend to walk through the house with a critical eye and point
out anything that might scare potential buyers away.
---
j.c.
On 2 Aug 2005 17:08:01 -0700, "CheckHomeValueNow Account"
<> wrote:
>Anna,
>
> Have your friend be aware of folks who will come out quickly and
>offer her far less than market value looking for a good deal.
>
> The MLS will bring buyers and buyers agents. The MLS listing that
>the buyers agents see also show how much comission is due to them for
>bringing a buyer to your door. In the markets I have studied, I have
>found MLS participation helps move houses.
>
>Here are some FSBO tips:
>
>
>Price the home correctly. Overpricing your home will just help
>competing sellers by illustrating how reasonably priced they are.
>Underpricing your home will bring a quick offer, but you will not get
>as much cash as your home could bring you.
>
>
>Make the house as presentable as possible. First on the outside, give
>your house as much curb appeal as possible (trim the bushes, cut the
>grass, add fresh mulch, fix the peeling paint on the windows and
>doors...)
>
>
>On the inside, vacuum and steamclean your carpets if they need it. If
>there is too much clutter (there usually is), box it all up and put it
>in storage. Clear out all of the countertop applicances from the
>kitchen (the foreman grill, the coffee maker...) and hide them out of
>site. You want to show as much open counter space as possible in the
>kitchen.
>
>
>Go around the house, replace all the bulbs that need replacing, wd40
>all of the squeaky doors, and tighten all the loose screws.
>
>
>If you are thinking of painting, think neutral.
>
>
>Ask a friend to walk through the house with a critical eye and point
>out anything that might scare potential buyers away.
>
>
>---
>j.c.
Another thing to be concerned about is people who prey on FSBO's. They
will make a low offer, of which will most likely be rejected. A few
days or weeks later they have a buddy make you a low offer. then in
comes the third buddy who makes what looks like a higher offer than
the first two, but still considerably lower than what you are asking.
You then begin to think that the marketplace is telling you that your
asking price is too high based on the first two offers and that maybe
you should seize the opportunity and take the third offer.
On 2 Aug 2005 15:29:13 -0700, "anna" <> wrote:
>
>Need your help - FSBO
>
>My sister has a home in the Bay Area, CA.
>
>She wishes to sell it herself (FSBO) ..ie avoid realtors commissions
>
>Can anyone send some advice / pointers / suggestions how she can do so
>?
>
>Is there a For sale by owner website ?
>
>Any books to read ?
>
>Will it be reasonably easy to sell it herself ?
>
>Does she have to be on the MLS ? or there a similar site where she can
>list it ?
>
>Thankyou
>
>Anna
Oh my...that is scary when a FSBO has to ask all those questions.
"anna" <> wrote in message
news:
>
> Need your help - FSBO
>
> My sister has a home in the Bay Area, CA.
>
> She wishes to sell it herself (FSBO) ..ie avoid realtors commissions
>
> Can anyone send some advice / pointers / suggestions how she can do so
> ?
>
> Is there a For sale by owner website ?
>
> Any books to read ?
>
> Will it be reasonably easy to sell it herself ?
>
> Does she have to be on the MLS ? or there a similar site where she can
> list it ?
In the Bay Area at present it is entirely possible that you will get some
offers higher than your asking price. I know of one instance of a small
condo that was listed for 295,000 a couple of months ago, and it sold within
three weeks for 320,000.
How do these shills manage to stem the flood of *legitimate*, much
higher offers, that are common during the first 5 days of a listing
these days?
"Ask a friend to walk through the house with a critical eye and point
out anything that might scare potential buyers away."
Pay for the home inspector you'd get if you were buying.