Mathew Butka asked:


Selling your home is not an easy task and sometimes the hidden costs are enough to send the meak running away with tears in their eyes. However, there are creative and cheap ideas that can be used to help sell your home quickly. This will cost money but with a little bit of know-how and forethought, it can work to be cheaper in the long run and the investment and time put in can reap higher profits if applied properly.

Here is what you should consider when trying to sell your home quickly without spending a ton of money.

Home Value – maximizing your profit is your goal but the trick is to evaluate all the surrounding homes in the immediate neighborhood that have sold recently and are comparable in appearance and quality to your own. This is what real estate agents refer to as “the comps.” Then do some research what improvements should be done to your home that are in keeping with the neighborhood. The key here is to make your home more attractive than the competition in order to reach your target price. Get your home valued by a real estate agent as it is now and then again after making any improvements; set the price at the highest price given, allowing for the lowest price you will sell for as being the median between the original and new valuation prices. Be your own advertiser – take quality photos of the best features of your home and advertise them on zillow.com and realtor.com; put a for sale sign in your yard with contact details; create and print your own fliers, distributing them yourself from home to home, in store windows, at gyms/grocery stores/restaurants/cafes and bars; and advertise your home in the same ways in a neighborhood that is also one step up from your home as many people are willing to invest in up and coming neighborhoods. Take a real estate agent’s course or study for free online – learn all the tricks and tips needed to know to sell your own home and avoid the cost of hiring an agent, as well as the pitfalls that you should be aware of; consult with agents on a friendly basis for tips and trends; and be prepared to invest time into showing your home yourself, but if this is too much then hire a real estate agent that gives quality for money. Make your home stand out from the neighbors – clean up the yard, paint the inside a neutral tone, fix all damage or faults, fill in holes and clean the grease in the driveway, paint the outside and fences, get rid of internal clutter and replace old furnishings that are eyesores, mow the lawn, trim/prune/weed, and invest in bedding plants and hanging baskets; and most of all keep it spotless. Only improve what needs vital improvements – never invest in major renovations or improvements unless absolutely necessary; state-of-the-art is not necessary, but fixing things that have worn out are vital; paint cupboards instead of replacing good ones; replace carpets yourself or put in slotted wood flooring yourself; and buy a DIY and home improvement book that shows use the basics of plumbing, decorating and other things to avoid hiring contractors. Invest your improvement money in home preservation versus luxury – spend your funds for home improvements on keeping the home in good order, repairing damage and deterioration, and upgrading wiring or things that could threaten the price as well as the safety of the home. Fix the driveway yourself – fill in major and minor cracks by purchasing a spreader and asphalt re-sealer from your local hardware store, but do not hire a contractor. While you are at it, be sure to clean up the stains on the driveway from dripping oil from engines. Keep up the style of the neighborhood – fix your home to be in keeping with the neighborhood and not to become the local palace in a dumpy area; and do not upgrade unless the overall internal styles are impractical or too outdated to make it workable or live-able. Hold your own open house – prepare brochures and specs ahead of time by downloading free templates for your word processing program on your computer and insert good quality photos that you can take yourself with a digital camera, detailing the main features, local amenities and special things about the neighborhood and your home that make it worth investing in; prepare a tour by emphasizing all the best aspects of your home and how it has allowed you and your family to have a happy home to live, but do not give any negative aspects; and as an added bonus, offer free coffee, tea, juice and homemade cookies to make the whole experience more inviting.

Get Advise from a Scottsdale Realtor

Donovan Carter asked:


Sometimes the market is sluggish and at other times homes simply don’t sell. The longer a house sits on the market, the more it languishes, becoming less attractive to agents and their potential buyers. If your home isn’t selling, you can fix it. For tips and tricks that will help you sell your home, keep reading.

1. Focus on Curb Appeal

When you pull up to your house, are you wowed or sorely disappointed? Prospective buyers usually make a decision on a house within seconds of their arrival, meaning curb appeal is crucial.

Some inexpensive steps you can take to improve your home’s curb appeal include power washing the house, painting the deck, repaving the driveway, updating fixtures, repainting your trim and investing in landscaping improvements.

2. Check Your Price

Is your home competitively priced? Keep an eye on prices in your neighborhood to make sure your home is priced commensurate for its location and amenities. Sometimes a price reduction can help spark a house sale.

You can also invest in a Competitive Market Analysis (CMA), which is a professional assessment of your home’s value.

3. Dress for the Stage

Staging a home means focusing on small, inexpensive cosmetic changes that can help your property get sold faster. Whether you hire a professional staging company or do it yourself, staging has been shown to decrease sale times by as much as 50 percent.

When staging a home, focus on repainting tired walls, getting rid of personal clutter, updating fixtures and freshening the space with new accessories. Staging a home also means minimizing furniture clutter in order to make the space look bigger.

If your house is overcrowded, think about moving some of your personal effects and extra furniture to an off-site storage space.

4. Cover Buyer’s Cost

Particularly in a sluggish market, offering to cover some or all of a buyer’s closing costs can be a real incentive for potential home buyers. Whether it’s paying for the inspection, covering mortgage fees or even funding financing, wooing buyers is a sure-fire way to attract offers.

5. Offer an Agent Incentive

By offering an agent’s incentive for the buyer’s agents, you’ll get a lot of agents in your area highly motivated to show your home to their buying clients. Offer an additional percentage point incentive to attract agents.

Sellers can also offer their own agents incentives based on performance.

For example, a realtor’s contract might include a clause that rewards a selling agent with an extra percentage point if the house is sold within a certain time frame and above a particular price point.

home selling tips

Raynor James asked:


When buyers look at homes, the tedious nature of the task can result in all the properties looking the same. Here are some tips you can implement to make your home stand out.

The number one way to make your house stand out is a painting strategy. Happily, it is also one of the cheapest options. In this case, we are talking about the interior paint. By taking some small steps, you can make the interior of your home look strikingly different.

The first issue to consider is molding. If you have beautiful molding, you want to highlight it. The best way to do this is to paint either it or the walls in a contrasting color. This will “frame” the walls with the molding and buyers will definitely notice it.

More and more homes these days have large open space plans. Creating a distinct look for such homes is often done with a unique furniture layout. Of course, you don’t want to go spend $20,000 on furniture for a home you are going to be moving out of. A better approach it to isolate a wall you want to highlight. Now paint it a strong color. This will draw the focus of the room and potential buyers to the wall. Controlling the focus in open space floor plans is the key to making an impression.

Smell. This is the cheapest tip you will ever find, but it really works. When you are expecting someone to view the home or are going to have an open house, bake cookies or something that smells great. People viewing the home will make an emotional connection to both food and see themselves living in the home. Flowers do not work as well.

Our fourth issue to consider is the lighting. For some reason, sellers tend to close blinds or at least do so partially. Do not! There are very few buyers that are looking for a dark, dank home to live in. Open the blinds and even the windows if it isn’t to noise, etc. By opening the home up, you let light in.

Our final tip is to create space in the home. Get rid of your junk! Walk around and ask yourself why each piece of furniture is where it is. If you don’t have a good answer, throw it out or stick it in storage. Try this and you will surprised how many things in your home are there because that is where you put them when you moved in!

The key to selling your home is taking the extra steps your competition does not. With these tips, now you can.

Buying A Home?

Bruce Swedal asked:


So, you have decided to sell your home. It is on today’s market, you have a trusted agent of real estate – now what? You need to sell your home next. Here are several tips to benefit the potential selling and marketability of your house.

Normally, possible buyers will initially see the very front of the house. Therefore, the goal would be to make it highly attractive and very inviting. The first impression is vital. Making positive first impressions is even more vital. The key would be to ensure that everything looks clean and neat. Pull out weeds, cut the grass, plant flowers, trim the bushes, etc.

Ensure that your house is clean. This would include mopping floors, steam-cleaning carpets, dusting areas that are hard to reach and cleaning windows. Possible buyers will be picky and, because of this, they will inspect everything that they can.

Try to maintain neutral styles and colors. The key would be not to try and influence buyers with your personal style. Somebody may come in, see a black wall, and be instantly turned off. You should try and have them visualize their own colors. Keep things neutral to solve this predicament.

Check the lighting. Obviously, nobody wants to see homes that cannot be seen. Sadly, a lot of people overlook this. Check light bulbs and ensure that they work. Concern yourself especially with darker house areas which might need artificial lighting. This would include locations like bathrooms and the basement. It would also be a great idea to keep the curtains open. Basically, natural light is better.

If necessary, make repairs. This would include fresh coats of paint, fixing holes on the walls, etc. Your buyer needs to feel as if your home is taken care of to give you a big fat bonus.

Avoid clutter. It would be bad if buyers end up feeling boxed in. Try to keep clutter down. Get rid of unnecessary items like tons of accessories and pictures. The goal would be to have the house feel like home while keeping it organized and spacious. Buyers need to get a great sense of this space and visualize themselves in it.

Lastly, it would be essential to remember that these tips will not guarantee a sold home, but it will definitely help. Everybody is different, so other variables need to be considered. Your ultimate goal should be making your house feel inviting, so potential buyers can visualize it as theirs.

Website content

Binny Satin asked:

Introduction

You are about to move but cannot because you have a home. We will show you how to sell it yourself and save the commission. These days, when the market is on its way down, every penny that you save counts, so sell your home yourself.

Instructions: Difficulty Moderate

Things you will need

• Sale forms
• All Disclosure forms
• A Sign
• A Buyer
• A Home Inspector
• A Termite Inspector
• A Home to Sell

Step 1

Buy a sign from your local sign store and get your phone number printed on it. It can be your home number if you stay at home, or your cell number. The reason it is important to print it is that you may be able to read what you have written, but it may be confusing to others.

Step 2

Before putting up the sign get the home ready for sale by cleaning it out. If you have excess furniture consider getting a storage, as that is worth it. Your home should look neat and clean to buyers.

Step 3

Do not change the carpet as everyone has different tastes. Offer a carpet allowance instead if you did plan to change it. If required you might have to change some bathroom fixtures. The floors in the bathroom and kitchen can be left with the carpets.

Step 4

Get an inspection done on the property. At least it will tell you what a buyer may ask for. Get the things fixed before you offer it for sale. This way the buyers will get a clean report when their man comes in to inspect. Do the same with termites, a termite inspection is good for 6 months.

Step 5

When all this is done put the sign up, and hold the house open. At that point you can decide if you want to deal with buyer’s agents or not. On one side it opens up the market but on the other hand you have to give a commission. Say you decided against dealing with agents at all.

Step 6

People coming through your home may be buyers or just nosey neighbors. What you have to be careful about are people who come to scope the house for robbery. Therefore do not leave valuable things lying around.

Step 7

When you find an interested buyer make sure they fill the forms out completely and get all the disclosures for your area. Consult an attorney if you have any questions. Since you have already completed the inspections, you have fewer things to worry about.

Step 8

Open an escrow with a company which is reputable in your area, escrow has to abide by laws that restrict it. Stay in touch with the escrow agent to find out how things are going. When it comes nearer to close then make sure that everything you were supposed to do has been done.

Step 9

When escrow closes, if it is in the contract, the seller has 3 days to move out and give possession. Make sure the house is cleaned and everything is in good shape, as a little diplomacy is better than a lawsuit.

Step 10

Collect your check on the day your house closes and celebrate.

Tips

You should do the inspections and know what you are dealing with.

Warnings

If there is any problem, talk to an attorney as he or she can advise you on the correct steps.

Selling A House?

Julie A Broad asked:

You might think that the best way to sell your house in a slumping market is to price it low and then just get it listed on every website you can. But you may find, like many of my neighbors have, that is not enough. Most realtors and home sellers make the same mistake when it comes to creating the listings for these homes.

Here’s the listing for one of the townhomes in my area:

“Small complex located in the heart of Burnaby Heights. Rarely available beautiful corner unit at very desirable Red Brick Heights. Only two years old, this gorgeous three bedroom, 2 bathroom unit is 1375 square feet, also has a loft on the third floor. Oversized panoramic rooftop balcony with a beautiful view of the North Shore Mountains. Open plan with gourmet kitchen with real wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances with granite countertop and hardwood on the main floor. These high quality units do not last so be quick before it is gone. Low strata fee and well managed.”

A copywriter skilled at their craft would never write like this. The best copywriters start their copy knowing what their prospect already feels about the product – in this case, the product is the house. And lately the real estate market has made many people feel scared. It’s also made others feel like there’s real opportunity. So it’s likely that many prospective purchasers’ desire for a home is being met with an even greater fear of what might happen to their investment if they buy one or a desire to capitalize on the market crash.

If you have to sell your house, you need to acknowledge that fear or the desire to make money – not, as was done in the above example, try to create a fake sense of urgency. And you need to appeal to the positive emotions that might make someone want to buy a house even in troubled times.

Beginning with the features of the house and trusting the prospect to respond positively to the fact that it’s only two years old, with a panoramic rooftop view and a gourmet kitchen, is what the competition is selling. Instead, think about the prospect and how he might feel about those features (how it feels to cook for your family in a great kitchen… and open the door to see the mountains in the morning… and know your money is safely invested in this high-quality/well-located home). Then carefully craft each part of your listing to support those emotions and benefits – with pictures, maps, and words, all directed to get those emotions working toward the sale of the home. I think that is exactly what an expert copywriter would do. And I bet that, in combination with the right price, would sell my neighbors’ houses.

Caffeinated Content

Shaun Greer asked:


While main stream median states that nearly 50% of marriages end in divorce, the number is actually closer to 40%. In 2004, 37% of marriages ended in divorce and in 2005 that number increased to 38%.

States across the nation are experiencing an increase in divorce rates and at the same time reporting a decrease in marriages. Idaho is a perfect example of a state reporting these divorce and marriage statistics.

In 2004 Idaho reported 6,922 divorces, in 2005 that number raised to 7,126, then in 2006 the number of divorces in Idaho raised again to 7,500. During the same years (2004-2006) the number of marriages in Idaho decreased year after year. In 2004 there were 14,997 marriages, in 2005 that number decreased to 14,935, in 2006 the reported marriages dropped again to 14,811.

No matter what state you live in, if you are going through a divorce you should know you are not alone. While going through a divorce there are many decisions to make and none are easy. There are financial decisions, family decisions, asset decisions, and the list goes on.

Most likely the largest financial and asset decision you and your soon to be ex will make is what to do with your house. For most Americans their house is their larges asset and biggest investment.

There are basically two options to solve your house and divorce situation. One option is for one person to keep the home. The other option is to sell your house fast.

If one of you decides to keep your home it will require you to refinance your house and split the equity with your spouse. This solution is typically not the best choice because now there is only one income to pay the total mortgage payment instead of the combined two. Also, after refinancing your house the new mortgage payment will be higher.

The other option is to sell your house fast. There are basically three options you have to sell your house and only one of them solves your selling situation quickly.

Selling your house FSBO definitely will not sell your house fast. It will involve you cooperating with your soon to be ex and doing things together. You will have to keep paying all the mortgage payment, utility bills, etc. before your house sells, and you will have to deal with potential buyers.

Another not so easy option is to list your house with a real estate agent. This option also requires cooperation with your spouse. You still have to keep paying all of your house and utility bills. You have to have your home in excellent condition so potential buyers can walk through your home and see if they like it. Another negative aspect of listing your house is the large commission you will have to pay your real estate agent, if and when your house finally sells.

The best option to sell your house fast is to sell it to a local home buyer. Local real estate investors purchase many houses each month from people going through divorce. They are courteous to your selling situation and spouses do not have to deal with each other through out the transaction.

Lets face it, divorce is never an easy situation and is almost always a very emotional time. If you need to sell your house because you are going through a divorce, consider selling it to a local home buyer. They will solve your selling situation fast and be sensitive to your situation. You can sell your house fast and get on with your life.

Scottsdale Real Estate Market

Jack Jaron asked:


Your family home is the most valuable financial asset under your possession. The sale of property should be the basis of a good return on one of the biggest investments in your life. Most people look at this asset as a safety net that bails them out of financial troubles. However, if you move too quickly then you can lose out on substantial gains that you may derive from a calculated sale of your property.

Quick House Sale Preparation

Life can be unpredictable and often we are faced with financial barriers which can only be overcome by selling off our prized assets. One of our biggest material assets can be the home that we own. Often the equity on the home can be liquidated quickly.

However, in order for you to make a good bargain it is always a great idea to assess the market value of property. This should not be done simply at a time when you are looking to sell your house and release the mortgage however you must continually practice analyzing the real estate market and trends prevalent in the industry.

This will allow you to capture an opportune time and sell off your property for the best price. It is really unfortunate if you’re unable to harness the full value of your property by moving too quickly and selling off without full information. Of course no one has the time to keep following real estate trends especially if you are busy with your employment and family life. This is where professional real estate brokers come into play.

If you’re looking for a quick property sale then you can take the advice of a reliable and professional broker who will guide you with the best strategy to meet your financial requirements. Apart from this since the broker does not charge you any commission they are motivated to get you the best price and get their commission from the buyer.

Reasons for Indulging In Quick Property Sale

Whether you want to stop repossession on your home or liquidate your material assets to stabilize your financial standing it is a good idea to utilize professional services of brokers to get the maximum value from your home.
If you are facing the charges of repossession then it is a good idea to sell and rent back your house. This will allow you to stay in the family home and actually stabilize your financial position. Apart from this you benefit from saving on moving costs and signing the lease that is more expensive for a new home.

Make sure your broker pays for evaluation and surveying your property by arranging a solicitor. Based on your financial position you can work with a broker to devise a time line which matches your requirements and allows you to ease off the financial burden. Some companies can even accommodate you by purchasing your home for a good price and then allowing you to repurchase it or buy back when you are financially stable. Unfortunately a divorce settlement or inability to repay your debts could be the reason that you want to let go of the property but it’s not necessary that you have to move out and lose it forever.

selling a house

Bruce Durrell asked:

Many people believe that they can sell their house on their own without any help from a realtor. They believe they can save the money on the closing costs by selling their own house. This is especially true because the internet has allowed for a vast flow of information and is an endless resource. However while some are successful this is something that you may want to reconsider.

There are many different reasons that you would want to use Parker realtors to help you sell your house. The first reason is the most important and that is time. It takes a lot of time and effort to sell a house. You may have no problem putting in the time and effort however you will encounter a lot of problems along your journey. Parker realtors have the knowledge and experience of the local Parker, CO market that will allow them to solve these snags in no time where you may spend a lot of time trying to figure it out. You will also save a lot of time rather than trying to research other local Parker properties and find out the best price for your house. The right realtor can help you find the right price for your home, not only at the local area level, but at the neighborhood level!

Another important fact is the ever changing market conditions. Parker realtors are dealing with the market every day. They know how it has been going and they can see the trend of where it is going. By letting realtors handle your property you will not have to worry about the average dollar per square foot, mean selling prices, and comparisons of how much properties sold for versus how much they were listed for.

Another big project and time consuming effort will be to get your house noticed. You will have to create connections and spend the time, effort, and sometimes money to list your property. If people don’t know your property exists then you won’t sell it. Parker Realtors have many different avenues that they use for networking. They have different agencies, websites, and sometimes word of mouth connections that they use to sell a house. Without all of these tools your house may stay on the market for a long time as no one will know it’s there. The bottom line is don’t go with any Colorado real estate agent, but find one that knows Parker since it has its own unique factors.

Finally you would have to deal with negotiating and taxes. Negotiating can be a problem for some people that will cause them to lose a sale because they won’t go below their set price. Parker realtors can negotiate using a more professional aspect and can present their offers with the client’s best interest in mind. You also won’t have to deal with the taxing authorities and other bureaucracies during your sale. They will often want information before, during, and after you sell your home. There’s a lot of legal work that’s involved in Colorado with selling a house that you may not want to deal with.

Overall Parker represents a relatively large area, so Parker realtors stay in business due to referrals. Therefore they want to keep their clients happy and referring people. To save yourself time and effort you will definitely want to consider selling your house through a specialized realtor before you try to sell it yourself.

Create a video blog

Miko Crawford asked:


What is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0, as it applies to us, is a fancy term for this new revolution of social networking sites. There is much more to Web 2.0, but this is basically what we need to know for now to get your home sold fast.

Web 2.0 is cool, in the now, in the new, and will build your business, in your case sell your home, quicker and faster than any other method.

The great news is that these sites are awesome, they are powerful, and best of all – they are free!

Why use Web 2.0 to sell a house?

If you’re thinking – ‘Why in the world would I use one of these sites to sell my house?’ you are not alone. Most sellers today are still using traditional tools to market and sell their home. My real estate trends newsletter said that in 2008, 70-80% of buyers used the internet somewhere in their home-buying process. That’s huge!

Imagine how many are using the Internet to buy a home in 2009!!

In this market, you need to be creative and you need to stay ahead of the pack when selling your home.

Using web 2.0 will give you immeasurable edge in your sale and make you look cool to boot!

Buyers will be impressed with your extra effort, and more importantly be drawn to your home even before they have set one foot in it!

How can I use Web 2.0 to sell my house fast?

YouTube

YouTube hosts videos. All kinds of videos. Videos for everything. Videos from all over the world. You can make a video and post it for free. It will skyrocket your success! Do it now. Use your camcorder. If you are a newbie, try this cool easy-to-use camcorder at www.theflip.com.

Blog

Make a blog for your home and update it with cool updates like ‘Extra Incentive – Free Full Year of Maid Service added to buyer of this House!!’, or “Wife comes free with house”.

I don’t know. Be creative. The best sites for a blog are WordPress and Blogger. These too are free. Tell your potential buyers, friends, and realtor about this blog. Have fun with it.

Twitter

If you haven’t watched the news, haven’t watched Oprah, or The View, or simply haven’t been paying attention, Twitter is the newest and biggest social networking revolution going on right now. Tweet updates to your home and get potential buyers to follow you.

Facebook

Again, you may have missed this if you have been hiding under a rock, but that is unlikely. Give your home a Facebook page!

MySpace

MySpace is much like Facebook, though arguably not as popular. Give your home a MySpace page. Give it some cool music. Give it some friends.

Use these Web 2.0 sites. They are all free and relatively easy to use. Post your links in cool ways and give them to potential buyers and/or realtors.

Make sure to keep them updated as needed and take them down when you sell your house.

Adding these features will go a long way to making your house stand heads and shoulders above the rest.

Buying A Home?