Selling Your Own Home

 

12 Key Ingredients to Successfully Sell Your Home
Without Using a Real Estate Professional

  1. Hire an attorney (preferably one who specializes in real estate) to help you with the forms, paperwork, and legal issues surrounding selling your home.
  2. Get a list from your attorney of other service providers you may want or need to use (ex: title company, home inspectors, pest inspectors, etc.).
  3. Find and complete a “Seller’s Disclosure Form”.
  4. Map out your marketing strategy and budget for the advertising and promotion of your property. Remember that you are looking for the right buyers for your house – reach out in your marketing campaign to find them.
  5. Consider running an ad in the local newspaper or magazines. There are many good publications about writing effective ads available at major book stores and online.
  6. Buy and read a good book on the subject of selling your own home. It will have many checklists to help keep you on track.
  7. Design fliers and home feature sheets to help capture the attention of buyers.
  8. Have standard data and information available for buyers to inspect like utility bills, property taxes, lot size and school district.
  9. Be ready to provide buyers with the names of lenders who might lend money to a buyer of your house. Most buyers are not cash buyers.
  10. Consider getting an opinion of market value from a licensed real estate appraiser. Pricing your property too high or too low could cost you thousands of dollars.
  11. Contact your local Housing and Urban Development Office to get a free copy of the “Federal Fair Housing Guidelines.” This valuable information will help you avoid legal problems that might arise in the advertising and sale of a property.
  12. When a prospective buyer does contact you:
    • Find out if they are qualified to buy your home.
    • Set an appointment that is convenient to both parties.
    • Get your home ready to show.
    • Have property information, disclosure forms, contracts and addendums ready in case they want to write an offer.
    • Introduce your self at the front door when they arrive and thank them for coming.
    • Allow them to tour your property at their pace giving them much privacy as possible. And at the same time be available to answer questions and address common concerns.
    • Be prepared…many buyers are shopping the market – most will not act immediately.
    • Follow up with each prospective buyer to get feedback and re-strategize if necessary.
    • If they write an offer, contact your attorney and start negotiations.

Let's get started! Contact me today at (319) 621-2866 or pattonteam@ambroseboyd.com and let me start working for you!