http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/for-sale-by-owner-marketing-concerns.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/for-sale-by-owner-marketing-concerns.html Tue, 22 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500
When preparing a marketing plan for a FSBO home you will need to be smart about where your advertising dollars go. It is unlikely that you will be able to have the kind of web presence that a realtor has but you can have the next best thing: a flat fee MLS listing and a listing on a national FSBO site. Flat fee MLS listings have been a huge boon to the FSBO market. Now you home can receive attention from people who never would have seen it before. This also gives info on your home to many area realtors who have clients looking for homes in your area . The listing on the national FSBO site can bring the info on your home to a nationwide market of buyers and real estate investors that was previously almost impossible to reach. Them of course, there are the old reliable ways to get word about your home out such as the newspaper classifieds, ads, front lawn signs and open houses.

These are all elements in a complete and well planned marketing strategy. In order to get the most from your FSBO sale, make sure that as many people see your home as possible. Without viewers the home will never sell and it will simply waste your time and money.

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Ken Hamric is a representative of www.homesbyowner.com. Homes By Owner is an intuitive site that allows you to advertise your FSBO home in over 900 metro areas of the U.S. and Canada. Come and check out the largest network of FSBO experts in North America.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/selling-your-own-home.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/selling-your-own-home.html Tue, 22 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500
Selling your home yourself can be an extremely rewarding process. It can also be quite tiring as there is a lot of legwork to be done. Usually your first step will be to have a few CMA's done on your home by local realtors. This will give you a good idea of what homes in your area are selling for. You don't want to simply pick a number that you would like to see on a check as that will almost ensure that your home does not sell. You have to keep your home competitive with others that offer similar floor plans, an a realtors marketing package.

The marketing of a home is one of the most important steps of the selling process. Try to find a FSBO website that offers you the ability to post your listing on the web. In today's high technology world, most homes are seen for the first time online. Unfortunately a simple "for sale by owner" sign will not draw the attention that you need and want. The other thing that you should be sure to do is familiarize yourself with the financing options that are available for FSBO homes. Many mortgage companies will offer different packages when dealing with an FSBO home, make sure that you know these as well as the buyer does. Finally, if you are not well versed in real estate contracts, find some help. With a sale as important as this you need someone who knows contracts inside and out. This is to ensure that you are not taken advantage of or contractually obligated to terms that you did not agree to or that you are not legally responsible for. These contract professionals can also assist with the transfer of title, and the monies involved in the sale. You cannot be too careful with such a sale.

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Ken Hamric is a representative of www.homesbyowner.com. Homes By Owner is an intuitive site that allows you to advertise your FSBO home in over 900 metro areas of the U.S. and Canada. Come and check out the largest network of FSBO experts in North America.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/for-sale-by-owner-pointers.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/for-sale-by-owner-pointers.html Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500
- Don't do it alone - There are some people that you are going to need on your side during the sale of a home. Perhaps the most important one is a title/escrow company or a real estate attorney. Which you need will depend on which state you are in. You may also want to consider forming a relationship with a mortgage broker or lender. This will help in narrowing down the interested viewers to those who can actually afford to purchase your home. Have them get pre-approved by the lender before you show the home.

- Know what your home is worth - Some people when selling their own home will simply "shoot from the hip" on deciding a price for their home. Typically this never works out well. It is quite easy to get a CMA from any number of realtors in your area. They can provide these quickly and easily over the phone or via the internet, no meeting is necessary. The best way to find out the value of the home is to have it appraised by a professional appraiser.

- Get your home noticed - There are several ways of doing this. You will of course, have a front yard sign, also advertising in the classifieds is a good method. One great way to get coverage is the internet. Even though you are not using a realtor, you can still list your home on the MLS. This will give your home a huge amount of coverage.

- Get ready - Staging your home will ensure that when people see it, they love it. Take some time and peruse the staging articles are resources online for some great ideas on improving the show quality of your home. Most of the staging steps are simple things that you can easily do yourself with little time and money.

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Ken Hamric is a representative of www.homesbyowner.com. Homes By Owner is an intuitive site that allows you to advertise your FSBO home in over 900 metro areas of the U.S. and Canada. Come and check out the largest network of FSBO experts in North America.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/for-sale-by-owner-safety.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/for-sale-by-owner-safety.html Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500
There are some definite principles that you should operate on when selling your home yourself. One of the best things to adhere to is to never show the house without an appointment. This is a great way to separate those who just want a "look inside" with those who are genuinely interested in buying. The next things to remember are basic personal and family safety concerns. Don't show your home alone. Always be sure that there are at least 2 adults in the home. Also, don't allow the showing to "split up." Interested buyers should be respectful of your home and your rules for showing it. If viewers start making insistences or excuses to break up the viewing group then you may have something to be concerned about.

During a show of your own home you must remain vigilant of what your guests are doing and the way that they reply to your questions. Also, be mindful of the information that you give them. Telling someone that you will not be at home during a certain period is a bad start. Also beware of questions that seem to be trying to assess the level of security or the comings and goings of your family. Essentially there are two necessary steps that you can observe to ensure a high quality of viewers; ask for an appointment and require a pre-qualification or approval letter from their mortgage lender. This will ensure that you are dealing with interested buyers.

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Ken Hamric is a representative of www.homesbyowner.com. Homes By Owner is an intuitive site that allows you to advertise your FSBO home in over 900 metro areas of the U.S. and Canada. Come and check out the largest network of FSBO experts in North America.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/fsbo-some-things-to-remember.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/fsbo-some-things-to-remember.html Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500
Now, what goes into the plan? Well, first think about where your home is going to be seen and noticed first. Most homes for sale these days are first viewed on the internet. This being the case you may want to entertain the thought of paying for a MLS listing. This gives your home a huge amount of exposure as well as making it known to realtors and home buyers across the nation. Internet marketing is becoming more and more necessary with home sales, another great idea is to find a national FSBO website that offers listing and list your home there. This will also increase the amount of exposure that the home gets and you can never have too much of it.

After this step, the more traditional form of home marketing come into play, such as the sign on the lawn. Don't skimp on your sign. It may not sound like much but a professional quality sign is a great attraction to buyers. You may be the home's owner but during this process you will need to be it's salesman too and this will involve a certain amount of emotional detachment from the home. This will be difficult but it is necessary. Of course, you will have your favorite aspects of the home but you will have to let viewers have the choice to develop their own favorites. Try to hold a few open houses as well. The more chances that people have to see your home, the better your chance is of selling.

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Ken Hamric is a representative of www.homesbyowner.com. Homes By Owner is an intuitive site that allows you to advertise your FSBO home in over 900 metro areas of the U.S. and Canada. Come and check out the largest network of FSBO experts in North America.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/are-fsbos-worth-the-time-and-effort.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/are-fsbos-worth-the-time-and-effort.html Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500
The resolution to this problem has been the education of sellers and the drive to eliminate the middle man. For years people were convinced the the only way to sell a home was to contact their local realtor and then wait for the offers. But what if that agent was not providing enough service to sell the home in a timely manner? Was there any real way to ensure that this was being done? It can be hard to trust someone in such a way when nothing appears to be happening. But you can trust yourself right? So, why not give yourself the tools you need to become your own real estate agent?

The part that cannot be stressed enough is the need to educate yourself on the process before you undertake the selling of your own home. Start investigating the rules and regulations concerning real estate contracts and conveyance. Find out about liens and easements and inspections. In selling your own home there are a lot of hats that you will have to wear. Of course it never hurts to get legal advice and guidance from a lawyer educated in real estate law. There is also an abundance of information available online to help guide your education. The web is a great resource for almost every aspect of the home sale process so take the time to investigate these things to the full extent. Good luck!

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Ken Hamric is a representative of www.homesbyowner.com. Homes By Owner is an intuitive site that allows you to advertise your FSBO home in over 900 metro areas of the U.S. and Canada. Come and check out the largest network of FSBO experts in North America.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/the-process-of-conveyance.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/the-process-of-conveyance.html Thu, 22 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0600
While the actual act of conveyance has different elements depending on the State that the property is in, the basics of the process is much the same. At this time it is usually the representatives of both the buyer, seller and mortgage company that meet to exchange the deeds to the property. Of course, in a FSBO situation, this could very well be done by the actual buyer and seller. However, the deeds to the property are only the beginning of the documentation that must be dealt with during the conveyance. Other critical matters such as title insurance, promissory notes, pro rata property taxes and any other legal or financial documents concerning the sale of the home must be dealt with by the appropriate parties.

With an FSBO sale, its a good idea to get some help in these matters if you have never dealt with them before as they have a definite bearing on the outcome of the sale. A lot of the time, the mortgage company can offer you assistance or refer you to people who can assist with the paperwork. This is especially true if you are working with a mortgage company that specializes in FSBO funding. The legal implications of errors in this process are worth the time and effort needed to ensure that every step of the process is seen to with exacting detail.

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Ken Hamric is a representative of www.homesbyowner.com. Homes By Owner is an intuitive site that allows you to advertise your FSBO home in over 900 metro areas of the U.S. and Canada. Come and check out the largest network of FSBO experts in North America.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/how-to-stage-a-home-properly.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/how-to-stage-a-home-properly.html Thu, 22 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0600
A good idea is to start with the most visual aspect of your home. The exterior. We will go into greater deatail about the interior in a moment. Cleaning up the facade of your home is an absolute must. ensure that lawns are mown and trimmed. Clear away any rough edges along the walkways and driveway. Also weed the gardens and plant some new flowers. Make the entrance to your home as welcoming as possible. After all, this is the first thing a prospective buyer will see when they look at your home. You want their first impression to be memorable...in a good way.

Now we move to the interior. The first thing you want to do is remove the clutter! Homes always have some sort of clutter that is best removed to showcase the home. This means you will have to spend some time going over what you need and don't need. Remember that a minimalist approach is a good idea. It can be difficult for buyers to envision their possessions in another home, try it yourself sometime at a friends home. Look around and think about what you would move or change. Now do this at your own home. Time to get rid of a few things? This must be done for every room, clean out all the closets and cupboards too. Buyers are nosey, and justifiably so. Like you did before they are investing in their future and they will go through closets and such to make sure there is sufficient room for their things.

Now to ensure that viewers have a great experience when in your home there are a few things that you can do. Lighting can set a great mood in a home. Be sure to have appropriate lighting for the time of day. Temperature is another good thing to remember. Viewers are less likely to explore a cold home. Set the temperature for a pleasant medium. If there is a fireplace, light it. This will add to the ambiance and showcase one of the most popular assets of a home. The whole point of staging is to make guests feel welcome and at home. Try leaving out some refreshments or snacks if you are so inclined. It is up to you how far you will go in staging your home, but the more effort you put in the better your home will show.

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Ken Hamric is a representative of www.homesbyowner.com. Homes By Owner is an intuitive site that allows you to advertise your FSBO home in over 900 metro areas of the U.S. and Canada. Come and check out the largest network of FSBO experts in North America.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>