PART II - Getting your House Ready For Sale

I wanted to give you more information regarding how to be successful when selling your home without using a Realtor.

Get The Word Out:
The first thing to do is put up a sign in the front yard. Tell your neighbors. They may already know of someone looking in the area, maybe even a family member. Let people know where you work, a church group or club. If you want to go further, put up notices on bulletin boards. Last but not least, run a classified ad.

Showing Your Home:
When you have an appointment to show your home, open the windows and air out before any potential buyer arrives. This will get rid of any last minute unpleasant odors that might be lingering. It's always a good idea to have the scent of pleasant aromas in the house. Things like fresh bread,cookies, the smell of cinnamon or vanilla.

Open House:
An open house can be very effective in promoting your house.
For Two reasons:
1)You can schedule the open house at a specific time and day and you'll be attracting a lot of people at the same time.
2)This creates a spirit of competition. Competition produces action that ends up with a sale.

Place a welcome sign in your front yard or by the front door.
For security reasons, I would recommend having visitors sign in before they go through your home.
Have a information circular or flyer on your home that visitors can take with them. The information flyer is good for people who call on your newspaper ad. You can take their address and even mail one to them.

The information flyer should include: Your name, address and phone number. Sales Price and if you're offering OWNER FINANCING (more on this in my next post)the down payment you're requesting. Mention you'll consider all offers in writing, with the understanding you won't take the home off the market until a legally binding sales contract has been signed and earnest deposit money is deposited with your attorney.
Respond to all offers and if they are too low, counter the offer.

Your information flyer should also include:Property taxes, insurance and utilities etc..and remember to list the features of your house:
Square footage, type of roof and age, kind of heat, air conditioning, schools, kind of water heater and age, the lot size, describe the structure, electrical system, bathrooms and kitchen, the rooms size and measurements and public transportation available.

Tell a little about the outdoor features and anything else you feel is unique about the home.
List any recent repairs or maintenance. When was it last painted or sided, new roof etc.
Have pictures on display during different seasons of the year. If you're showing your home during the fall or winter, show pictures during spring or summer. The pictures will show the flowers and plants in bloom.

Schedule your open house during peak hours when traffic goes by your house. Put a sign up where people will see your sign as they drive by.

Some helpful links: Visit their sites for more information
ForSaleByOwner
HomesByOwner
Owners.com

Recommended Reading:
How To Sell Your Home Fast in Good or Bad Markets