So you've decided to sell your home yourself.  Great!  Some people do market their homes successfully.

Here are just a few items you might want to consider: 

- Studies have shown that homes listed with an agency typically sell for an average of 9% more than homes sold by the owners.  If you subtract the commission from that 9%, you're still usually coming out ahead as well as selling your home quicker by using a professional real estate agency.

- Over 85% of homes that are For Sale By Owner are ultimately listed with a real estate agency. 

If you choose to market your home alone in spite of the odds, here are a few tips that might help:

Ensure all carpets, floors and window coverings are freshly cleaned.

Give away, discard or store any excess clothing from closets and shelves. 

Clear counters and shelves as much as possible.  You don't want them to look cluttered when potential buyers arrive.  

Organize storage areas and garage. Remove items if necessary.

Clean hot water heaters, water softeners, furnaces, windows, and screens.

Remove any excess furniture.  A crowded room will look smaller than it actually is.  

Remove pets if possible.  If pets cannot be removed, put food dishes and litter boxes out of sight. 

When showing your home, ensure that all the lights are on.  Replace dull bulbs with the highest wattage that can be used in the fixture. 

If you're showing the home during the day, open all window coverings.   

Secure all valuables. There will probably  be a lot of strangers walking through your home,  and some may be looking through your closets and drawers.     

Be aware of odors from animals, smoke, or anything else that might offend a buyer.  When we live in a home over a period of years, we don't necessarily notice these things;  but potential buyers will. 

Start at the front door and do a slow walk through of your entire house, garage and yard.  Try to put yourself in the shoes of the potential buyer viewing this home for the first time.  Take a notepad along on your walk through, and jot down anything at all that needs to be done. 

How does your house look?  Is it cluttered?  Does it live *too* "lived in"?  Could it use a coat of paint, perhaps just in some rooms?  Are the carpets past due for a good professional cleaning?

Don't make any major, expensive improvements that don't need to be done.  Now is not the time to add another room or put in that swimming pool; you won't get your investment back when you sell the home. 

On the other hand, if that roof desperately needs replacing, you might want to  have it done yourself.  If you wait, the cost for it might come out of your sales price, anyway, and the home will be easier to sell if you can put "new roof!" in your ads. 

Most buyers aren't interested in purchasing a home that will immediately need a lot of work.  They want to buy a house that they can move into and be proud of right away.

If you are "on the fence" about whether or not to use a qualified real estate agent for the sale of your home, here are a few questions to ask yourself:  

1) Do you really know what your property is worth in today's market?  Will you price it too high and discourage potential buyers or too low and lose some of your equity?  

2) Can you show other houses as comparables?

3) Are you available to prospects on a full time basis?  

4) Can you respond to criticism of your home without getting emotionally involved?

5) Can you call a potential buyer back without placing yourself in a poor bargaining position?  

6) Are you familiar with all of the financing possibilities?  Do you have the sources of financing? 

7) Do you have the time to handle all of the details?

If you should ultimately decide you'd prefer to use a professional, please drop me an e-mail, give me a call, or page me.  Even if you're out of my area, I'll refer you to your best qualified local agent:  your local RE/MAX agent.