For Sale by Owner – How to Sell Your House Quickly
FSBO stands for For Sale By Owners. This means there is no real estate agent or real estate company involved. Many homeowners who want to sell their homes hesitate to sell their homes as FSBO because it can be quite intimidating. However, thanks to technology, selling your home by yourself has become easier. The internet has a wealth of information detailing how to sell your home without a real estate agent.
Another reason why FSBO is attractive to some sellers is due to the prospect of saving money because there is no realtor involved. Below are some helpful tips to sell your house quickly for FSBO sellers:
1. Home Improvements
Basic home improvements can make your house more attractive to buyers and make it sell more quickly. You don’t have to spend thousands to do this. A fresh coat of paint for example is very affordable and something you can do yourself during the weekend. Trimming trees, cleaning the driveway or sprucing up the garden can instantly neaten the front yard and make the house stand out.
Inside the house you need to organize and de-clutter in order to make it attractive. Always go for a cozy feel rather than a messy look. Make everything clean and sparkle, a simple rub down from top to bottom can accomplish this. Remember you want buyers to imagine themselves living in your home.
2. Pricing
A good advice for FSBO to sell quickly is by pricing competitively. One way to do this is by hiring a professional appraiser to set the price for you. However, if you’re bent on cutting costs you can do this by yourself. Go to websites that you plan to list your home on. Look for houses that are similar in square footage, number of rooms and features within the houses that have sold recently in your neighborhood. Take into account these factors and list your home competitively. Don’t forget to leave some wriggle room for negotiations. Lastly, set your selling price just under a whole number. For example, price at $159,900 instead of 160,000.
3. Market Your House
Marketing your house means listing on real estate websites, putting up yard signs, hosting open houses, printing brochures and info sheets, taking lots of pictures and being detailed in your description of your house. This is very important because your marketing efforts have a direct effect on how quickly you sell your house.
When listing on websites, make sure to post lots of good quality pictures. Put photos of interior and exterior of the house and make sure to post clear photos. Don’t be stingy with the description. List specific features of the home and include photographs. If you’re not comfortable with writing you can go to sites like Fiverr and hire somebody to do it for you for just $5.
Your yard signs also need to pop. Always use professionally produced yard signs to convey professionalism. Directional signs are also useful if your home is hard to find.
4. ForSaleByOwners.com
Since you are selling your home as FSBO, don’t forget to list on ForSaleByOwners.com. This website is dedicated to helping people buy or sell properties directly. The website has different packages that allow home sellers to choose from based on their needs and budget. ForSaleByOwners.com can also list your home in MLS (Multiple Listing Service), a powerful website that is used by real estate agents for a fee. By using information, tools and service of the website you can increase your chances of selling your home quickly.
An alternative to ForSaleByOwners.com is to find a flat-fee realty company that will list you on MLS for a fee. They will syndicate your listing in MLS and other real estate websites. For example, they will list your home in MLS and other sites for 3 months for a fee of $90. This is still cheaper compared to the 3% or so commission of agents.
5. Get Ready
Once your listing is up, get ready for potential buyers. Potential buyers should be able to reach you by phone, email, social media or through your cell phone. You should be ready not only to answer questions but also for an impromptu open house. Some will call or email ahead to ask to see your home but you should always be available and schedule a time that is convenient for all parties. The best advice for FSBO is to always be prepared to show the house directly to the buyer.
FSBO can be scary and you might find your home sitting on the market for a long time. This is why working with an investor like Gold Path Real Estate could be an option for you. Gold Path Real Estate is a local residential real estate company in the Twin Cities. They can buy your home AS-IS so you don’t have to do any repairs and can usually make you a cash offer within 48 hours or less. They can also close on your timeline. Call today to discuss the options available to you at 612-758-0071.