subject: Successfully Sell Your House Yourself [print this page] It doesn't take a Masters Degree in common sense to learn how to sell your own house. Many new home buyer wannabe's would rather deal with a FSBO - for sale by owner - property than deal with a realtor. It's also a way to keep real estate sales commission money in your pockets, not an agents. Having been down this road several times I learned very quick what works and what does not. You might want to consider these hard-earned tips I used years ago in Arizona.
Prepare Yourself Before Preparing Your Home
Do your best to take a hard look at a property that will no longer be your home, but one to be marketed to some other person. Memories are tough to let go, but it's necessary. Your next thought would be to stand back and take a look at your house as objectively as possible.
Go outside, stand on the front sidewalk or driveway and look around. If you were a buyer would you buy this house? Have a neighbor friend do the same thing and insist they give you honest suggestions or ideas. You had better believe that the first thing to know in how to sell your own house is that a prospective buyer will do a drive-by and if the outside looks like nobody has lived there in a year, you may have lost a sale. A few cosmetic touches are worth your time. Pick up kids toys. Cut shrubs if necessary. Mow the lawns. Hose the eaves and get rid of bugs and spider webs.
Prepare The Inside
Remove most of your personal "imprints" you've made inside the home. It's okay to have some family pictures around, but if it looks like a family "shrine" with pictures on every wall - time to depersonalize. Buyers who enter and start looking around want to be able to envision themselves in the home. Another step in how to sell your own house is to make the inside look and smell fresh and maintained. Open house day, bake some cookies.
Other Quick Sale Tips
Have a professional inspection before putting a for sale sign in front. A smart buyer will ask for one before closing the deal, do beat them to it. Fixing defects first shows buyers you're responsible. Setting the right price is crucial. In tight real estate sales markets like today, dropping your price 10 percent below value could make a quick sale.
