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Insider’s secrets you need
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Selling your own home is not for everyone. Most realtors are very good at what they do. If however, you have decided to sell your home by yourself, you should use all the tools available, as a Realtor would. Advertising on the World Wide Web is just one of those tools. Here are a few sites that can help you sell your home fast plus other helpful sites.
Sites to Help You Sell Your Home
Top 100 For Sale By Owner Sites With Free Home Listings
Find Out The Value Of Your Home
Other Helpful Sites
World’s Best Real Estate for $50,000 or Less
Go To Pocket Money Real Estate
Vandema Home Buying and Selling Resources On Line Real Estate
U.S. Regional Links, Canada Regional Links, International Links.
PropertySites.com - For sale by owner home listings and resources
for Buying and selling an FSBO home.
FSBO Ad™ - FSBO listings and affordable real estate advertising
for buying and selling homes online.
Free FSBO Home / Property Listings - For sale by owner listing resource.
Flat Rate Realty USA - List your home on the local Multiple Listing
Service for a flat fee.
Hotline Properties - For sale by owner ads and nationwide flat fee MLS listing
Realtor Information Need A Real Estate Agent
Re Max Outstanding Agents Outstanding Results
America's Property Mart, Inc. FSBO home listings, real estate contracts, guides.
Welcome to ApartmentsUSA.com! Nationwide directory of apartments to rent.
Apartments For Rent A national directory of apartments for rent.
EscapeHomes.com World guide to finding vacation homes, resorts, new
home communities and retirement locations.
GRQ Properties, Inc. National network of real estate investors looking to
buy homes.
Real Estate By Owner Offers listing on the MLS for a flat fee.
Real Estate Listings A directory of real estate agents, listings and local
Mortgage rates.
Foreclosure & Fixer-Upper Homes Fixer-upper and foreclosure properties,
buying tips, financing and free sources.
OnTheWebRealEstate.com A directory of real estate agents lenders and
Property listings.
HomeRentalAds.com Advertise or search for homes and condos for rent.
Directory of Homes For Sale Includes local and regional multiple listing services
(MLS) for sale by owner classifieds, listed new homes directories and more.
Beacon Maps FEMA flood maps Online.
Bestmovinginfo.com Moving company offering free estimates and relocation guides.
Abacus Real Estate Foreclosures Directory Foreclosure listings, information
on how to buy foreclosures, guide to avoiding foreclosures and more.
ABC's of Real Estate consumer guide Providing mortgage and real estate
information and resources to homebuyers and sellers.
Remote Realty Listing or searching for houses and land for sale in remote
Rural areas.
MyFizzbo.com For sale by owner advertising site with a money back
Guarantee if the property does not sell after one year.
RPS Relocation Moving resources for homebuyers.
HouseSeeker4u.com A database of listed homes throughout the United States.
Youcit.com Listing resource for residential and commercial properties,
Including vacation property.
School Match - A directory of private and public schools
Find Legal Forms-Legal Documents Real Estate Forms Bill Of Sale
Home Improvement Tips & Home Repair Expertise
How Stuff Works
Expert Advice for Your Home
Do It Your Self Home Improvement Repairs and Remodeling
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44% of homes are sold within 30 days.
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17% sold within 2 months
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13% sold within 3 months
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26% takes over 4 months or taken off the market
Things to Consider When Determining Your Home's Selling Price
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What is the age of the house?
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Is it in good condition?
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Does the house need remodeling, repairs or updating?
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What are similar homes in the same neighborhood selling for?
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Have homes in your area been appreciating in value?
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Does your local area have an excessive number of homes for sale?
Your home is worth what similar properties in a similar location have sold for or are currently listed for sale at. Rarely, will someone be willing to pay a premium for your home. However, by working with a Realtor, especially with both full MLS (Multiple Listing Service) and Internet exposure, you may be assured your home will get excellent exposure.
Getting Your House Ready to Sell
Curb Appeal
First impressions are lasting. The first picture that a potential buyer will
see, is how your home is displayed. Drive up to your home and notice:
Is the front door clean?
Has the lawn been mowed and edged?
Have the shrubs and trees been trimmed?
Has the snow been removed from the driveway and walkways, in winter months?
Has all the trash been cleaned up?
Is there anything that needs to be repaired?
Does the house need a fresh coat of paint?
Look at your house like you would be looking at your new home. Most potential buyers create their list of homes to look at by driving by. Don’t turn the customer off by their first impressions.
Sunshine Effect
Let the sunshine in. Open all of your window coverings. The sun will give
your home a warm feeling and brighten it up. Having all of your window
coverings open will also make your home feel bigger and more inviting. It
will bring the outside, inside. Remember that sunshine is a welcome sign.
Fix It up
Search the house for anything that may need to be repaired. House hunters
believe that for every repair noticed, there are ten that have gone
unnoticed.
What you should look for:
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Squeaking doors and creaking floors.
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Loose doorknobs and stuck windows.
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Dripping faucets suggest faulty plumbing.
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Change bulbs that are burned out.
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Torn screens and cracked glass.
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Walls with holes and missing plaster.
Fix anything that may need fixing. Things left in need of repair will detract from the value of your home. When buyers see things that need attention, they begin to worry about the things they can’t see.
Kitchen Attraction
The kitchen is the most important area of your home. Everything is done in the kitchen; making meals, paying bills, and children doing homework.
It all starts in the kitchen. Make sure to take care of the following:
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The kitchen must be clean.
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All items are put away.
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Counter tops must be clutter free.
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Sink must be empty and clean. Remove any rust stains in sinks.
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Have all drawers and cabinets clean and organized, especially the junk drawer.
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Have all drawers and cabinets fixed and working properly.
The kitchen is the center of any home. All activities seem to gravitate to the kitchen. If a buyer is interested in your home, most of the times they will be lead back to the kitchen to ask questions.
Brighten It Up
Decorate for the sale. Faded walls and worn out woodwork reduce the appeal
of your home. A new coat of paint will often result in a quick and more
profitable sale.
Quick things to do to brighten it up:
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New coat of paint, (neutral colors).
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Arrange bedrooms neatly with fresh linens.
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Remove any excess furniture. (Clutter makes a room feel smaller.)
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Clean all drapes and window coverings.
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Remove the clutter from the walls. (Simple pictures and wall hangings work best.)
Maximize appeal, make your home inviting and pleasurable to be in. Always make it simple and appealing to the masses. Go with neutral colors to please all. When you brighten it up, you turn anything dull to bright.
Spick and Span
Clean, clean, clean! We can’t say enough about having a clean and neat home.
A little elbow grease can put dollars in your pocket. A clean home is more
inviting, simpler to present and easier to sell. Check list of areas to
clean:
Carpets vacuumed
Faucets sparkling
Toilets brushed
Counters wiped
Floors mopped
Furniture dusted
Laundry put away
Beds made
Glass shining
Spend a little time and take pride in your home. Cleaning is the simplest way that you can increase your profits.
Sound Barrier
Harmonize the sounds in your home. Make sure that the TV’s are off and the
stereo is on softly to appropriate music. The music should be mellow and in
the background, so that your home is pleasurable and free of disturbances.
Air Control
always makes it comfortable for your potential buyers. If it is cold, make
your home warm. If it is hot, make your home cool. If you have the luxury of
a fireplace, light a fire if it is appropriate to the comfort of the buyer.
You may also want to have a potpourri pot warming the fresh essences of
fragrance to also enhance the air quality. Help make your home more inviting
and comfortable to potential buyers.
Pets Away
Make sure that when you are showing your home that your pets are away. You
are selling to the masses and some buyers do not like animals, or maybe
allergic. Why take a chance on ruining a sale. Just put pets away.
The Little Things
Little things can make big differences:
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Remove all family pictures. This will allow the buyers to imagine your home as their own.
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Re-organize storage spaces. Removing all the clutter and unneeded items, and neatly repackaging the storage areas, will make the storage areas look bigger and look more adequate to a buyer.
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Hide everything that looks like work. At least neatly arrange, lawn mowers, vacuums, hoses and workbenches. Always accent the things that are fun, like skis, toys, bikes, and other fun things.
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Have fresh cut flowers. Make your home more inviting and welcoming to the potential buyer.
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Have fresh made cookies. Again, welcome the potential buyer to your home.
All of these items are just guidelines for you to use. If you want to increase your home value and sell it more quickly, incorporate them into your selling plan.
Open House Tips
Best time to hold an open house is Saturdays and Sundays from 12 Noon Until 5 PM. Get your for sale signs out on all major intersections around your neighborhood and have an informational one-page description of your property available on your sign. Get a copy of what others have done an use it as a guideline for your home's important information.
It would be a good idea to display some fragrant flowers on your dining room or kitchen table. There are other simple things you can do for an Open House or showings. Minor things like closing toilet seats. Emptying wastebaskets. Putting out indoor garbage bags. Putting lots of lemon scented dishwashing liquid down your kitchen sink and garbage disposal (and then run the disposal for a few seconds). Simple things like this may help sell your home either via an Open House or a regular Showing Appointment.
Note: For almost all homes an Open House is an excellent marketing technique and method for achieving home exposure to the public, especially An Open House will occasionally bring a buyer, especially for homes, which are not priced in the upper bracket compared to the average house.
Six Top Mistakes Home Sellers Make
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Overpricing your home is the surest way to have your home sit and linger in the market.
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Not preparing your home for sale-If you want top dollar for your house, it has to be neat and clean. Get rid of the clutter, paint where needed and repair those things that need to be fixed.
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Smelly orders are a big turn-off make sure your house smells fresh and cleans with no smelly pets of other unpleasant odors. If you smoke have all your carpets and drapes cleaned.
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If your selling your house by your self send the family away on your open house days just have one person to answer questions only one. If you have an agent get out of the house when it’s being shown by you’re agent.
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Don’t-limit access to your home .If people can’t see your home when they want to, they’ll never make an offer
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TIMING IS EVERYTHING-Having to move twice is a nightmare. When you decide to sell your home start looking for your next purchase. With a little luck the day you accept the offer on your home you can make an offer on your new home, and close both escrows on the same day.
Top Ten Mistakes Home Buyers Make
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Don’t buy a home until you have sold your current home, unless you are willing to make two mortgage payments.
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Don’t look at houses you can’t afford, after you have been looking at homes out of your price range, it seams that nothing else is quite good enough .So figure out how much you can afford ahead of time.
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Don’t move in a neighborhood you know nothing about. Spend time walking around looking and listening to what is going on. Come back in the evening and just walk around.
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Don’t buy the first house you see. If you like the first house you see don’t be tempted to make an offer right away, look at, at least ten other homes before you make an offer.
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Don’t spend more than you can afford, even if you qualify for a larger mortgage, stick with your comfortable with.
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Do your homework so that when the house comes on the market that you really like, you are ready to make an offer.
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Don’t buy the wrong size house. Try to look ahead 4 to7 years from now. Will that house be big enough for you? Are you planning more children? Are elderly parents going to live with you? Think about that, and plan according.
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Don’t buy a house that is difficult to resell. If a house has been vacant and for sale for a long time, find out why? When buying a house think about how hard it will be to sell it when you’re the seller.
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Make sure you get the right mortgage for your situation. Stare by knowing how long you think you will live in that house, then choose the right mortgage that will give you the best terms.
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Get the right homeowner’s insurance, you should always purchase guaranteed replacement insurance. Make sure you have enough coverage on the contents. Also check for special government sponsored disaster insurance for some areas.
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Bait-and-switch schemes:
The lender may promise one type of loan or interest rate but, without good
reason, gives you a different one. Sometimes a higher (and unaffordable)
interest rate doesn't kick in until months after you have begun to pay on
your loan.
"Equity stripping": The lender
encourages you to borrow heavily from the equity in your home (the amount
you own free and clear of your mortgage) as an easy way to get additional
money or to consolidate debt or fund home repairs, knowing that the fees and
payments are so high you may not be able to make them. You dramatically
reduce your equity and, in the worst case, the lender forecloses on the
loan, takes possession of your home, and strips you of the equity.
"Loan flipping": The lender encourages you to get additional cash by refinancing your mortgage again and again. This tactic significantly increases your debt because fees (often exorbitant) are tacked on to each loan transaction, and you may pay a higher interest rate than with your original loan. You become saddled with higher payments, higher debt, and the risk of losing your home.
"Loan packing": The lender adds charges into the loan contract for overpriced items or items you don't need or didn't use, often totaling thousands of dollars. Examples: The lender may pressure you into buying insurance you don't need or trick you into paying for phony services.
Home improvement scams: A contractor talks you into costly or unnecessary repairs, steers you to a high-cost mortgage lender to finance the job, and arranges for the loan proceeds to be sent directly to the contractor. All too often, the contractor performs shoddy or incomplete work, and the homeowner is stuck paying off a long-term loan where the house is at risk.
Mortgage servicing scams: After getting the loan, you're told you owe additional money for bogus taxes, insurance, legal fees or late fees. Or, if you try to pay off the loan, the lender provides inaccurate information that causes you to pay too much or discourages you from refinancing with another lender
Questions to Ask before Signing a Loan Contract
What will my monthly payment be? Can the amount change? What would cause the payment to change? How much and how often could the payment go up? When will the loan be paid off? Just because a lender says you qualify for a certain loan amount doesn't mean you are getting a loan that is affordable for you. Make sure you can meet the loan payments now and in the future.
Is there a "balloon" payment? If so, when is it due, and how much will I owe? A balloon payment is a large, lump-sum payment due at the end of the loan term. A balloon loan may keep monthly payments low in the early years, but it must be refinanced or paid off in full at the end of the loan term, and the low payments mean that relatively little of the loan balance has been reduced. For some borrowers, a balloon loan can be very appropriate. For others, the consequences can be costly, perhaps even resulting in the loss of their home if they can't repay or refinance the amount due.
What is the APR - the annual percentage rate - for this loan? Is this the lowest rate you can offer? The APR is the total cost of the loan, including interest charges and other fees, expressed as a yearly rate. Comparison shop among several lenders so you have a good sense of the costs you should be incurring, then negotiates the best possible terms. Don't be afraid to make lenders compete for your business by letting them know that you are shopping for the best deal.
What "points" and fees would I be charged? Are any of these charges being added to the loan balance and increasing my payments? If so, how much extra would I pay each month and over the life of the loan? Each point equals one percent of the loan amounts. Make sure you have a good understanding of all costs, terms and conditions of the loan. Compare verbal answers with what is written in your loan documents.
Does the loan amount include fees for credit insurance, such as life, disability or unemployment insurance? If so, why, and how much will it cost me in up-front, monthly and total fees? You may not need the extra insurance, or you may get a better deal from your insurance agent or other sources, so shop around. Also, the lender is prohibited from conditioning approval of a loan on whether you buy insurance through the same company. Be very suspicious if the lender pushes single-premium insurance. The one-time payment usually is so big that consumers add the fee to their loan amount and pay interest each month, adding significantly to the monthly payments and to the total cost.
Is there a prepayment penalty if I pay off the loan early by refinancing or selling my house? What is the penalty? On some loans, a prepayment penalty will be charged if you pay more than is required on your monthly payment or pay off the loan before its term ends. Many lenders offer loans with prepayment penalties at lower interest rates than the same loans without prepayment penalties. Depending on your circumstances, a loan with a prepayment penalty can be a good alternative. However, prepayment penalties also can trap a borrower into a loan. For example, if market interest rates drop, you may miss out on a chance to refinance if the prepayment penalty on your loan is too high. Under the Truth in Lending Act, lenders must disclose any prepayment penalty and how it is determined. If the lender says there is no prepayment penalty, there should be a statement to that effect in the documents. You should ask the lender to show you where that is stated in the documents.
Do any of the loan terms differ from what was previously discussed or provided? If yes, which terms and why? Review documents prior to signing them and make sure you understand why any changes in terms and conditions have been made. Insurance through the same company. Be very suspicious if the lender pushes single-premium insurance. The one-time payment usually is so big that consumers add the fee to their loan amount and pay interest each month, adding significantly to the monthly payments and to the total cost.
Is there a prepayment penalty if I pay off the loan early by refinancing or selling my house? What is the penalty? On some loans, a prepayment penalty will be charged if you pay more than is required on your monthly payment or pay off the loan before its term ends. Many lenders offer loans with prepayment penalties at lower interest rates than the same loans without prepayment penalties. Depending on your circumstances, a loan with a prepayment penalty can be a good alternative. However, prepayment penalties also can trap a borrower into a loan. For example, if market interest rates drop, you may miss out on a chance to refinance if the prepayment penalty on your loan is too high. Under the Truth in Lending Act, lenders must disclose any prepayment penalty and how it is determined. If the lender says there is no prepayment penalty, there should be a statement to that effect in the documents. You should ask the lender to show you where that is stated in the documents.
Do any of the loan terms differ from what was previously discussed or provided? If yes, which terms and why? Review documents prior to signing them and make sure you understand why any changes in terms and conditions have been made.