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Selling a Home
If you are thinking of selling your
home, chances are you're caught up in a mass of emotions. You may be
looking forward to moving up to a new home or facing the uncertainty of
a major move across country. You may be reluctant to leave your memories
behind or eager to start new and exciting adventures. Remember, I am
here to help you with any of your needs. Call or email me today!
Getting Your House
Ready to Sell
Types
of Listing Contracts
Details
of a Listing Contract
The Listing Agent
& Marketing Your Home
The Listing Agent -
Marketing Your House to Other Agents
The Listing Agent -
Marketing Your House to Homebuyers
Showing Your House to
Home Buyers
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Introduction:
Emotion vs. Reason
When conversing with real estate
agents, you will often find that when they talk to you about buying real
estate, they will refer to your purchase as a "home." Yet if
you are selling property, they will often refer to it as a
"house." There is a reason for this. Buying real estate is
often an emotional decision, but when selling real estate you need to
remove emotion from the equation.
You need to think of your house as a marketable commodity. Property.
Real estate. Your goal is to get others to see it as their potential
home, not yours. If you do not consciously make this decision, you can
inadvertently create a situation where it takes longer to sell your
property.
The first step in getting your home ready to sell is to
"de-personalize" it.
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De-Personalizing
the House
The reason you want to
"de-personalize" your home is because you want buyers to view
it as their potential home. When a potential homebuyer sees your family
photos hanging on the wall, it puts your own brand on the home and
momentarily shatters their illusions about owning the house. Therefore,
put away family photos, sports trophies, collectible items,
knick-knacks, and souvenirs. Put them in a box. Rent a storage area for
a few months and put the box in the storage unit.
Do not just put the box in the attic, basement, garage or a closet. Part
of preparing a house for sale is to remove "clutter," and that
is the next step in preparing your house for sale.
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Removing
Clutter, Though You May Not Think of it as Clutter
This is the hardest thing for most
people to do because they are emotionally attached to everything in the
house. After years of living in the same home, clutter collects in such
a way that may not be evident to the homeowner. However, it does affect
the way buyers see the home, even if you do not realize it. Clutter
collects on shelves, counter tops, drawers, closets, garages, attics,
and basements.
Take a step back and pretend you are a buyer. Let a friend help point
out areas of clutter, as long as you can accept their views without
getting defensive. Let your agent help you, too.
Kitchen Clutter:
The kitchen is a good place to start removing clutter, because it is an
easy place to start. First, get everything off the counters. Everything.
Even the toaster. Put the toaster in a cabinet and take it out when you
use it. Find a place where you can store everything in cabinets and
drawers. Of course, you may notice that you do not have cabinet space to
put everything. Clean them out. The dishes, pots and pans that rarely
get used? Put them in a box and put that box in storage, too.
You see, homebuyers will open all your cabinets and drawers, especially
in the kitchen. They want to be sure there is enough room for their
"stuff." If your kitchen cabinets, pantries, and drawers look
jammed full, it sends a negative message to the buyer and does not
promote an image of plentiful storage space. The best way to do that is
to have as much "empty space" as possible.
For that reason, if you have a "junk drawer," get rid of the
junk. If you have a rarely used crock pot, put it in storage. Do this
with every cabinet and drawer. Create open space.
If you have a large amount of foodstuffs crammed into the shelves or
pantry, begin using them - especially canned goods. Canned goods are
heavy and you don’t want to be lugging them to a new house, anyway -
or paying a mover to do so. Let what you have on the shelves determine
your menus and use up as much as you can.
Beneath the sink is very critical, too. Make sure the area beneath the
sink is as empty as possible, removing all extra cleaning supplies. You
should scrub the area down as well, and determine if there are any
tell-tale signs of water leaks that may cause a homebuyer to hesitate in
buying your home.
Closet Clutter:
Closets are great for accumulating clutter, though you may not think of
it as clutter. We are talking about extra clothes and shoes - things you
rarely wear but cannot bear to be without. Do without these items for a
couple of months by putting them in a box, because these items can make
your closets look "crammed full." Sometimes there are
shoeboxes full of "stuff" or other accumulated personal items,
too.
Furniture Clutter:
Many people have too much furniture in certain rooms - not too much for
your own personal living needs - but too much to give the illusion of
space that a homebuyer would like to see. You may want to tour some
builders’ models to see how they place furniture in the model homes.
Observe how they place furniture in the models so you get some ideas on
what to remove and what to leave in your house.
Storage Area Clutter:
Basements, garages, attics, and sheds accumulate not only clutter, but
junk. These areas should be as empty as possible so that buyers can
imagine what they would do with the space. Remove anything that is not
essential and take it to the storage area.
Or have a garage sale.
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Fixing
Up the House Interior
Plumbing and Fixtures:
All your sink fixtures should look shiny and new. If this cannot be
accomplished by cleaning, buy new ones where needed. If you don’t buy
something fancy, this can be accomplished inexpensively and they are
fairly easy to install. Make sure all the hot and cold water knobs are
easy to turn and that the faucets do not leak. If they do, replace the
washers. It is not difficult at all.
Check to make sure you have good water pressure and that there are no
stains on any of the porcelain. If you have a difficult stain to remove,
one trick is to hire a cleaning crew to go through and clean your home
on a one-time basis. They seem to be wonderful at making stains go away.
Ceilings, Walls and Painting:
Check all the ceilings for water stains. Sometimes old leaks leave
stains, even after you have repaired the leak. Of course, if you do have
a leak, you will have to get it repaired, whether it is a plumbing
problem or the roof leaks.
You should do the same for walls, looking for not only stains, but also
areas where dirt has accumulated and you just may not have noticed.
Plus, you may have an outdated color scheme.
Painting can be your best investment when selling your home. It is not a
very expensive operation and often you can do it yourself. Do not choose
colors based on your own preferences, but based on what would appeal to
the widest possible number of buyers. You should almost always choose an
off-white color because white helps your rooms appear bright and
spacious.
Carpet and Flooring:
Unless your carpet appears old and worn, or it is definitely an outdated
style or color, you probably should do nothing more than hire a good
carpet cleaner. If you do choose to replace it, do so with something
inexpensive in a fairly neutral color.
Repair or replace broken floor tiles, but do not spend a lot of money on
anything. Remember, you are not fixing up the place for yourself. You
want to move. Your goal is simply to have as few negative impressions
upon those who may want to purchase your property.
Windows and Doors:
Check all of your windows to make sure they open and close easily. If
not, a spray of WD40 often helps. Make sure there are no cracked or
broken windowpanes. If there are, replace them before you begin showing
your home.
Do the same things with the doors - make sure they open and close
properly, without creaking. If they do, a shot of WD40 on the hinges
usually makes the creak go away. Be sure the doorknobs turn easily, and
that they are cleaned and polished to look sharp. As buyers go from room
to room, someone opens each door and you want to do everything necessary
to create a positive impression.
Odor Control:
For those who smoke, you might want to minimize smoking indoors while
trying to sell your home. You could also purchase an ozone spray that
helps to remove odors without creating a masking odor.
Pets of all kinds create odors that you may have become used to, but are
immediately noticeable to those with more finely tuned olfactory senses.
For those with cats, be sure to empty kitty litter boxes daily. There
are also products that you can sprinkle in a layer below the kitty
litter that helps to control odor. For those with dogs, keep the dog
outdoors as much as possible. You might also try sprinkling carpet
freshener on the carpet on a periodic basis.
Costs of Repairs:
Do not do anything expensive, such as remodeling. If possible, use
savings to pay for any repairs and improvements - do not go charging up
credit cards or obtaining new loans. Remember that part of selling a
house is also preparing to buy your next home. You do not want to do
anything that will affect your credit scores or hurt your ability to
qualify for your next mortgage.
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Fixing
Up Outside the House
Most real estate advice tells you to
work on the interior of the house first, but unless there is a major
project involved, we believe it is best to do it last.
There are two reasons for this: First, the exterior is more important at
first. A homebuyer’s first impression of a home is based on his or her
reaction to the house from the real estate agent’s car. The second
reason is because preparing the interior of the house is easier. Looking
objectively at the exterior of your house can help you develop the
proper mindset required for selling, which is beginning to think of your
home as a marketable commodity.
So take a walk across the street and take a good look at your house.
Look at nearby houses, too, and see how yours compares.
Landscaping:
Is your landscaping at least average for the neighborhood? If it is not,
buy a few bushes and plant them. Do not put in trees. Mature trees are
expensive, and you will not get back your investment. Also, immature
trees do not really add much to the appearance value of the home.
If you have an area for flowers, buy mature colorful flowers and plant
them. They add a splash of vibrancy and color, creating a favorable
first impression. Do not buy bulbs or seeds and plant them. They will
not mature fast enough to create the desired effect and you certainly
don’t want a patch of brown earth for homebuyers to view.
Your lawn should be evenly cut, freshly edged, well watered, and free of
brown spots. If there are problems with your lawn, you should probably
take care of them before working on the inside of your home. This is
because certain areas may need re-soding, and you want to give it a
chance to grow so that re-sod areas are not immediately apparent. Plus,
you might want to give fertilizer enough time to be effective.
Always rake up loose leaves and grass cuttings.
House Exterior:
The big decision is whether to paint or not to paint. When you look at
your house from across the street, does it look tired and faded? If so,
a paint job may be in order. It is often a very good investment and
really spruces up the appearance of a house, adding dollars to offers
from potential homebuyers.
When choosing a color, it should not be something garish and unusual,
but a color that fits well in your neighborhood. Of course, the color
also depends on the style of your house, too. For some reason, different
shades of yellow seem to illicit the best response in homebuyers,
whether it is in the trim or the basic color of the house.
As for the roof, if you know your house has an old leaky roof, replace
it. If you do not replace a leaky roof, you are going to have to
disclose it and the buyer will want a new roof, anyway. Otherwise, wait
and see what the home inspector says. Why spend money unnecessarily?
The Back Yard:
The back yard should be tidy. If you have a pool or spa, keep it freshly
maintained and constantly cleaned. For those that have dogs, be sure to
constantly keep the area clear of "debris." If you have swing
sets or anything elaborate for your kids, it probably makes more sense
to remove them than to leave them in place. They take up room, and you
want your back yard to appear as spacious as possible, especially in
newer homes where the yards are not as large.
The Front Door & Entryway:
The front door should be especially sharp, since it is the entryway into
the house. Polish the door fixture so it gleams. If the door needs
refinishing or repainting, make sure to get that done.
If you have a cute little plaque or shingle with your family name on it,
remove it. Even if it is just on the mailbox. You can always put it up
again once you move. Get a new plush door mat, too. This is something
else you can take with you once you move.
Make sure the lock works easily and the key fits properly. When a
homebuyer comes to visit your home, the agent uses the key from the lock
box to unlock the door. If there is trouble working the lock while
everyone else stands around twiddling their thumbs, this sends a
negative first impression to prospective homebuyers.
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Types
of Listing Contracts
There are several different types of listing contracts, but very few of
them are used. The "Exclusive Right to Sell" is the most
common, but there is the "open listing," the "exclusive
agency listing," and the "one-time show."
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Open
Listings
The "open listing" is mostly
used by people trying to sell their home by owner who are also willing
to work with real estate agents. Basically, it gives a real estate agent
the right to bring buyers around to view your home. If their client buys
your home, the agent earns a commission. There is nothing exclusive
about an open listing and a home seller can give out such listings to
every agent who comes around.
For that reason, no agent is going to market your home or put it in the
Multiple Listing Service. If your home fits the criteria for one of
their clients, and it is convenient, they may be willing to show it to
their client. That is all an "open listing" is good for.
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One-Time
Show
A "one-time show" is similar
to an open listing in many respects, as it is most often used by real
estate agents who are showing a FSBO (for sale by owner) to one of their
clients. The home seller signs the agreement, which identifies the
potential buyer and guarantees the agent a commission should that buyer
purchase the home. This prevents the buyer and seller from negotiating
directly later and trying to avoid paying the agent’s commission.
As with an open listing, agents will not be spending money on marketing
your home and it will not be placed in the Multiple Listing System.
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Exclusive
Right to Sell
Giving a real estate agent the "exclusive right to sell" your
property does not mean that there will not be other agents involved.
Your agent is the listing agent and part of his or her job is to market
your home to other agents who work with buyers. Those agents will show
your home to their clients. Regardless of who sells the home, even if
you sell it yourself to a friend at work, your listing agent will earn a
commission.
An exclusive right to sell is the only type of listing an effective real
estate agent will accept. This is because they have a reasonable
expectation of earning back any money they spend on promoting and
marketing your property.
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Details of a Listing
Contract
Obviously the name of the seller and the property address will be
included in the listing contract. There are many other things that are
included, too, and you should be aware of them.
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Price and Terms of Sale
When setting the terms of sale, the
main thing you are concerned with is the price. You should have a basic
idea of what your home is worth by keeping track of other sales in the
neighborhood. Plus, you have probably interviewed at least two real
estate agents and they have given you their own ideas. Exercise great
care in determining your asking price, making sure not to set it too
high or too low.
In addition to the price, you will disclose what personal property, if
any, goes with the house when you sell it. Personal property is anything
that is not attached or fixed to the home, such as washers, dryers,
refrigerators, and so on.
There may be some item that is considered "real property" that
you do not intend to include in the sale. Real property is anything that
is attached to the home. For example, you may have a chandelier that has
been in your family for generations and you take it from home to home
when you move. Since the chandelier is attached to the house, it is
considered "real property" and a reasonable buyer would
normally expect it to go with the house.
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Lockbox
- Yes or No?
A lockbox is a basically a padlock
with a cavity inside where a key to your home can be placed. Only
someone with an electronic key or the combination can get into the
lockbox and access the key. Having a lockbox available at your house
makes it easy for other agents to get access to your house.
Without the lockbox, agents representing buyers would have to set
appointments to meet you or your agent at the house so they could gain
access and view the home. This would be inconvenient. Since almost every
other house does have a lockbox available, if you do not allow one most
agents will simply not show your property. You will miss out on lots of
potential buyers.
The listing contract specifies whether you allow a lockbox or not. It is
locked into place, usually on the front door and cannot be removed. Only
other agents can access the key that is located within the lockbox.
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Multiple
Listing Service
Your listing contract should specify
whether or not the house will be listed with the local MLS (multiple
listing service). It is definitely in your interest to have the house
listed. This is because your sales force is automatically multiplied by
however many agents are members of the local MLS. If your house is not
listed, then you only have one agent working for you instead of many.
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Agency
Duties of a Listing Agent
The listing contract will specify that your agent is acting as a
"seller’s agent." This means that, in the sale of your
house, they are working for you and only you. However, there may be
times when your listing agent has a client who wants to buy your home.
For that reason, there is a little "wiggle room" in the
listing contract. If your agent also represents the buyer, the listing
contract should specify that they provide an additional disclosure that
details their duties as a dual agent.
The contract also provides permission for your listing agent to act as
an agent for others on other transactions. They can continue to list
other properties, and represent buyers looking at other homes.
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The
“Real” Role of a Listing Agent
When you bought your home, you
probably used the services of a real estate agent. You found that agent
through a referral from a friend or family member, or through some sort
of advertising or marketing. The agent helped you in many ways and
eventually you found the house of your dreams, made an offer, closed the
deal, and moved in.
For whatever reason, now it is time to sell your home and you need a
real estate agent again. Many home sellers, especially those selling
their first home, tend to think all agents are similar to the one that
helped them buy their home.
Although real estate agents can (and do) work with both buyers and
sellers, most tend to concentrate more on one than the other. They
specialize. When you bought your home, you probably worked with a
"selling agent" - an agent that works mostly with buyers.
Because of the nature of real estate advertising and marketing, the
public’s main image of the real estate profession is that of the
selling agent.
As a result, many homeowners expect their listing agent to do the same
things that a selling agent does - find someone to buy their home. After
all, they do the things you would expect if they were searching for
buyers. A sign goes up in the front yard. Ads are placed in the local
newspaper and real estate magazines. Your agent holds an open house on
the weekend. Your house is proudly displayed on the Internet.
But this is only "surface" marketing. More important activity
occurs behind the scenes. After the "for sale" sign goes up
and flyers are printed, your agent’s main job is to market your home
to other agents, not to homebuyers.
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Preliminary Marketing -
the “For Sale” Sign
It seems fairly obvious that when you
put your house up for sale that your agent will put a "for
sale" sign in the front yard. The sign will identify the agent’s
company, the agent, and have a phone number so prospective buyers can
call and get information.
Signs are great at generating phone calls, even if very few actually
purchase the home they call about. However, you might be one of the
lucky ones. For that reason, you should determine what happens when
someone calls the number on the sign. Does a live person answer the
phone or does the call go to a voicemail or recorder?
You want someone to answer the phone while the caller is
"hot." When buyers call the number on the sign, the call
should go to a live person who can answer questions immediately. A
potential buyer may be on the street outside your home, placing the call
using a cell phone.
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Preliminary Marketing -
Flyers and the Brochure Box
Your agent should prepare a flyer that displays a photo and provides
details about your house. There should also be a phone number so buyers
can contact your agent to get additional information. The flyers should
be displayed in a prominent location in your home and also in a brochure
box attached to the "for sale" sign.
The brochure box is convenient for those buyers who drive by and just
happen to see the "for sale" sign in front of your house. It
provides enough information so they can determine if they want to follow
up with a phone call or inform their own agent they are interested in
your house.
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The
Multiple Listing Service
Even before the sign is up and the
brochures are ready, your agent should list your property with the local
MLS (Multiple Listing Service). The MLS is a database of all the homes
listed by local real estate agents who are members of the service, which
is practically all of the local agents.
Important information about your property is listed here, from general
data such as square footage and number of rooms, to such details as
whether you have central air conditioning or hard wood flooring. There
should also be a photo, and a short verbal description of what makes
your house "special."
Agents search the database for homes that fit the price range and needs
of their clients. They pay special attention to homes that have been
recently placed on the market, which is one reason you get a lot of
attention when your house is first listed. Many agents will want to
preview the home before they show it to their clients.
The main point about having your house listed in the MLS is that you
expand your sales force by the number of local MLS members. Instead of
having just one agent working for you, now you may have hundreds or
more, depending on the size of your community.
The listing agent’s main job to make sure that the other MLS members
know about your house. This is accomplished through listing your house
in the Multiple Listing Service, broker previews and advertising
targeted toward other agents, not homebuyers.
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Office
Preview
If your listing agent belongs to a fairly sizable office, an
"office preview" will introduce your house to other agents
working in the same office. In effect, they get a "head start"
on selling your property. Once a week, the office’s agents will get
together, share vehicles, and "caravan" to all of the new
listings. They generally pull up in front of your house at about the
same time (some even use a bus) then file quickly through your home like
some bizarre "follow the leader" game.
It can be amazing to watch.
They go through very quickly, since most of them are familiar with
similar models of your house. They are usually looking for anything
memorable or different and to determine if your house is one they would
be proud to show their clients. Then they all pile back into their cars
and move on to the next house on the tour.
But some of them come back…with buyers.
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Broker Previews and
Culinary Delights
Broker preview is very similar to an office preview, except it is open
to all the members of the local multiple listing service. It usually
occurs within the first week your house is placed on the market, just
after the office preview. However, there are lots of new listings to
choose from, and not all the agents preview all the new listings each
week. You may not get as many agents visiting your home as there were on
the office preview.
Unless your agent "entices" them to come. This is where you
could provide some help, if you are so inclined.
Though it may seem funny, nothing seems to attract a real estate agent
like the offer of free food. So if your agent offers "free
eats" at a broker preview, you are likely to get more visitors than
if nothing is offered. Realize that many agents have been on this weekly
circuit for years, so "boring" food does not really accomplish
much. In other words, sandwiches supplied from the local grocery chain
are not very enticing.
If you want to help your agent sell your home quickly, try and help them
be creative and original in the choice of a culinary treat.
Of course, some agents will actually come to look at your house, too -
whether food is offered or not.
Maybe.
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Office
Flyers
Your agent will undoubtedly prepare
flyers about your property so that prospective homebuyers can be
informed about the attractive features of your house. These flyers (or
similar ones) should also be sent to all the local real estate offices,
too. Most areas have a weekly flyer service that delivers advertisements
to all of the local offices. Since agents get these flyers every week,
they do not always look at them. However, a large percentage of them do.
Some agents will keep the flyer and bring buyers to your house.
The flyer should be done professionally and photocopy well. Ask your
agent to show you copies of office flyers they have done in the past.
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Marketing
Sessions
Your agent probably belongs to a local association of Realtors and they
often have meetings once a month. At these meetings there is often a
"marketing session" where some agents stand up and tell about
their listings and other agents stand up and tell about their buyers.
Your listing agent has an opportunity to "pitch" your house at
these marketing sessions.
At the same time, these sessions may not be as effective as they were in
the past. One reason is that they are often more social occasions than
serious business meetings. Another reason is that, as technology has
expanded, local associations have tended to merge and create larger
Multiple Listing Services and Associations. Local meetings have become
poorly attended gatherings.
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The
Purpose of Advertising in General
Every home seller likes to be assured
that their listing agent or the real estate company will run ads
featuring their home. Newspaper ads could be large display ads with lots
of listings or small classified ads featuring just your property. Ads
may also appear in local real estate magazines and your listing will
also show up on the Internet.
The agents representing homebuyers know about your home because it is
listed in the Multiple Listing Service, has been on office and broker
preview, and because I may have also sent flyers to all the local real
estate offices. Also, I send just listed postcards around your
neighborhood - someone might have family or friends who want to live in
the same area.
The agents match up their clients with available homes, one of which may
be yours. Then they show the homes to their clients, who eventually make
an offer on one. That is how your house gets sold. Ads create a pool of
clients, one of which buys your home. Ads do not usually sell your house
directly.
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4
Sale Line - How Does It Work?
First we assign a 4-digit property coe
and then add a 5th digit to distinguish where it has been advertised.
(i.e. 99990 - 0 = open house in the D&C, 99991 - 1 = yard sale,
etc.) Then we submit your ad and add a PC (property code) number in the
ads (call 292-8500 PC# 12345). Finally, I receive information via my
cell phone and email with the name and number of the person calling in
on the PC number. I also receive an activity report. Seller and Buyers
win!
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Top
Individual
Agent Advertising
Individual agents may advertise your
home for the same reasons as companies do. They usually advertise in
classified ads or in specialty magazines featuring houses available for
sale.
As in other types of advertising, these ads rarely sell your home. Once
again, the main goals of advertising are to accumulate homebuyers as
clients, and to impress you and future home sellers with how well they
market their listings. Some agents actually do sell their own listings,
but not that often.
It is much more productive and beneficial if your listing agent directs
most of his or her marketing efforts toward other agents. Since this is
"behind the scenes" marketing that you don’t actually see,
it is often difficult for you to measure how hard the agent is working
for you.
It is a mistake to measure your agent’s effectiveness solely by
counting the number of newspaper and magazine ads featuring your
property.
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Neighborhood
Announcements
When you first list your home many
agents send "announcements" to all of the other houses in your
neighborhood. This can be done in the form of postcards, a letter, or
flyers left hanging on the front door. These are important because your
neighbors might have friends who are looking to buy a house.
The announcements create "word of mouth" advertising, which is
the best kind.
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Open
Houses
An open house when your property is first placed on the market can be
very important, but not for the reasons most homeowners think. Just like
with advertising, most visitors to open houses rarely buy the house they
come to look at. They may not even know the price of your home when they
stop by to visit - they probably just followed an "Open House"
sign to your door.
An open house performs a similar function to the neighborhood
announcements - it lets all of your neighbors know that your house is
for sale, and it practically invites them to come "take a
look." Being generally nosy, a lot of your neighbors will take
advantage of the invitation.
And they may tell their friends about your house, creating more
"word of mouth" advertising.
Of course, there are other reasons for holding open houses, too. Listing
agents who "farm" a particular neighborhood use them as an
opportunity to meet with other local homeowners who will someday be
selling their home. Your agent may hope to list their homes in the
future.
Open houses held after your home has been on the market awhile do not
usually serve a useful purpose in selling your home. Most of the
neighbors already know your house is for sale and open house visitors
rarely buy the homes they visit.
However, if you really want more open houses, your listing agent may
allow other agents to hold it open. Open houses attract prospective
homebuyers and agents hope to convince some of those homebuyers to
become their clients.
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Convenience
and Availability
Your house should always be available
for show, even though it may occasionally be inconvenient for you. Let
your listing agent put a lock box in a convenient place, to make it easy
for other agents to show your home to homebuyers. Otherwise, agents will
have to schedule appointments, which is an inconvenience. Most will just
skip your home to show the house of someone else who is more
cooperative.
Most agents will call and give you at least a couple of hours notice
before showing your property. If you refuse to let them show it at that
time, they will just skip your house. Even if they come back another
time, it will probably be with different buyers and you may have just
lost a chance to sell your home.
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Why You Should Not be Home
Homebuyers will feel like intruders if
you are home when they visit, and they might not be as receptive toward
viewing your home. Visit the local coffee house, yogurt shop, or take
the kids to the local park. If you absolutely cannot leave, try to
remain in an out of the way area of the house and do not move from room
to room. Do not volunteer any information, but answer any questions the
agent may ask.
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Lighting, Fragrances, Pet
Control and More
When you know someone is coming by to
tour your home, turn on all the indoor and outdoor lights - even during
the day. At night, a lit house gives a "homey" impression when
viewed from the street. During the daytime, turning on the lights
prevents harsh shadows from sunlight and it brightens up any dim areas.
Your house looks more homey and cheerful with the lights on.
Fragrances:
Do not use scented sprays to prepare for visitors. It is too obvious and
many people find the smells of those sprays offensive, not to mention
that some may be allergic. If you want to have a pleasant aroma in your
house, have a potpourri pot or something natural. Or turn on a stove
burner for a moment and put a drop of vanilla extract on it. It will
smell like you have been cooking.
Pet Control:
If you have pets, make sure your listing agent puts a notice with your
listing in the multiple listing service. The last thing you want is to
have your pet running out the front door and getting lost. If you know
someone is coming, it would be best to try to take the pets with you
while the homebuyers tour your home. If you cannot do that, It is best
to keep dogs in a penned area in the back yard. Try to keep indoor cats
in a specific room when you expect visitors, and put a sign on the door.
Most of the time, an indoor cat will hide when buyers come to view your
property, but they may panic and try to escape.
The Kitchen Trash:
Especially if your kitchen trash can does not have a lid, make sure you
empty it every time someone comes to look at your home - even if your
trash can is kept under the kitchen sink. Remember that you want to send
a positive image about every aspect of your home. Kitchen trash does not
send a positive message. You may go through more plastic bags than
usual, but it will be worth it.
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Keeping
the House Tidy and Neat
Not everyone makes his or her bed every day, but when selling a home it
is recommended that you develop the habit. Pick up papers, do not leave
empty glasses in the family room, keep everything freshly dusted and
vacuumed. Try your best to have it look like a model home - a home with
furniture but nobody really lives there.
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