Sell your own home - How to ...

Say you’ve chosen to sell your home on your own, where do you begin?

Well, as I’ve discussed before, the first step in selling a home by any method begins with setting the asking price. And there are more than one ways to assign a value to your home, and none of them consider what you paid for it, what you owe on your mortgage, or necessarily, what you think it’s worth.

My first suggestion is to hire a professional MAI-certified appraiser. Having an objective appraisal of your home conducted by a professional will assure that your price is competitive compared to like homes in the same market area.

You can also do your own market analysis of your home to assign it a price. You will need to research homes that have sold in approximately the same neighborhood with about the same square footage, number of baths and bedrooms and in roughly the same condition as your home and take an average sales price from the sample and use it to price your home. We also have a free tool on our Web site – Market Snapshot (http://www.listinghousesforless.com/market-snapshot) – that can aid you in this process.

Some of the other important considerations you should have when selling your own home:

• Curb appeal. Make sure your landscaping is kept up to give your home the best first impression.
• Staging. Be sure the inside of your home is clean and inviting. Eliminate anything that might cause offensive odors. You may also want to consider the services of a professional staging company.
• Advertising. Investing a few dollars in classified ads and placement on the Web (including as many photos as possible) will help garner attention.
• Qualified buyers. Only deal with buyers who are pre-qualified for a mortgage. This not only assures you have a qualified buyer able to purchase your home, but it shows that they’re serious and not wasting your time. And keep a detailed list of everyone who tours your home.
• Pets. Dogs, cats and other pets may be family members, but remove them from the home during a showing.
• Open house? We don’t suggest this for those selling their own home. Allowing just anyone to walk through your house can be dangerous and invite more problems to follow.

These are just some of the important considerations for those seeking to sell their own home. Visit our Web site and download our free For Sale By Owner Guide (http://www.listinghousesforless.com/for-sale-by-owner) for more in-depth information and tips.

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