The Real Estate Market Is Changing . . .

Buyers today are far more discriminating and informed (Internet), and a large percentage of the homes listed for sale don’t sell the first time. It’s more critical than ever to learn what you need to know to avoid costly mistakes in order to sell your home fast and for the most amount of money.”

 Selling your home is one of the most important steps in your life. This 9 step system will give you the tools you need to maximize your profit, maintain control, and reduce the stress of the home-selling process.

7 Costly Mistakes Homesellers Make

  1. Failing to analyze why they are selling.
  2. Not preparing their home for the buyer’s eye.
  3. Pricing their homes incorrectly.
  4. Selling too hard during showings.
  5. Signing the listing agreement without a written performance guarantee.
  6. Making it difficult for buyers to get information on their home.
  7. Failing to obtain a pre-approved mortgage for next home.

Get Your Home Sold Fast and For Top Dollar

1. Know why you’re selling, and keep it to yourself.

The reasons behind your decision to sell affect everything from setting a price to deciding how much time and money to invest in getting your home ready for sale. What’s more important to you: the money you walk away with inside of 90 days?, or the length of time it takes for the "market" to catchup to your home's price? Different goals will dictate different strategies.
Except for your Realtor, don’t reveal your motivation to anyone else or they may use it against you at the negotiating table. When asked, simply say that your housing needs have changed.

2. Do your homework before setting a price.

Settling on market value shouldn’t be done lightly. Once you’ve set your price, you’ve told buyers the absolute maximum they have to pay for your home, but pricing too high is probably more dangerous than pricing too low. Remember that the average buyer is looking at 15-20 homes at the same time they are considering yours. This means that they have a current basis of comparison, and if your home doesn’t compare favorably in this price range you’ve set, you won’t be taken seriously by prospects or Realtors. As a result, your home will sit on the market for a long time and, knowing this, new buyers on the market will think there must be something wrong with your home.

3. Do your homework.

(In fact, your Realtor should do this with you). Find out what homes in your own and similar neighborhoods have sold for in the past 3-6 months, and research what similar homes are listed for. It’s certainly how prospective buyers AND Lender's Appraisers will assess the worth of your home.

4. Find a good real estate Realtor to represent your needs.

Nearly three-quarters of homeowners claim that they wouldn’t use the same realtor who sold their last home. Dissatisfaction from lack of experience and knowledge of BOTH Realtor and Seller, boils down to poor communications which results in not enough feedback, lower and higher pricing and strained relations. Another FREE report entitled Seller's Value gives you the straight, to-the-point ideas you should be aware of when you interview Realtors who want to list your home.

5. Maximize your home’s sales potential.

You may not be able to change your home’s location or floor plan, but you can do a lot to improve its appearance. The look and feel of your home generates a greater emotional response than any other factor. Clean like you’ve never cleaned before pick up, straighten, unclutter, scrub, scour, dust. Fix everything, no matter how insignificant it may appear. Present your home to get a WOW! response from prospective buyers.
Allow buyers to imagine themselves living in your home The decision to buy a home is based on emotion, not logic. Prospective buyers want to try on your home just like they would a new suit of clothes. If you follow them around pointing out improvements or if your decor is so different that it’s difficult for a buyer to strip it away in his or her mind, you make it difficult for them to feel comfortable enough to imagine themselves an owner.

6. Make it easy for prospects to get information on your home.

You may be surprised to know that some marketing tools that most Realtors use to sell homes (eg. traditional open houses) are actually not very effective. In fact only 1% of homes are sold at an open house.
Furthermore, prospects looking for information on your home probably value their time as much as you do? The last thing they want to be subjected to is either a game of telephone tag, or an unwanted sales pitch. Make sure ads placed for your home have an address to an internet webpage for your home which gives buyers access to detailed information about your property day or night 7 days a week without having to talk to anyone! Embassy's website has FLYERS that can be printed to buyer's printer! It’s been proven that 3 times as many buyers get information on homes using this system. Remember, more buyers competing for your home the better, as it sets up an auction-like atmosphere that puts you in the driver’s seat. If priced right a home may even be sold at higher than listed price.

7. Know your buyer.

In the negotiation / showing process, your objective is to control the pace and set the duration. What is your buyer’s motivation? Does s/he need to move quickly? Does s/he have enough money to pay you your asking price? Have they been Pre Approved by a lender as to how much loan they can afford? Knowing this information gives you the upper hand in the negotiation because you know how far you can push to get what you want. Not only will you have to try to save a Realtor fee but keep the buyer from doing the SAME! Some FSBO buyer/shoppers HAVE been turned down during a loan application and feel they can do better with YOU!

8. Make sure the contract is complete.

For your part as a seller, make sure you disclose everything. Smart sellers proactively go above and beyond the laws to disclose all known defects to their buyers in writing. If the buyer knows about a problem, s/he can’t come back with a lawsuit later on.
Make sure all terms, costs and responsibilities are spelled out in the purchase/sell contract, and resist the temptation to diverge from the contract. For example: If buyer requests a move-in prior to closing, just say NO. Now is not the time to take any chances of the deal falling through.

9. Don’t move out before you $ell.

Studies have shown that it is more difficult to sell a home that is vacant because it looks forlorn, forgotten, simply not appealing. It could even cost you thousands. If you move, you’re also telling buyers that you have a new home and are probably highly motivated to sell fast. This, of course, will give them the advantage at the negotiating table.
For more information about any of our innovative homeowners programs, give us a call. 602-410-5250 or email me
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