Flexit Realty Blog

Selling Your Home 12 Easy Steps, Step #12 Negotiating

Gary L White — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:38:32 +0000

Negotiating Your Homes Sale, Step #12

Is one of the finale steps before you meet at the title company or lawyers office, depending on your state and method of completing your homes sale.

This steps requires some diplomacy and nerve to hold your ground on issues that will not kill the sale, yet will not cost your thousands of dollars.

Before inspections in most cases, before the value appraisal comes the purchase agreement to buy your home.

Real estate agents have very little contract negotiation training. Agents bring

Real Estate agents often do not have Negotiation Skills, they are learned on the job, representing home owners.

what negotiation skills they have, from other industries, or learn how as a result of client representation on the job as real estate agents. This is why real estate agent selection is so important. Real estate selling agents do have some formal negotiation training, learning the basics along with legal terms, during pre-licensed training. This can be only a few hours and for test purposes, not under real sales contracts or situations that can make or break a home sale. Real Estate brokers will provide new agents with direct supervision and/or offer in-house training classes.

Negotiation Guideline List:

Sell Price, what price is your bottom line after calculated expenses?
How much are you willing to spend on repairs? Many times a buyer agent will ask for repairs to be completed by a licensed contractor.
Possession date, when will you get the buyer access to your property after the sale? Will you give immediate possession or some date in the future? If it is some acceptable date in the future will your buyer give you those extra days, for living in their home, free? Negotiate your possession dates.
Appraisal, if the appraisal comes in lower than the agreed upon sell price what will the buyer do? Will the buyer ask you to lower the price? Will the buyer pay the difference in the agreed sell price, paying more? Can you split the difference? Know this information upfront, if you can. Have a alternative home selling plan ready, should this happen. “Make sure you ask for a copy of the appraisal.” now you know why. Put this in writing along with every clause, exception, addition and term changes make. In real estate like many other areas of life, if it isn’t written it is not legally bidding to either party. Consult an attorney
Closing costs, do you split costs based on actual costs of seller and buyer normal fees? Is the buyer asking you to contribute to their buying or loan costs? Can you maintain your selling price without any discount or lower price if you include these costs in the sale?
Before we get to the negotiationsit is likely the buyer will have a home inspection. We discussed repairs when you were preparing the outside and inside of your home for sale. Now is the time when those repairs pay off. If the home inspector finds repairs needed, and they will, you can negotiate to fix the problems or split costs of the repairs with the buyer. A word of caution here. If
Selling Your Home using Professional Real Estate Selling Skills can help you seal your home selling deal with a smile.

the repair is deemed to be required for the buyer to get their loan approved, you will probably have to do the repair out of your pocket. Deciding not to do the repair means that the buyer can not get the loan and will terminate the purchase agreement. In most cases the earnest deposit will be required to be refunded to the buyer.

Likely Required Repairs:

Railings, most common is stair railings, to upper and lower levels. Outdoor porch rails may be required, in some cases.
Electrical, circuit issues such as “double taps”, lose wires, plugs or missing face plates.
Ground Fault Circuit Breaker plugs by sinks, in kitchens and bathrooms within 6 feet of faucets, also called GFI’s (other names depending on area and state). Basically GFI’s stop people from being electrocuted if they drop something with an active (plug-in) electrical attachment into water. Hair dryer, frying pans, curling iron etc.
Rotted wood can cause structure issues, if you have or had a leak around toilet bowls and plumbing areas that have gone unnoticed.
Roof condition, not having enough acceptable service life left on the roof. Roof leaks or shingles or tiles are missing. Roof pitch has also been an issue at times, but less often.
Basement leak, if you have a basement. Many times this is poor drainage or not have downspouts installed.

Many more things can come up during inspections, you get the idea, your sale can be derailed if an inspector finds a problem. If you are unwilling to fix or pay for a requested repair and the buyer will not or can not negotiate with you because of the conditions of the loan, your sale can fall through.

Home Loan Appraisal, you have made it through inspections, now comes the appraisal value of your home. How much value does the buyers lender place on your home? Very important, try to negotiate to see a copy of your homes appraisal value by the appraiser. You mush have the buyers permission to see the appraisal. Agents can many times get permission to see limited areas of the appraisal. You can offer to split the cost if the appraisal comes in low. Most buyers want your home or they would not have made the offer to purchase. Offer them half is a win-win for both of you. When writing the purchase agreement make sure you ask to see this document. When negotiations are all smiles is the time to get yourself in the information sharing position.

“FREE SELER’S CHECKLIST”

Ask for a FREE Seller Checklist if you live in the Grand Rapids Real Estate Market and considering selling your home. Expose your home to a wider range of buyers using today’s most up to date real estate technology and selling methods.

Call Flexit Realty: 616-784-2360
Email: GaryWhite@FlexitRealty.com
Website: www.FlexitRealty.com

Selling Your Home Links Each Article

MC Scow Sailboat Racing May 19-20 2012

Gary L White — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:03:50 +0000

Not everything is about real estate, sometimes I have to share a passion, sailboat racing. We have had one of the mildest winters in memory. Jinxing our good fortune by talking

MC Scow Racing Grand Rapids Yacht Club Spring Shakedown Regatta May 19-20 2012 Reeds Lake East Grand Rapids Michigan

about the warmer than normal weather, will bring me the wrath of everyone I know!

The Grand Rapids Yacht Club MC Scow fleet, just met, to work out the details of racing season for 2012. To kickoff MC Scow racing season at the Grand Rapids Yacht Club, located in East Grand Rapids Michigan, the annual MC Scow “Spring Shakedown Regatta”. Entry fee $45.00, includes most skipper meals, a fancy tee shirt and a great time!

Located along the shore of Reeds Lake is a park overlooking the racing event, should you be a land lover. Racing is close with boat being literally inches from each other on the starting line. The view from the park allows spectators to watch the entire race while picnicking or sitting on one of the many park benches provided by the East Grand Rapids department of public works.

I posted an article on this annual MC Scow racing event on www.ActiveRain.com/GaryWhite here is the link to that article, MC Scow Sprint Shakedown Regatta May 19-20, 2012

Selling Your Home in 12 Easy Steps, Step #11 Open Houses

Gary L White — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:17:31 +0000

Open Houses, Step #11

A few days before your “Open House” go over the home selling steps already covered in this series. Create the right home selling environment for buyers. We will cover how to advertise your home for sale to maximize buyer attendance to your open house.

Step #4 Marketing Methods to attract the widest range of buyers that may be

Marketing Your Home correctly will help buyer's find Your Home First!

interested in your home.

Step #5 Property Descriptions, you will not be handing your property descriptions to every buyer that comes through the door, but those interested in your home. Survey of the property, included, if you have one.

Step #6 Preparing the Outside of your home for sale. It is always good to take another look before hosting your open house. Sometimes newspapers and other debris blows into bushes. The forgotten yard tool left out is found. This is also a good time to decide on parking, if you have more cars than fit in your garage.

Step #7 Preparing the Inside of your home for sale. Make sure you home is ready, one more time. Look at child proofing your home. Children reach and grab small items. Having one of your a prized possessions broken in not a way to create a home sale with an embarrassing situation.

Brochures Were not discussed in detail, it is time to make sure you have a handout of your property with photos and property description. This helps buyers remember your property. I know many real estate agents do not use brochures. Better for me, as are real estate agent, that helps me sell my clients homes. Buyers have a reminder of your property and feature in front of them, when reviewing the homes they seen for sale. They also have something to hand someone else, if they are not looking to buy a home themselves. Remember friends and family many times go to open houses looking for relatives and friends moving into the area. Parents will preview homes for sale, helping their children buy a home.

Step#10 Financing, we reviewed home financing, many buyer’s look for a

Hosting an "Open House" can help you generate more buyer exposure and Sell Your Home.

house before taking the time to discuss getting a home mortgage with a lender. If you have several home loan options ready to hand them, this can speed up the home selling process. It takes a decision out of the hands of the buyer. They don’t have to decide where to go and have a good idea of the mortgage payment, if they buy your home.

Hosting your “Open House”. The first issue is advertising. Making sure you do your advertising far enough in advance to allow for buyers to plan their schedule to see your home.

Most real estate agents host open houses, if you are hosting your own open house, you have decided on a limited service home selling plan or are selling your own home.

Greeting Buyers, Do’s and Do Not

“Do”

Greet Buyers at the front door, if possible.
Have a brochure of your home ready to hand them.
Create small talk, weather, live close? Your goal find out something and create rapport. Put buyers and yourself at ease.
Show buyers through your home in a guided tour format.

“Do Not”

Do Not Hover, let buyer’s talk between themselves or have a bit of space if it is a buyer alone.
“Do NOT” point out flaws your home has, that only you know about. If these flaws are structural or significant you have already listed them on your disclosures.
Do Not be defensive, buyers do not have the right to be rude. If they are, you do not have to be rude back. Remember the home may not be right for them but they might have a buyer friend, who thinks your home is perfect!
Do Not let buyers split up and go off by themselves. This could be a ploy to steal. You should have a second person in your home. They do not have to do the presentation or tour but it is always wise if you are new to hosting an Open House.
Security, make sure you have secured your medications and jewelry. A non-see-through plastic container works great. Safes should be covered so people that are looking for an easy target, do not see anything to break-in and steal later. (this is just a precaution)

Make sure you advertise your home, use direction arrows (if allowed) place an open house sign in your yard, displaying time and date. You should have this out 3-4 days in advance. Buyers do drive-by’s to preview homes before seeing the inside. If they did not see your advertising they will see you are hosting an open house. Make sure your Open House is also displayed on the local MLS (Multiple Listing Service) to attract real estate buyer agents and clients too!

In case you missed the previous home selling steps links to each step to sell your home are below. Step 12 will be active tomorrow.

“FREE SELER’S CHECKLIST”

Ask for a “FREE Seller’s Checklist” if you are in the Grand Rapids Real Estate Market and considering selling your home. Expose your home to a wider range of buyers using todays most up to date real estate technology and selling methods.

Call Flexit Realty: 616-784-2360
Email: GaryWhite@FlexitRealty.com
Website: www.FlexitRealty.com

Selling Your Home in 12 Easy Steps Step #10 Financing

Gary L White — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:38:54 +0000

Selling Your Home Step #10 Financing, helping buyer’s, buy!

Many times buyers start looking for a home before they have secured financing. This means buyers are looking, dreaming about a new home, without the proven ability to purchase. Unless they have cash, which is rare, buyers will need to discuss lending option with a bank or mortgage broker.

Real estate agents representing sellers, know to ask, if the buyers have seen a lender to establish mortgage guidelines. Meaning the buyer knows the maximum lending limit the bank or mortgage company is willing to lend them. The buyer also knows how much money they must put down to secure the loan. The only way a real estate agent gets paid, selling to a buyer that can buy your home.

Without a pre-qualification letter, buyer’s are not confirmed buyer’s. Many times with a letter they cannot buy. The reason is a pre-approval letter is an estimate of the buyer’s ability to buy based on verbal discussions and “without” documentation of credit by a lender. A pre-qualification letter means, or should mean, the buyer has proven to the lender (at the time of credit review) with documentation of wages, credit report, bank statements and employment.

Remember things change. This means a buyer’s credit can change before the loan is granted. If the buyer loses a job, buyers furniture or a new car for their new home they may not have the right credit ratio to get the loan! Nothing is a sure thing until you have the check in your hand. So protect yourself and get backup offers, if you can.

One of the ways real estate agents and home sellers can remove this uncertainty is to have a lending program available for buyers. This will help sell the property and confirmed the buyer’s ability to secure financing. NO, you do not

12 Easy Steps to Selling Your Home Step #10, Selling Your Home is more than making it look pretty!

have to provide financing for buyers. You talk to your current bank where you do business or a mortgage broker you know and have them work up three (3) proposals for loans on your home. Each proposal has a different amounts down, alternative terms, 20, 30 years to pay back.

Buyer’s can not expect seller’s to take a home off the market without written proof of their ability to buy. Buyer’s could also lose the home they stayed awake nights dreaming of living in, because someone else prepared to buy, gets the seller to accept their offer.

Preparing to sell your home is more than making it look pretty. Selling your home requires more than taking great photos and writing buyer attracting property descriptions. Selling your home is being able to have a qualified buyer present you with an acceptable offer. An offer must be backed up with proof the buyer can actually buy!

“FREE SELER’S CHECKLIST”

Call Flexit Realty: 616-784-2360
Email: GaryWhite@FlexitRealty.com
Website: www.FlexitRealty.com

In case you missed earlier “12 Easy Steps Selling Your Home Steps” the active links are below.

Home Selling Agents

Gary L White — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:27:58 +0000

Home selling agents may be specialists in representing home sellers or they may blend selling homes and representing buyers of homes. Other agents specialize in just home buyers.

When you consider selling your home a real estate agent is most likely choice 90% of the time, according to the National Association of Realtor’s report, for the year ending 2011.

Determining a “Seller’s Agent” to sell you house or property may be different

Selling Your Grand Rapids Area Home using Technology that Attracts Buyers!

than any other choice you make when selling a possession. The reason is clear, your home is one of your most costly possessions. You have a larger financial gain or loss in the sale of your home.

Most seller’s spend less time choosing a home selling agent or real estate broker than they do driving back and forth to work in a weeks time. In fact, 7o% of the time, the first agent a seller meets they use to sell their home.

Selling your home in the Grand Rapids Michigan real estate housing marketing has changed. If you are thinking of selling your home in the grand rapids real estate market, these cities are included in the market area: Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Township, Kentwood, Wyoming, Grandville, Jenison, Walker, Comstock Park, Plainfield Township, Lowell, Ada, and Caledonia you will want a home selling real estate professional.

Selling your home, will be dependent on the real estate agent, the real estate company understanding Internet marketing. Over 80% of home buyers start looking for homes on the Internet before they call a real estate agent or home owner.

If you doubt the importance, do a test yourself. Type into Google, “Grand Rapids Home Selling Agent“, “Grand Rapids Home Selling Professional“, Sell My Grand Rapids Home and see who’s name shows on the first page of Google over and over.

Flexit Realty is devoted to helping sellers and buyers match home selling and buying needs. Flexit Realty is a name known for selling homes. We know Internet home sales marketing. We know how to promote homes and bring buyers to your front door. We also offer “Flexible Home Selling Options” that can make a difference.

“FREE SELER’S CHECKLIST”

Ask for a “FREE Seller Checklist” if you are in the Grand Rapids Real Estate Market and considering selling your home. Expose your home to a wider range of buyers using today’s most up to date real estate technology and selling methods.

Call Flexit Realty: 616-784-2360
Email: GaryWhite@FlexitRealty.com
Website: www.FlexitRealty.com

Selling Your Home in Grand Rapids Michigan Step #9

Gary L White — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:23 +0000

12 Easy Steps to Selling Your Home in the Grand Rapids Michigan.

Step #9 Showing Your Home To Potential Buyers

Home Showing is where the difference between a professional real estate agent and a home owner’s become evident. Home owner’s rare have to show their home, unless a quick family or friend tour, as a quest.

Showing your home to potential buyers is quite another story. Real Estate Agents are making assessments of the buyer during the meet and greet. They watch their eyes body language and “listen” for comments. In short, agents tune into buyers and their actions.

Agent know how to handle the normal negotiation objections. When buyers first come to a home we home we have three types.

The quiet buyer, that nods, hums and looks intently. They say very little even when engaged. This is a reader buyer. They will read everything you hand them. This is why it is important to have a great brochure with features and benefits to handout.
The chatterbox buyer, you hear everything, they don’t read the hardly take a
Hosting Open Houses, Showing Homes to Buyers, Flexit Realty has Professional Seller Agents www.FlexitRealty.com

breath. This is someone you let talk. When they stop talking an start asking serious questions they are interested in your property! That’s the time to hand them your disclosures and brochure.
The executive, the serious buyer that starts with a barrage of questions and keeps asking questions that have to do with facts about the home. How old is the roof? How long have you lived here? How old is the electric, plumbing, furnace, hot water heater. What are your heat bills, what are taxes. How soon can you move? Is the sell price firm? They try to set you back on your heels letting you know they know a lot about buying homes. Most of the time, they don’t, they just know the terms.

You can see selling your home requires preparation. At this point you must be ready for a variety of buyers. This is only the buyer’s side of showing your home.

You must also have your home ready for the security of showing your home. Most real estate agents and brokers have insurance to cover theft that could occur during

Bedrooms, Bathrooms and Kitchens are the most vulnerable areas for thieves to target.

a open house or home showing. Look at easy prey items, not all buyer’s are buyer’s! Some people pose as buyers looking for prescription drugs or small valuables than can be concealed and taken. One word of caution, if you are showing your own home, never, never show your home alone! Real estate agents are trained and even they turn into prey at times. Have someone else (adult) in the home, in a visible position. They do not have to say anything. They just need to be there.

Your home has to be child proofed unless you already have young children living in your home, then your child proofing is done. Favorite items that could be damaged should also be put away. Northern climates people wear large coats and turning a sleeve or back of a flowing coat can catch items and knock them over. The action will not be intentional but the result can leave you with a memorable peace broken.

Makes sure walkways, driveways and in summer months or southern climates the yard is cut edged toy or excess cars are removed. Some families have young adults with cars. They should be parked up the street leaving the driveway clear and open.

One last word on showing your home for sale. Agent are focused on selling your home. They don’t host a yard sale. Many homeowner’s during the showing process try to entice buyer’s by throwing in extras. The seller attempts to create more buyer interest because the buyer showed a little interest in the home. This tactic is designed to covert the buyer into signing a contract to buy right then. Real estate professionals know most buyers think about buyers and will want to discuss financing by locking down real numbers they will pay if they buy the home.

Showing your home and offering your dining room table, couch or play equipment, benches could get those items sold and you end up with an empty house, not sold. Always sell personal items after a sales contract has been signed. Do the sale of personal items outside of the contract to sell the home.

We didn’t discuss advertising or other issues to generate buyers. That will be in another series.

“FREE SELER’S CHECKLIST”

Ask for a FREE Seller Checklist if you are in the Grand Rapids Real Estate Market and considering selling your home. Expose your home to a wider range of buyers using today’s most up to date real estate technology and selling methods.

Call Flexit Realty: 616-784-2360
Email: GaryWhite@FlexitRealty.com
Website: www.FlexitRealty.com

In case you missed earlier “12 Easy Steps Selling Your Home Steps” the active links are below.

Selling Your Home Step #8

Gary L White — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:54:17 +0000

12 Easy Steps to Selling Your Home “Step #8 “Photos, the visual details to attract buyers”

If you consider the old cliche’, “pictures are worth a thousand words”. The saying should be, pictures are worth thousands of dollars, when it comes to selling real estate! “Pictures Equals Buyers”, the real issue is getting your home sold. Photos taken with the right angles, light, clarity and descriptions help sell houses.

How many times have you looked for a home on a website or picked up a brochure in front of a home to have one photo? Buyers may or may not take the time to go to the website. If the buyer does go to the website in the middle of the summer and finds a snow picture or in the middle of the winter and finds a summer photo, buyers immediately know the property has been for sale a long time. They also may skip seeing it because they believe something may be wrong with the property! In northern climates if you show a winter photo make sure the drives and walks are clear and clean. If the walks and drives are clear, replace the photos on your website and other sites.

No photos should be take until the home has been staged for photos. You want your property and home to visually show the best features and benefits possible. I have had buyers I knew would like a property as soon as I viewed the property. I contacted them for a showing appointment, we sold the home without staging or doing a thing. Selling without any preparation is not normal for the majority of sellers. No home preparation before taking photos to maximize buyer response is doing a disservice, in my opinion.

Here are photo selections that should be taken.

Outside, including front, back and any decks or sheds. Angles of your photos
Showing inviting photos creates more buyers if the photo shows details.

are critical. If you have special features, landscaping, woods, patios, gardens and porches these should be emphasized in photos to separate your home from others.
Inside, photos should be broken down room by room and created into a guided tour, as though you were walking from the front door through the home.
Foyer, Entrance: show a photo looking back at the inside entryway if it is something that accents the home. If not, place the entrance in an overall photo with a wide angle view.
Living Room, this room, most times, requires two photos, offering viewing angles to buyers. Make sure you capture the focal point of the room. Whatever feature accents the room, capture in you photo.
Kitchen, is a very important room, the counter space should be maximized for
Photo Angles offer a large view and help give buyers a reason to see your home.

photos. Every buyer wants counter space. Make sure no finger prints or distracting refrigerator magnets, artwork, calendars or photos are displayed on the refrigerator.
Dining Room, Eating Area: This is another area that should have several photos on showing the relationship to the kitchen as well as the area itself. This helps buyers get an orientation of the rooms location to each other.
Bath Rooms and Suites: Make sure shampoo bottles are removed, sink areas are clean and cleared. Just like The kitchen counter and sink space will be visual issues. Tubs and sinks must sparkle. Toilet seat down please! Towels and wash cloths folded and presented in a staged manor. If you have multiple bathrooms label them, include locations (first floor, lower level, master).
Bedrooms, again make all the beds, remove and animal beds, if present, take angles that include closet door. If a walk-in closet take a photo after the closet is staged for the photo. Multiple bedrooms need to have labels and locations.
Family Rooms, if you have a family room take angled photo showing the best features. If your rooms have vaulted ceiling or high ceiling make sure that feature is captured in your photos.
Storage and Garages, this is not optional, make sure buyers know they will have storage. This means these areas have to be ready to show and staged for photos.

This may sound like a lot of work but selling faster and for a maximum sell price means you have to have a home multiple buyers will bid to buy. This also means you will get a higher sell price faster. The reason, maximizing buyer exposure with the right photos, creating more buyer interest in your property.

“FREE SELER’S CHECKLIST”
Receive a “FREE Seller Checklist”, if live in the Grand Rapids Real Estate Market and considering selling your home. Expose your home to a wider range of buyers using today’s most up to date real estate technology and selling methods.

Call Flexit Realty: 616-784-2360
Email: GaryWhite@FlexitRealty.com
Website: www.FlexitRealty.com

In case you missed any of the steps to selling your home already published active links are listed below.

Selling Your Home in 12 Easy Steps Step #7

Gary L White — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:06:17 +0000

Selling Your Home in 12 Easy Steps, “Step #7”

Preparing the Inside of Your Home For Sale.

We have gone through the outside of your home, now we step inside your home to review and stage it to sell. Most home owners live in their homes and do not maintain the inside of their homes in buyer showing condition. By this, I mean, we enjoy our homes. Magazines, newspapers, books may adorn table tops. Small families and singles that use dishwashers do not run them everyday. The tendency is to have a full load and accumulate a few days of dirty dishes inside the dishwasher. Laundry is the same way. Households with small children have toys and drawings pasted about.

When we prepare the inside of our homes for an open house, we start at the front door. What do you see when you first step inside the foyer? If you have an open floor plan this can be simple to see. What you get used too and what makes a home sell may be two very different things. Many people have to items in their closets. Open the entry closet and look inside. Do you have any space to hang guest coats. Is this closet packed full, including the vacuum cleaner?

“Gary White is the broker/owner of Flexit Realty, Grand Rapids Michigan. He is an accredited Home Stager, his insight and expertise in home sales spans over a decade, at a high level of performance within the real estate industry.”

Does your foyer need painting, flooring need repaired,cleaned or walls painted, trim redone?

Preparing Your Home To Sell in 12 Easy Steps

Clean and paint to make your entrance fresh creating a smile on the faces buyers?

Each room must be viewed with a critical buyer’s eye to detail. This is where we take advantage of competition by cleaning and staging your home for sale.

Foyer, check the front closet, make sure it has open space with extra hangers.
Check flooring, woodwork, trim, walls, paint and repair if needed.
Living Room, can you see a flow or reason for your traffic patterns? Can you walk through the living room in a free non obstructed manor? Do you have too much furniture or too large? Do you have too many books, magazines or other materials? Is your paper or magazine rack overflowing? Do your carpets or floors need cleaned, repaired or updated?
Dining Room, if your dining room has a large table, can buyers easy move around the room or is the dining room overpowering? Remove a leaf in the table if possible. Make sure you do not have too many chairs, side tables or knick knacks, taking up space. Open the room, so buyers can visualize their furniture fitting the room.
Kitchen, look at cabinet space, junk drawers, remove extra bags, store them in the garage. Clean storage areas under the sink, clean sinks, cabinets, drawers and make sure your pantry is ready to be viewed. Besides the living room and dining room needing to be the right size for home buyers, the kitchen and bathrooms are also critical to selling your home. If these rooms are right people will live with an undersized family room or living room before compromising on smaller or less functional kitchens and bathrooms are difficult. Check flooring, counter-tops and have appliances that work!
Bathroom(s), make sure each room sparkles but the bathroom must be exceptionally clean, including showers, tubs and cabinets. If you must, buy new bath and hand towels for showing purposes. Accent your bathroom and other rooms so buyers know they found the right home for them!
Bedrooms, closets is the number one area in every bedroom where I find too many cloths, shoes, ties and laundry baskets sitting out. Remove all off season clothing and pack them away. Make sure your closets are open and roomy. Look at floor coverings, drapes and other accents. Review furniture and beds make rooms look large with open space. Don’t let large furniture overwhelm a room. Store a dresser if you need too.
Basements, Attics all have to be looked at and cleaned.
Garages, I usually put the garage with outside preparations but I should mention the garage one more time. Do not fill your garage with storage boxes after cleaning out your house. While selling your home rent a small storage unit. The cost of a small storage unit is nominal, a few dollars a month and could make the difference in selling or not selling your home.

Selling your home is a family activity. If you do not have a family invite friends over to help you. Remember no to give them food or drinks until the work is done! This is a great way to get the word out, you are going to sell your home! Word of mouth advertising works, when selling your home!

“FREE SELER’S CHECKLIST”
Receive a “FREE Seller Checklist”, if you are in the Grand Rapids Real Estate Market and considering selling your home. Expose your home to a wider range of buyers using today’s most up to date real estate technology and selling methods.

Call Flexit Realty: 616-784-2360
Email: GaryWhite@FlexitRealty.com
Website: www.FlexitRealty.com

In case you missed any of the steps to selling your home already published active links are listed below.

12 Easy Steps to Selling Your Home Step #6

Gary L White — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:24:32 +0000

12 Easy Steps to Selling Your Home “Step #6

Preparing the outside of your home for sale.

Attracting buyers to your home is one step in the homes selling process. We learned in some of the previous steps that creating the proper website presence creates the opportunity for buyers to find your home. Your website presence, marketed correctly, creates buyer showings. Buyers looking at your home must be converted to personal tours, seeing inside your home, if you are going to sell your home.

Before you get the personal tour, many buyers take a drive-by to see what your home looks like from the outside. Another step in the home buying process for buyers. Buyers are evaluating neighborhoods, condition of homes, the look and feel of a

Selling Your Home is a process of Steps, this is Step #6

home. They are also estimating the value and is your homes the one for them?

For those lucky ones that live in moderate climates, keeping the lawn cut, edged, bushes trimmed, exterior clean and in good repair is critical. Paint, window caulk, broken or cracked windows must be replaced. Any peeling paint or worn paint at door jams, entry doors and around windows should be touched up. If you have vinyl siding, is it dirty and in need of power washing? Decks, porches, roofs, sidewalks should all be reviewed.

If you live in a Northern Climate, your sidewalks and driveways should be clean and clear of snow and ice. Of course cracked or broken windows should be replaced. Cleaning and painting will be more difficult until warmer weather.

Yard debris, bikes, cars and lawn mowers should all be in their proper places. Trash cans set to the side of the garage instead of in the front. I mentioned this before in another article, it is worth repeating. Look at your home using buyer eyes, not seller eyes. Get in your car and drive by your home and around your neighborhood. How does you home compare?

The outside is the buyers last decision barrier you have to cross before they step inside your home to make a buying evaluation. If buyers never make it inside your home, your home will not sell!

If you missed any of the “12 Easy Steps to Selling Your Home” use the active links below.

Estimating your homes value.
Who is your homes competition?
Deciding to sell with a real estate agent or without.
Marketing Methods to expose your home to the maximum number of buyers
Property Descriptions, survey and narrative details
Preparing the outside of your home for sale.
Preparing the inside of your home for sale.
Photos, the visual details to attract buyers
Showing your home to potential buyers
Financing
Open Houses.
Personal Buyer Showings

“FREE SELER’S CHECKLIST”

Ask for a FREE Seller Checklist if you are in the Grand Rapids Real Estate Market and considering selling your home. Expose your home to a wider range of buyers using todays most up to date real estate technology and selling methods.

Call Flexit Realty: 616-784-2360
Email: GaryWhite@FlexitRealty.com
Website: www.FlexitRealty.com

12 Easy Steps to Selling Your Home, Step #5

Gary L White — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:14 +0000

12 Easy Steps to Selling Your Home

Step #5 Property Descriptions, survey and narrative details

Creating your property descriptions, including a survey of the property boundary lines, being able to express this information in a narrative to buyers and others during your home selling phase.

Your selling phase of home selling process is the time before securing a written accepted contract from a buyer to buy your home.

You may not have thought too much about property descriptions as being important. This may change your mind how to write your selling descriptions, when selling your home or homes as in the case of the real estate agents.

Property Descriptions convert readers to callers. The look at the photos, worth a thousand words, and read the captions if you remembered to put them under the photos. If the buyers like your property description, your property details are the next section they read to determine if your home is the one to see!

Most real estate agent write property descriptions for other real estate agents. Real Estate Buyer Agents bring buyers but the buyer is who you are writing your property descriptions not other real estate agents! Most real estate agents use short choppy sentences because websites only allow a limited number of characters. Real estate agents have found using abbreviations for rooms, or making up their own abbreviations, reduced the number of characters needed. This also helped them complete listing descriptions quickly. You will have to contend with limited character spaces. Make sure your descriptions are written to attract the widest range of buyers. You will be required, by law, not discriminate in your advertising and property descriptions to meet the “Fair Housing Laws”.

Property Descriptions should include the following, if your property has

88% of Home Buyers Use the Internet to Find Homes Before Calling a Real Estate Agent or Home Seller!

these features:

Outline the Inside of home for sale first, Stepping inside you’ll notice an open floor plan, fireplace accents living room, vaulted ceilings, large windows for natural lighting, crown moldings, open stairway, inviting reception area. Living room features, kitchen, built-in appliances, large kitchen counter-tops, tile back splash, cabinet space, material cabinet faces are make of, or color (white, natural wood, oak, walnut) Bathrooms, closets, Bedrooms, Bedroom Suites, layout, flooring, lighting natural and specialized (spots, recessed, can lighting), storage, garage spaces
Outline outside of home, home faces south (morning sun), professionally landscaped, mature trees, privacy fence, deck, patio, fenced yard, sandbox, play equipment stays, sidewalks, walking trails, low maintenance, underground sprinkling, new roof, just painted, view.
Outline the Convenience and location, “Friendly area, close to shopping, downtown, close to award winning schools, close to doctors, restaurants, sport parks, fishing, skiing, boating, playgrounds (parks), low traffic street, cul-de-sac.

These descriptive property terms creates a different minds eye image for every buyer. Your goal is to get buyers to call for a personal viewing appointment of your home. Creating the photos and images with property descriptions converts lookers to callers, to buyer showings and a sale!

Including a survey, either attached to your website documents; given as part of the buyer showing packet when buyers view your property creates unspoken trust. Having the survey (if you have one available) takes away the question of property lines, lets buyers focus on the property itself and buying your home.

Knowing what to say, when buyers view your home for sale, is key to promoting the property in the final stages of selling homes. Use your property description as your outline and move through the home like a guided tour. Don’t just meet or greet potential buyers at the front door and let them walk through your home unattended! If you do this you will not be able to answer any questions. You can’t hover, but answer buyer questions. Give buyers space so they can chat, discuss and feel free to ask questions. The more of a comfort level buyers have with your home the more likely they can see themselves living in “their new home”!

“FREE SELER’S CHECKLIST”

Call Flexit Realty: 616-784-2360
Website: www.FlexitRealty.com
Email: GaryWhite@FlexitRealty.com

Links to the other “Home Selling Steps” if you missed one.