15 Tips to Help Sell Your Home "By Owner"

3. Touch up your home

A fresh coat of pain is an important investment. Whether it is the trim, front door or wood siding, if it is peeling, repaint it. Replace worn hardware and lighting fixtures. Check windows, and replace or repair torn screens.

4. Clear out the Clutter

Most of us have accumulated many things over the years and they seem to just pile up all over the house.. When you are selling your home you want to pack all of that clutter away. The more clutter you have the smaller the home feels. You want your home to feel like there is plenty of space for the new buyer to put all of their things.

5. Improve your Curb Appeal

The first impression of your home is formed by the buyer before they ever step foot in your house. If they pull up and the grass isn't cut or the landscaping is overgrown they will start off with a negative feeling. However if the grass is cut, the bushes are trimmed, and the planting beds are weed free it gives a well mantained feeling about the home. Also be aware to sweep off walkways and repair any cracks in the driveway as well.

6. Keep it Clean

Your house should always be in tip-top shape for showings. Clean flooring, windows, and mirrors. Replace badly worn carpet. Always make sure the carpet has been vacuumed prior to a showing. Make every room look spacious, bright, and attractive. Place pets in a fenced area or arrange for them to stay with friends during a showing.

7. Remove Personal Items

There are 2 main reasons to remove your personal items from plain view. First even though most people are good and honest there are always a few bad apples out there. Remove all jewelry and other small valuable items from plain sight so nothing ends up missing from your home. You should always store your valuables away in a locked place like a safe or even the trunk of your car. Secondly you want the home buyer to feel like this will be their home. If all they see are pictures of you and your family every where it may be hard for them to picture themselves living there. Even though you may love looking at the photos on the wall you are better off packing them away for the new home and put some other sort of decoration on the wall.

8. Stage Your Home for a Showing

Before a showing, your home needs to look at its best. This may mean moving furniture, organizing closets, and cleaning before every showing. If you don't have time or would like help there are proffesional staging companies that will come out and help organize your home to show at its best.

9. Spruce up your Bathroom

Bathrooms are one of the key things homebuyers look at to see how well the house has been maintained. Before you start showing your home you should fix any leakings faucets and replace any damaged caulking, and clean all tile and grout to bring that fresh new feeling back to your bathroom. Also and inexpensive way to freshen up your bathroom s to replace old faded shower curtains and put out new towels that match your color scheme.

10. Get a home inspection

Most home buyer's will have a home inspection done prior to closing on your home. If you know you might have some issues it might be prudent for you to have a home inspection done so you can correct an possible problems before they become an issue with the buyer. The cost of an inspection is usually somewhere between $150-$400 depending on your local market, but it might save a deal for you down the road. Plus you can advertise the fact that the home has already been inspected if you wish.

11. Offer a Home Warranty

When consumers make big purchases, they like to receivea warranty, and a home purchase is no exception. Home warranties can be purchased for anywhere between $350-$1,000 depending on what they cover. If you offer a home warranty you are offering a sense of security to the prospective home buyer which can go a long way towards them making the decision to buy your home. A lot of home warranties also cover you while you are in the process of selling your home. You never know when something might malfunction.

12. Offer Other Incentives

Home Warranties aren't the only incentives you can offer to buyers. You can also make your home more attractive by offering to pay association fees for the first year or by agreeing to make the buyer's first two mortgage payments. Make sure to check out your local laws, because there are restriction on these incentives in certain markets.

13. Market your property

If you have hired an agent they are probably handling the marketing for you, but if you are selling "By Owner" you need to get the word out that your home is for sale. The first thing you need to do is get a proffesional For Sale sign to place in your front yard and make sure to write your number in large readable print so someone can see it from the street. You also should look into advertising on the web or in your local paper to increase the exposure of your home. There are many dfferent websites you can advertise on ranging from completely free like www.freehls.com to up to $500. Review what the websites offer so you can make an informed decision on which one(s) are right for you. There are links on this page to some of those sites.

Advertise your home for free on the Free Home Listing Service by clicking here.

14. Don't be Afraid to Negotiate

The housing market is very competitive in most areas. This means that buyers will be less willing to pay you the full asking price. Don't be afraid to negotiate with potential buyers. If you both give just a little, you might be able to sell your home quickly and for a decent price.

15. Offer a Lease Option to Purchase

If time runs out and you need to move offering a lease option might be an effecitve way for you to keep from making two house payments. If you offer a lease with option to buy you will attract more buyers. There are downsides to this arrangement like not being able to pull all of the equity out of your home now, and the tenant doesn't always follow through with the final purchase which means you need to market your home again at a later date. This can be an effective way to sell your home, but can create issues as well so we recomend you talk to an attorney or at least a licensed real estate proffessional before entering into this type of agreement.

* These tips are offered purely as suggestions or ideas. These should not be taken as expert or legal advice. If you have questions or concerns you should always talk to an attorney or real estate proffessional before taking any action.