Maintaining Your Property After An Open House

Now that you have prepared your property for selling and for your open house, the question is how do you maintain your property after an open house and such was not yet sold? The reality of selling your property is that sometimes after an open house no offers may have been made. Now what would you do with your property after being staged? If you are not staying at that property anymore then you have to maintain the property to make sure that the value of your property will not depreciate as you wait to find a buyer. Here are some tips on how to maintain your property after an open house and before finding a buyer for your property.

1. Schedule Regular Cleaning of Your Property - after your open house and while you are scheduling your next open house for the property, regular cleaning should be done. You do not dust and dirt to build up while you wait for your next open house. To maintain the pristine condition of the property make sure to have a regular cleaning schedule for the property and stick by that schedule.

2. Maintain Your Yard - the part of the house that you would probably have to maintain frequently is the Yard. The grass and plants in the yard could easily grow and you do not want to have an overgrowth after some time, therefore, regular trimming of the grass and plants will help maintain that beautiful condition of your yard.

3. Maintain the Bedrooms - prior to your next open house it is important that you maintain the bedrooms, sometimes due to the weather moist and dust accumulates that would give your bed linens a damp odor. You surely do not want prospective buyer see or smell that, therefore it is best to change the bed sheets regularly especially before your next open house.

4. Remove Clutters - clutters may again build up as you wait for your next open house. This may happen during the cleaning of the property, remember that you have to always keep your property ready not only for open houses but also for impromptu visits from interested buyers.

5. Improve Staging of Your Property - one of the things that you should really be asking yourself is what happened during your first open house and what can you do in order to improve your chances of having the property bought? The staging of your property might be one of the reasons and that is something you can improve on. Try to move things around to make room for more space.

If you haven’t sold your property yet, do not fret, maintain your property regularly and improve on what you can improve. Remember, as an FSBO you really have to do everything in order to sell your property but all these work will be able to net you more profit.

Five Tips When Selling Your Property As An FSBO

So you have decided to sell your property as an FSBO. We understand that you are doing this, for obvious reasons that you would prefer to keep most of your profits. By not contracting the services of a real estate agent you will be able to keep the commission that is supposed to be paid to the agent. However, you have to be prepared to take on the duties of a real estate agent. If you are selling as an FSBO for the first time you have to understand that you have to develop your sales and marketing strategy from the ground up. Which means that you also have to be ready for a high learning curve, which also means that you have to be ready to dedicate time to do all these.

If you have come to terms on the challenges ahead, that means you will find ways in order to make sure that you will be able to make that sale. But do not fret if you do not know where to start, we have prepared a list of initial steps that you can follow for you to start as an FSBO.

1. Have Your Home Inspected - as an FSBO you have to practice due diligence and have the house inspected by a professional. This is to make sure that you know all the repairs that need to be done in your house. You do not want your home to be devalued just because you were not able to fix the defects in your home. By auditing you will be able to take note of the defects both obvious and hidden. Increase the value or sell your home at the right price by doing this simple step.
2. Get to Fixing - After having your property inspected, and if you found out repairs to be done, it is time to get to fixing these parts of your property. By doing this you do not only fix your property but also potentially increasing its value.
3. Get the Price Right - this is an area where most FSBO’s are having difficulties, pricing their property correctly. It is important that you value your property correctly based on market standards to ensure that you will be selling your property at the right market price. To properly do this you can hire the services of a professional to do it for you or you can do it yourself by conducting your research on what is the fair market value of your property.
4. Stage Your Home - staging have several benefits, one of which is to make your home presentable not only during your open house but also when you take photos of your home which you will be using in your online advertising.
5. Advertise - time to advertise your home, have it listed in different MLS listing services or to help you with this part of your selling process, hire the services of a flat fee mls listing service. This way you will be able to have your property listed in MLS sites without having to pay a commission but by paying only a flat fee. Furthermore, you get access to several other advertising assistance such as being provided with a front yard sign to capture the attention of potential buyers passing-by your property.

These are the five suggested guidelines to help you get started as an FSBO, of course these are not hard rules that you must follow and digressing is possible especially if the situation calls for it. For the first time FSBO this is a good place to start.

Boost Your Real Estate Listing With These Tips

Whether you are using a flat ­fee mls listing service or if you are using a real estate broker to have your property sold, you sometimes need to boost your listing in order to make sure that you are getting your property listing viewed by potential buyers. As an FSBO this is necessary to make sure that your listing is sold ahead or over those properties that are being sold by real estate brokers. If you are selling your property with the aide of a real estate agent then it is important to have your property listing still boosted so that you will have more potential buyers to your property, remember it is still your property to sell. So how do we exactly boost our Real Estate Listing for more people to see it?


1. Leverage the power of Social Media - one of the trendiest and effective way to boost your mls listing is to use the power of social media. By using social media you do not only have to let your friends know about the property that you are selling you are also letting their friends and so on. Try to post your property listing in social media sites where you are active and where you know you will have lots of potential buyers who will be able to see your posts.

2. Use Google Adwords and Social Media Ads when possible - if you have a site on where you listed your property, or you have a social media page where you can list your property and where using Ads is possible then invest in ads. You will be surprised on how affordable Adwords and Facebook ads are, and how effective they also are in putting your property in front of a lot of eyeballs and potential buyers. By using this you will be able to boost your property listing and get that sale in no time.

3. Use the Power of Emails ­ if you have a database of contact emails - use them try to showcase your property for sale through email. Although email marketing is considered somewhat a traditional strategy it is still effective. Just make sure that what you have in your database are valid and those in your list are indeed interested in your properties for sale.

These three tactics are not only useful in boosting your promotion for your properties but they are affordable too, unlike using traditional media. So what are you waiting for try to boost your properties listing now with these three strategies.

FSBO: Dealing With Potential Buyers

As an FSBO you will have to do everything that a real estate broker does in order to sell your property. From listing your property, to advertising, promotion and of course selling and negotiating the sale of your property, you have to do them all. Now if you were able to hurdle the first challenges of selling your property, it means that you have already a potential buyer interested with your property.

Now in negotiating the sale of your property or when interacting with your potential buyer you should be able to conduct yourself properly and say the right things in order to make sure that you will land that sale. As an FSBO if you got this far and as a first timer in selling real estate property then the following tips might be useful:

1. Price Your Property Right - remember that the buyer will be making a very large investment when he buys the property. Which means that the buyer will definitely exercise due diligence before buying your property. Due diligence includes knowing the fair market value of your property. This means that your potential buyer already knows the fair market price of your property, this is why you should also do your due diligence to know the fair market value of your property. This way you know how to price your property and where to negotiate it from.
2. Reveal Property Defects - old school strategies would dictate that you should keep mum about any defects in your property when negotiating. However, as FSBO you will still have to conduct yourself properly, be honest and show them any defects in your property if there are any and focus on the obvious and major ones, yes you might be losing a potential client by doing this but at least you will save yourself from a world of huge legal problems if you don’t, as the buyer is afforded by law several legal remedies when you conceal property defects.
3. Be open to negotiations - You have to be open to negotiation and be smart about it. Being open to negotiations means that you are willing to compromise on some areas, but still get the best or fair deal. Remember, being open to negotiations doesn’t mean that you are also open to taking no profit or taking a loss. Be smart about how you negotiate, you know the real value of your property so negotiate around that price point do not go lower that what is fair.

For an FSBO these three tips would definitely help you get started when you get to a point where you are already talking to potential buyers. Your flat fee mls listing, advertising and promotions did the job of attracting potential buyers to your property now it’s time for you to close that deal following these three simple guidelines.

Questions You Need To Ask Yourself Before Selling As A FSBO

It is not a secret that selling as an FSBO will expose you to some difficulties that you have to hurdle. The challenges are so huge as compared to just hiring the services of a real estate broker. However, the returns in terms of profit is also much more rewarding than having to acquire the services of a broker. The money you gain in selling as an FSBO is so significant that you can already invest it in a business or maybe use it to buy a new house. But do not just jump into selling your home as an FSBO just yet, statistics have shown that there is only a handful of FSBO who raked in success in selling their own property, most, about 90 percent of FSBO fail. Now it is not because FSBO doesn’t work but rather the homeowners who are selling their property as an FSBO do not have the right knowledge on how to execute selling their property the right way.

In order to prepare yourself in selling as FSBO you have to ask yourself of the following questions.

1. Do I Really Have the Time? - time is your greatest asset in selling as an FSBO. This is because you will have to do most if not all the things that a real estate broker does in order to sell your property. From having your yard sign and your property listed in mls sites to negotiating any offers and counter offers. You would also have to allot time preparing your home for open house and of course time to actually conduct the open house. If your answer in this question is in the affirmative then you are well on your way to selling as an FSBO.
2. Do You Have The Negotiating Skills? - when selling your home you will be receiving different offers and counteroffers. You do not immediately jump into an offer especially if it is lower than what you are asking for. This is where your negotiation skills would come in. Make sure that you have the necessary negotiation skills so that you will avoid having to sell your property at a lower value than what it is supposed to be valued at.
3. Do You Have The Money? - selling your property might be because you need the necessary finances in order to do home staging, home improvements and some other necessary efforts that would require shelling out some of your finances. Home improvements is important especially so that this will also increase the value of your home, you will be surprised on how high your property will go with just a little improvement. You will also need the finances in order to have your property listed in mls by acquiring an affordable flat fee mls service.
4. Can You Value Your Home Properly? - the most important skill that you should have is knowing how to value your home properly. This is where most of the FSBO’s fail, valuing their property the right way. Knowing how to value your property the right way is already a huge step towards being a successful FSBO. Remember you want to sell your property on its fair market value or higher and not lower than that.

Selling as an FSBO will yield higher profit for you however, it will also require a lot of effort on your part. This is why it is very important to ask yourself these questions in order for you to know and understand whether or not you are ready to sell your property as an FSBO. Finally, it doesn't hurt to search for more tips on how to become a successful FSBO.

Is FSBO Right For You?

So you have decided to sell your property? The first question that you gotta be asking yourself is whether you will require the help of a real estate broker to sell your property or to sell your property on your own as an FSBO.

Selling FSBO vs. Real Estate Agent

The main difference between having a real estate agent or broker sell your property as opposed to you selling it on your own as an FSBO is the fact that you get to have professional help with the former for a price while you can keep all the profits to yourself if you are to sell as an FSBO.

You can get  more information by reading our post on the benefits of selling as an FSBO.

Is FSBO Selling Right For You?

If you have decided on selling your property as an FSBO, you have to be ready for several things. First you have to know that selling as an FSBO would require a lot of your time and effort. You have to understand that you are going to do the job of a professional real estate broker, this means that you have to learn the strategies and techniques of selling real estate to make sure that your property will be sold at the right price and at the desired amount of time.

If you have the time to put in the work needed to sell your house then selling as an FSBO may be the right thing for you. However you also have to have the second essential ingredient to successfully sell your property and that is money. Yes, you need to invest in order to sell your property. Apart from the amount of money that you will have to shell out in order to improve your property which will result to the increase of your property’s value you also have to spend on several services.

One such service which you have to invest on is to get the services of a real estate appraiser. There is no shame in actually asking for professional help when appraising your property, besides it would be to your advantage when you have your property properly appraised, which means you will be selling your property for the right price.

Another area on where you should invest your money in order to sell your property is by marketing and advertising your property for sale. You need to pay for a for sale sign, you also have to put in or invest time for you to do the negotiations, as well as put in some time and effort to have your property advertised in the different mls listing sites. Fortunately, there is just one service that you need to acquire in order to do all these and then some. You only need to acquire a flat-fee mls listing service which does all these and sometimes even much more. You only have to look for the right flat fee mls listing service provider.

After looking at these tasks ahead of you, you can now decide, is FSBO right for you?

Common Mistakes By FSBO

Selling your property on your own without any help from a real estate professional could spell a lot of trouble. Especially so if this is going to be your first time in selling a property. Being a first time  real property seller means that you may not have the right knowledge in selling a real estate property. Selling as an FSBO could really be a daunting task, with all the tasks that an FSBO will be facing. The tasks that is normally being done by a real estate agent will now be on the shoulders of the you as the FSBO seller. According to statistics about 90 percent of FSBO sellers fail. This may be because of the fact that FSBO’s had to do things on their own. Although selling FSBO is a very tedious task it is also very rewarding in terms of monetary value. Remember that instead of giving the commission to the real estate agent, you get to keep it for yourself which means bigger profit for you. On top of that buyers would potentially want to deal directly with you because of the fact that they want to negotiate the price directly with you, this way you are on a better position to negotiate because you could give a better price to the buyer having the property bought at a shorter span of time.

The Common FSBO Mistakes

Now let’s go back to the fact that only 10 percent of FSBO sellers are successful in selling their property. What are the other 90 percent doing wrong when selling their property?

1. Not Setting The Right Price - as an FSBO you have to understand that buyers are also doing their research before buying a property, for the obvious reason that the amount of investment is huge. This is why you have to establish your reputation as a seller by setting the right price. Do your research and find out about the fair price for your property. By doing this you will avoid having to set your price too high that the buyers would not want to buy the property from you or you might set it too low that you may be left with very little or none at all.
2. Thinks That Advertising is Not Important - how will people know about your property for sale if you do not advertise it? It is important that you get the word out that your property is for sale. This is why although advertising might entail some cash out on your part it is necessary to have your property for sale advertised.
3. Not Listing Your Property In Multiple Listing Service - advertising can be done online and this potentially opens your property to a global audience. Multiple Listing Service or commonly called MLS is a property listing service that is used by most realtors to show or advertise the properties for sale. These MLS Listing sites are not only being used by real estate property sellers but also buyers as well who are on the hunt for a property to purchase. This is why it is important, as an FSBO, to have your property listed in an Multiple Listing Service site.
4. Ask For Help - FSBO doesn’t mean that you should not ask for help. We have to admit that between work and family the tasks of selling your property is really going to be difficult. One of the tasks that will take most of your time is listing on the multiple listing service. To lessen the burden you can actually acquire the services of a Flat-Fee MLS Listing Company. Their role is to not only list your property in the MLS Listing service but also to help you in advertising offline through their extra service more than the MLS Listing. Acquiring the flat-fee mls listing service would give you lots of  savings as you will only pay flat-fee and do not have to pay percentage as what a real estate agent would get.
5. Not Improving Property Prior to Sale - Before selling your property it would be good if you fix some major issues in your property in order to make your property a lot more enticing for buyers. Fixing your property will also raise the value of your property, which means that you can sell your property for a higher value. So if you have that extra cash why not investing it on your property to increase its sale value?

To successfully sell your property as an FSBO you have to learn from the mistakes of others. By doing this you will be able to take the right and necessary steps towards selling your property fast.