North Carolina- Selling your Home

Selling a home varies from state to state. Find out what real estate forms are needed & the home selling process in North Carolina.

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Georgia, Real Estate Forms & Home Selling Process

Selling your home in Georgia? Every state is different. This articles tell your what real estate forms are needed, and the home selling process in Georgia. Read more:
Selling your Home in Georgia

Selling your Home in Florida

Selling your home in Florida? Every state is different. This articles tell your what real estate forms are needed, and the home selling process in florida. See sellling your home in Florida

Selling your Home in California

Selling your home varies from state to state. Read tips on selling your home in California.

Selling your Home in Arizona

Selling your home varies from state to state. See tips for selling your home in Arizona.

Selling your Home in Alabama

Selling your home varies from state to state. Read tips on Selling a Home in Alabama

Removing Your Belongings

It is inevitable. When you sell your house, you will have to go through the time-consuming process of sorting and packing your things to make way for the new owners. You really should not wait until the last minute before you start putting your personal belongings into cardboard boxes. To save yourself time and effort, you can start putting things away the minute you put your house up on sale.

You can start by identifying which items you use frequently and which ones can go to storage (and won’t be missed) and start packing these. Remove unnecessary furniture pieces and accessories and keep the contents of each room to a bare minimum, leaving only the essentials. Finally, start pulling down personal items and memorabilia like trophies, photos, and other little keepsakes.

Another reason why you should de-clutter your house as early as possible is to prepare the property for open house events. Not only will your house look cleaner and brighter, a neat and de-cluttered house also appeals more to buyers. Buyers sometimes find it difficult to make an unbiased decision when they see a lot of personal mementos all over the place. If sentimentality is not a problem with your potential buyer, having a good imagination may be. With all your belongings still in place, most buyers find it hard to visualize the property with their things in it.
When you have sorted out all your belongings, you have the option of either putting everything in a storage facility (which is often rented out) or simply dispose of all the things you don’t need. You can donate these items to charitable institutions (i.e. The Salvation Army, Goodwill, Red Cross), or sell them at garage sales.

Your Fsbo Support Group

Selling a house is not a very easy thing to do, especially if you have decided to sell your property on your own. Home sellers who have opted to secure the services of real estate agents have been spared this kind of trouble, but do not fret. Selling your property on your own is very much doable. You just have to do your homework and, make sure that you have a highly professional support group whom you can run to for help and advice.

To be totally honest, real estate transactions involve a lot of paperwork. There are a lot of documents that need to be completed and subsequently filed; and there are several forms that should be used when receiving or accepting offers. If you do not approach the task of home selling logically, may end up confused and miss out on a few details or two.

In order to have a relatively easy selling process, you should have a reliable group of people whom you can turn to if you find yourself in a bind. Generally, you only need a good surveyor or evaluator (so he can properly appraise the value of your home), and a good real estate lawyer. The lawyer can check if you have properly filled up the necessary forms and documents, and can advise you about the legality of the conditions indicated on the ‘offers to purchase’ you will receive. These two individuals can generally guide you through the entire home selling activity. Your lawyer can also tell you which local or state office you need to obtain the necessary permits and consents (if necessary).

Give Your Buyers Some Privacy

If you have decided to sell your home on your own, you need to remember that you will be performing various tasks. You will clean up, photograph, and advertise the house. Afterwards, you will receive and screen calls, and schedule viewings; either private viewing or through open house events. Though you may be able to perform all these tasks single-handedly, and without any hitches, you may encounter some difficulty when you are actually showing the house to potential buyers.

As the owner of the house, there is still a tendency for you to be somewhat “over protective” of your property. Oftentimes, you would “shadow” the buyers wherever they go; giving bits of trivia or ‘defensively’ offering explanations to perceived flaws. Although you only want to help, your buyers may feel intimidated or uncomfortably with your presence. Buyers, especially couples who come in together, tend to talk about the unit they are viewing between themselves. They will discuss everything from which room would be used for what to the envisioned color scheme. With you around, they may not be able to thoroughly discuss the pros and cons of the house as well as their future plans.

When you’re showing your house to guests, always keep a respectable distance. Don’t hover around them; ideally don’t follow them inside rooms. The absence of your ‘immediate presence’ gives them the freedom to open doors, pull drawers and draw shades; and most importantly, talk between themselves if the house is the one they are looking for. Keep the information you relay to them to the bare essential and go into detail only if they ask you questions.

You have to strike a balance though. You may go into extremes and completely leave them to their own devices – thus making them think that you are not interested in their business. It may be difficult to do, but if you carefully observe how your clients move and interact, you will be able determine whether or not they want your help or would rather be left alone.

No Down Payment or Low Down Payment

Imagine this, you and your spouse find the perfect house for your little family. Its a few minutes from your work place, near a good school, and located in a good community. Unfortunately, though you can pay for the monthly mortgage payments, you just don’t have enough cash on hand to pay for the requisite 20% down payment. What should you do?

Do you scrounge around until you can raise enough to cover the down payment cost? Do you let it go? Or do you try to find a way to get the house without having to shell out a large sum of cash as down payment? If you really want the house, and feel that you and your partner make a good enough living to pay the mortgage - then go for the latter option.

Today, there are financial institutions (both private and government funded) who can help you purchase a home even if you don’t have enough to cover the initial down payment requirement. These lenders can shoulder 95% – 100% of the total property cost (meaning, you either give 5% down payment or none at all) - a sweet deal for the financially capable yet cash-strapped (at the moment) home buyer.

Alas, this wonderful opportunity does come with a price. If you avail of this program, you should expect to be given higher interest rates on your mortgage, make bigger monthly payments, and you may also be asked to purchase what is called a: “private mortgage insurance”. It is a stiff deal, but if you don’t want to spend your life saving just for the down payment, and miss out on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a reasonably priced home at an upscale market then this option is worth considering.

If you really don’t want to be tied down to their terms and conditions, you can still purchase the house of your dreams: you just need to come up with the requested down payment amount another way. You can borrow money from your relatives, or cash in on some of your investments. If, however, all else fails, you may just have to let go of the property. Don’t feel too bad though. There are other houses up on the market. If you look hard enough, you may find one that fits your personal requirements, as well as your finances to a t. Just be patient, and one day, you’ll find it.

Selling your Home, What counts as a Room?

You’ve asked a real estate agent to help sell your property. She goes around your house, interviews you, makes you sign a contract, and later on, places an advertisement for your home in the local daily. You browse through your ad and you notice that apart from it stating a different number of rooms from what you have counted, it also states that your house has ½ bathroom. What on earth? Is it physically possible to have half a bathroom?

Before you cause a stir, sit down and relax. There has to be a reason why your agent noted it down as such, and there is. You see, the real estate profession has a technical jargon all of its own. The definition they have of rooms, generally differ from what laymen consider as such. For example, to real estate agents, kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms, the office / den are classified as rooms, whereas bathrooms, laundry rooms, lofts, closets and storage areas (even if these are large enough to accommodate your car) are not. Maybe when you did your own count, you considered these auxiliary rooms as main rooms, thus the discrepancy.

As for the issue concerning the half a bathroom, be aware that in some parts of the country, the completeness of a bathroom is dependent on the amenities found within it. Traditionally, a full bathroom has a toilet, a sink, a bathtub and a shower, and a combination of these represents the fraction in the advertisement. For example, a bathroom with only a toilet and a sink will be noted as ½ a bath; and a bathroom that has a toilet, a sink and a shower will be advertised as ¾ a bath.
If you want to be completely sure, contact your real estate agent and request that they explain to you why the advertisement came out as such. Being a client, they would be glad to discuss your concerns in detail, until you are satisfied with the explanation.

Sell Real Estate FAST With A "Seller Second"

The real estate market has been showing signs of slowing and more and more properties are advertised for sale; however, one real estate transaction type is gaining in popularity and that is the "seller second". In such a scenario, the seller holds a second mortgage allowing the buyer to purchase the home with little or no-money-down. The down payment or a portion thereof is effectively financed with the "seller second".

Since the first mortgage balance will be less than 100% of the sale's price, there is a lower inherent risk to the first mortgage lender who in turn is willing to approve a buyer who would otherwise not qualify for a no-money-down first mortgage. This dramatically increases the pool of potential buyers and that leads to a quick sale in today's market.

Typical minimum credit score requirements for a no-money-down loan are 580 or above; but, with the assistance of a 5% (5% of the sale's price) "seller held second", a buyer can purchase a home with a 550 credit score. With a 20% seller held second, a buyer with a 500 credit score can buy a home no-money-down. With a 35% seller held second, there are no credit score requirements for the buyer.

After closing, the buyer will have two monthly mortgage payments, one payment to the first mortgage holder and a second payment to the seller. The second mortgage is typically structured as a thirty-year amortization with a five-year balloon. At the end of the first year, the buyer can refinance the first and second mortgage into one new first mortgage and at that time the seller will recoup the balance of the "seller second". In the meantime the seller will receive interest only payments from the buyer.

A year ago, it was a seller's market. Properties were selling as soon as the real estate 'for sale' sign was planted in the yard. At that time, it was not uncommon to hear of bidding wars in the driveway and the subject property would end up selling for more than the asking price. Now we are in a different market. We have entered a buyer's market. Properties remain listed for sale for periods of time that exceed a sellers comfort level. Driving down a typical street in Any Town, USA, one might see numerous 'for sale' signs and even signs reading the likes of "price reduced". Reducing the price of a house does not significantly increase the pool of buyers that potentially qualify for financing for that property and therefore, demand remains unchanged as the result of a price reduction. The solution can be found through offering a "seller second".

A "seller second" effectively increases the number of buyers that qualify for financing and subsequently increases the demand. FICO statistics seem to indicate there are approximately 25% of the scorable population in this country that have a credit score between 500 and 649. Offering a "seller second" to buyers in this range can turn them into qualified borrowers and happy homeowners.

To offer a "seller held second", a seller will need to have sufficient equity in the property. Also, sellers need to understand that there is a risk of default by the potential buyer.

Paul Jerome is a mortgage expert and contributor to Seller Helps Buyer, LLC. Seller Helps Buyer provides a format for sellers to showcase properties 'for sale' that are accompanied by a 'seller held second mortgage'. http://www.sellerhelpsbuyer.com

Home Staging Techniques - Top Tips To Get Your Home Ready To Sell - Part 2

Home Staging Techniques 7 - Keep It Tidy – Put Away Your Smalls

I know I talked about keeping the place clean. But remember to keep it tidy too.

Selling is hard work because you have to be ready for ‘that’ viewing at any moment. This means that you really have to get into the habit of tidying away as you go along.

Washing should be in the laundry bin, in the machine or away in the cupboard. Don’t let your viewers have to negotiate a clothes airer in the bathroom or bedroom, it won’t leave a good impression. Likewise don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink or a pile of clean dishes on the draining board…clear it away.

Get everyone into the habit of putting away stuff after they have used it…this may be a bit of a battle with the kids or the other half, but don’t give in. Make your life easier by getting a few toy boxes for chucking in all the loose toys and invest in a remote control tidy for the end of the sofa.

The hallway is often a wonderful dumping ground, try and find space to put away all those things that have been abandoned over the last few months. If it is summer then weed out the winter coats and shoes and put them away.

Home Staging Techniques 8 - Make Each Room Count

It’s simple really. When buying we tend to look for a 3 bedroom house, a 2 bedroom apartment. I.e. we buy by the number of rooms.

What you want the viewers to do once they leave your home and go away to think about it and talk about it with their partner is to remember each and every room.

Often I see properties with rooms that are general dumping grounds, or confused because there is no obvious use for them, like a dining room piled high with office equipment and filing cabinets, or the second bedroom empty but for a set of drums and a wardrobe.

This is a real mistake because if a viewer can’t see what the room is for they may well dismiss it as unusable or worse forget it.

Make each room count. Give each room a purpose or use so that your viewers can see how they could use it.

Property is expensive, make sure that yours offers the viewers good value for money.

Home Staging Techniques 9 - Grow the Space – Start Fertilising Now!

Seriously, buyers are buying space. Space is a premium so you want to make the most of yours.

When selling your home think of ways of making the rooms look bigger. In later articles we will take a look at using lighting and colour to help increase the feeling of space. However you can do a number of things just by moving furniture around.

Firstly in your main rooms try and thin out the furniture. If you have a number of side-tables and footstools could you move one or two out of the room.

Tip - the more floor that can be seen the larger a room will feel.

So get everything you can off the floor and into cupboards or into the garage, loft or shed.

Try and keep the lines of the room clean. Clear away stuff stored on top of kitchen and bedroom cupboards, these make a room feel over stuffed and suggest a lack of storage space.

I like to suggest that if you are selling, consider renting a storage unit for a couple of months. Pack up all those things you wont need for the next few months like last seasons clothes, holiday stuff that you don’t need and any long term stored items that you will have to pack up before the move. The great thing about this is not only will your home feel larger but also you have tackled some of the packing before the big day.

SO GET PACKING

Home Staging Techniques 10 - Light = Space

Think about trying to get as much light into your home as possible. Pull back the curtains and give the nets a wash…or better still get rid of them, if you can bare it.

I also like to change light bulbs in all the appliances. Increase the wattage in those lights that illuminate internal spaces like hallways and bathrooms. (Don’t overload the appliances though). Even on bright days I like to have a little artificial lighting on to add some depth to the rooms.

Home Staging Techniques 11 - Will That Smell Help You Sell?

I won’t linger on this one too long, stale cigarette smoke, last nights take away, the cat litter tray, that damp musty smell in the back bedroom, the cooker hood filter, the drain outside the back door….Does that smell help you sell? Get things smelling fresh…open the doors and windows and let the air circulate.

Now although I have set you quite a list of jobs to get started, and there are many more on the road to preparing your home for the viewing market, none of these cost a fortune to do, and most cost nothing at all.

Once you have started on the process of getting your home ready you will feel a lot more positive. Remember that you are not only preparing your home you are also getting yourself ready for the move as well.

Home Staging Techniques - Top Tips To Get Your Home Ready To Sell - Part 1

I’m not going to ramble on about baking bread and brewing coffee…lets get right down to business. This Home Staging Advice will get you on the right path to getting your house sold. It’s not Rocket Salad and it doesn’t have to cost you money.

Home Staging Techniques 1 - Get Going Now

Don’t wait until your house in on the market and not getting any viewings or offers. This is the biggest mistake buyers make. You want to get the maximum price for your property don’t you? YOU DON’T!

Well come on even Estate Agents will knock off a few thousand pounds if they think that your property will be a ‘Hard Sell’ so don’t start off with a lower asking price than you could have got.

Home Staging Techniques 2 - The ‘D’ Word

Do I even need to say it…..’DeClutter’ It may not have been in our dictionaries before Ann Maurice stormed our shores but boy we’ve got used to hearing that word. Well funny thing is she’s right. As we’ve got wealthier as a nation, we have acquired more and more. Our little British homes weren’t designed for a TV in every room, let alone the DVD player, the ’X’ box, and every sort of gadget you can think of…well I won’t go on. But having every surface covered with your everyday ‘necessary’ items makes the place look untidy and worse…smaller.

Now in a later article I will go into this subject in a little more detail. It really is quite fascinating and I often learn a lot about a client from what they hoard oops I mean treasure.

Start in a neutral room like the bathroom or kitchen…or the downstairs loo. While the kettle boils for that cup of tea…work on just 1 drawer. Over the course of the evening you could have tidied out quite a lot of rubbish. The aim is to create ‘space in your place’ so don’t just shift it to another spot. If you don’t use it, loose it!

The great thing about this first tip is ITS FREE and it cost you nothing more than time and effort.

Home Staging Techniques 3 - The ‘C’ word

No one likes the idea of living with other people’s dirt…so get cleaning. Seriously if your home smells and looks clean you are creating a great environment for those viewers. Think about it. Kitchens, Bathrooms and Toilets should all do Aggie & Kim proud. You want your viewers to be thinking about buying your home…not Cleaning it.

Cleaning your home goes hand in hand with decluttering it. So get the bin, bags, dusters, sponges and rubber gloves out and get cleaning.

Like DeCluttering, tackle a room at a time. Get everyone to give a hand. The kids can do their bedroom.

Don’t forget to clean windows, they will let in a lot more light, and make the place feel brighter and bigger.

Polish door fittings, taps, sinks and anything that will add a gleam to your home.

Fantastic bonus number 2 THIS IS FREE to do as well.

By both decluttering and cleaning your home you will have done 2 of the most effective things you can in preparing your home to sell. Don’t underestimate their importance.

What next?

Home Staging Techniques 4 - The ‘K’ word – Kerb appeal

First impressions count…oh the clichés are coming thick and fast here. But yes people do make long lasting judgments by what they first see.

Come on if you were off to an interview then you would give some thought and time to your appearance wouldn’t you?

Give your hair a brush, maybe even get it cut, shave, put your best clothes on and practice what you are going to say.

Well think of the viewer as your potential interviewer…they will be looking to see how well your home is turned out, does it pass the ‘first reaction’ test?

Even before those viewers have got out of their cars they will have begun judging your home, and they haven’t even set foot inside your driveway yet. All those viewers will have passed your neighbours before reaching your front door.

How does yours compare? Take a wander down the street and be honest. How good does your home look compared to the others in the street? Does the gate work? Is it missing? How about the front wall, is it half falling down? Are the beds looking good or full of weeds? Is the pathway clear or does it resemble an obstacle course, full of odds and ends, wheelie bins, the recycle box and the kid’s toys?

All these little details matter. They add up to a picture in the viewers mind…is this house welcoming, well looked after, appealing or is it a disappointment! Your neighbours may not be selling, but you don’t want your home to be seen as a disappointment to the viewer because it doesn’t compare well with the neighbours.

Home Staging Techniques 5 - Do That DIY

One of the biggest mistakes that sellers make is to think that they can leave all those little DIY jobs that they have been meaning to do for ages, undone because they are moving. Sellers assume buyers won’t notice but I say that viewers come with ‘Magnifying Glasses’ not ‘Rose Tinted Glasses’.

Viewers see everything. They see the cracked tiles in the kitchen, they see the loose coving around the ceiling, and they see that odd patch of damp. And every time they see an unfinished job or a problem that needs sorting they mentally reduce the value of the property in their opinion. Viewers always overestimate the cost of putting a problem right.

Don’t give them an excuse to reduce the price of your property or worse dismiss it as ‘too much work to put right’. Do That DIY…NOW.

For the next 6 'Top Tips' see the next article 'Home Staging Techniques - Top Tips To Get Your Home Ready To Sell - Part 2'

Make Repairs or Not Before Selling Your Home?

Unless you are the most detailed and disciplined person, your home has some problems with it. When you decide to sell, should you fix the problems first or make the buyer?

Make Repairs or Not Before Selling Your Home?

The age old quandary for sellers is the condition of their property before they list it for sale. There are always a number of small defects or problems. Simply put, they need to be fixed. The question, however, is should you go ahead and do it or have the buyer do it by selling the home “as is?” Obviously, the choice is subjective, but it usually pays to make the repairs ahead of time. There are a number of reasons for this approach.

When you go to sell a home, you have to keep in mind that you are competing with other homes that have been listed. Buyers often see the potential in a property, but the need for repairs can sabotage this. The small problems consciously or sub-consciously tell the buyer the home has not been maintained. They often start to wander whether there are other problems they just haven’t found. When push comes to shove, they may take a home in better condition over yours. In short, making the repairs before listing the property is a good way to beat the competition and get a quick sale.

A secondary issue with the decision on repairs is control. Simply put, you are in a much better position to control the cost of repair if you do it before the listing. If you leave the process to the buyer, there is some risk that the buyer may come back and complain that much larger and more expensive repairs are needed. Once you give control of the repairs over to the buyer, you could end up seriously regretting doing so.

The final reason to do repairs prior to listing a home is the valuation of the property. You might be surprised to learn that a home in tip top shape is going to be valued higher than others in the area. Appraisers are human beings. A home that is in excellent shape generally is going to get a better appraisal than one that has problems.

At the end of the day, only you can decide the best course of action on repairs. In most situations, it makes sense to do them ahead of time.

Raynor James is with FSBO America - save money when selling and buying with FSBO homes for sale by owner.

The New Home Seller Mentality

As the home market cools considerably, sellers need to reassess their attitude towards moving their property. In short, we are talking about a new mentality.

The New Home Seller Mentality

The five or six years have been a great time for people selling their homes. The biggest issue sellers seemed to face was simply the decision as to the best time to sell. Once that decision was made, one could practically ask for anything and get offers rolling in. Sellers had all the leverage. Buyers regularly worried about losing out on properties and would happily pay a premium for just about any home. With appreciation rates skyrocketing and interest rates at historic lows, buyers just figured they would make money anyways.

As the home market cools, the leverage is the buy-sell process is switching to the buyers. Sellers can no longer ask outrageous amounts for their homes and expect to get flooded with offers. For sellers, this is a sad, but true development.

While things may favor buyers at the moment, many sellers are having problems changing their mentality. They are still acting like the market is hot. They figure out the value of their home compared to others in the neighborhood and then list their property for something much higher. After the last five years, it comes as a shock when the home just sits and sits with no offers coming in. If you are having this problem, you need to reset your thought process on how to go about selling your home. Yes, you are actually going to have to work at it.

The most important thing to consider is the price you are both listing the home for and willing to accept. If you try to sell at the top of the market for homes in your area, you are going to have problems. Home values are trending down, not up. Buyers also know they should never buy the most expensive home in a neighborhood since it limits their potential appreciation. If your home is priced at the top of the market, you are throwing your bait out to high above the buyers. This is not necessarily a mistake if you are willing to wait and wait for an offer. If you want to sell now, however, you need to aim for the middle of the market. Get an analysis of comparable homes in your area and their prices. Compare your homes to the field and price accordingly.

The legendary real estate market of the early decade is finished. As a seller, you need to adjust accordingly.

Raynor James is with FSBO America - sell my home commission free

For Sale By Owner - Not a Good Option?

Let's face it, the reason most people use the "For Sale By Owner" or FSBO method is to save on the real estate commission. What those people don't understand is that the process of marketing and selling a home or condo is just that, a process. From start to finish the sale of your home can take up to six months. In the U.S.A. the National Association of Realtors (NAR) states that FSBO's sell for as much as 20% less than homes sold by Realtors. That is a far cry from the six percent real estate commission.

For a real estate agent there is one primary goal, selling your home or condo. The agent won't let his or her emotions get in the way like the owner of a home will. The truth is that most buyers feel very uncomfortable when the owner is home during a showing. Buyers tend to feel like they can't ask the questions they would like and can't voice their true opinions, so you can imagine what they feel like when they walk into a FSBO. When an owner shows their own home, they tend to make the entire experience too personal and geared toward their experiences there, and that turns off potential buyers which makes it harder to sell the FSBO.

FSBO's don't realize when they try to sell their own property that they will be subject to complete strangers walking through their home at all hours of the day. After a few weeks of FSBO's juggling their daily schedule to accommodate different buyers, FSBO's will generally get frustrated or completely stressed and call their local realtor to list their home for sale. Realtors will make sure that buyers coming through are pre qualified and looking for a property that is similar to your home.

If a FSBO does get lucky enough to finally get to contract, then comes the hard part, negotiating. Negotiating price and terms of the contract can be tricky and FSBO's tend to attract buyers looking to make low ball offers, or even worse commit fraud. They think if there is not an agent there looking out for the seller’s best interest, that they can take advantage of them. Realtors are trained to spot fraud and help to keep potential buyers from bringing low ball offers.

Many times you will see FSBO's agree to accept an offer from a buyer being represented by a real estate agent, and since most serious buyers have an agent this happens all too often. This scenario can be catastrophic for the FSBO in the negotiating process. An experienced agent knows contracts and contingencies inside and out and will structure deals in the favor of their buyer. Without an agent on their side the FSBO will generally accepts price and terms far below what an experienced seller's agent would be able to get for them.

These are just a few reasons to use a Realtor when you are ready to sell your home or condo. The sale of a home is usually the largest and most stressful transaction that people make in their life, so why not make it a pleasant experience and enlist the services of a Realtor.

Top Ten Reasons Not To Go FSBO

10. You open yourself to unneeded stress and aggravation.

9. FSBO's can be a security risk for the seller.

8. Unqualified strangers walking through your home.

7 Takes hours out of your day and some appointments never even show up.

6. You could end up negotiating with an experienced buyer's agent.

5. You may be unaware you are participating in fraud.

4. Advertising can be expensive and unreliable.

3. Most of the calls you will get will be from Realtors anyway.

2. You will probably overprice you home.

And the number one reason not to go FSBO…….who wants to ruin their weekend having an open house?

For more in-depth information about Miami Real Estate Market, South Beach Real Estate and the surrounding areas please visit our informative real estate website and Miami Real Estate Blog.

FSBO Sellers Beware

When selling your home for sale by owner or otherwise referred to as a FSBO, you will be inundated with calls from real estate agents. When they call they will be polite and tell you what you want to hear but the bottom line is, they want to list your house so they can make a commission. Beware of the 2 biggest come ons for listings, either I have a buyer and let's do a 2 day listing or real estate agents will run advertisements claiming they have buyers in your area. Let's explore these 2 devious ploys in more detail.

Usually it goes like this. You will get a call from a real estate agent asking if you are cooperating with realtors, meaning if they have a buyer you will pay some sort of a commission, usually around 3%. At this stage if you say "yes", often times they will claim to have a mystical, mysterious buyer for your home. As a FSBO this seems promising at first but in most cases it is not. They will talk at length without being too specific about the buyer but before they will show your home they will want to secure a 2 day to 7 day listing to protect their commission. When you invite them over they will size you up and see if your are willing to do at least a 2 day listing on paper which will only be valid if their purchaser does a deal with you. The whole idea of this exercise is for them to build rapport with you and get you to sign something. The really sneaky part is that in most cases this purchaser does not exist. Real estate brokers may say they have someone from out of town or even bring over their brother over in law in disguise. So, after the 2 day listing expires you will get the, "sorry Mr. FSBO I tried everything I could but I could not get my purchaser to commit." Then, "while we have come this far I really think that if we change the 2 day listing to a full 90 MLS we could get you more money, faster than you could do it yourself selling privately. The market is so hot right now I'm sure I could sell it very soon. You must be tired of holding open houses and paying for advertising?" Real estate agents claim to have your best interests at heart?

The second biggest come on is when realtors advertise, "we have cash buyers in your area"! Again this seems ideal to a for sale by owner, to bad in most instances the buyer does not exist. Just call the broker and ask them to bring these purchasers by and if they like it we can do a deal. They won't, not until they have visited you first and secured a short listing on paper. Then as above you will probably never see this mysterious purchaser. It's all just a ploy to list your home.

Novice and expert real estate agents both use these tactics. The new ones are not a threat as their skin is so thin you can say "boo" and watch them run away. It is the "expert" real estate agent that makes his living through FSBO'S is the one to watch out for. He has been through this hundreds of times and knows every angle. He knows what you are going to say and do in each situation. I knew a guy once that made a lot of money and all he did was call on FSBO's. He would list 3 or 4 of them a week. After he listed them he was not very concerned about marketing the property because he knew that once on the MLS system another agent would bring a buyer buy sooner or later.

This article may be reproduced with full credit to the author Fsbohomz.com and a live link to the authors web site, www.fsbohomz.com. You can also join the FSBO FACTS newsletter for free and be kept up to date on all the latest private selling information.

House for Smell: The Powers of Odors in the Real Estate Business

Have you smelled your house lately?

If it's a perfume you're buying, then there's certainly good sense in smelling it first. But if it's a house, what then?

Obviously, people usually buy houses because they look great, seems comfortable, is fully-furnished and well-taken care of, lies in a good safe neighborhood, is close to the workplace, has a good seaside view, etcetera, etcetera, among many other factors. But, curiously enough, smell is not one of them.

Indeed, people often take smells for granted. This is because we register the world mostly through our sense of sight, unlike animals which predominantly rely on their olfactory sense for survival (hunting food, and detecting enemies and prey). For us humans, we only notice smells when they're offensive, but even then, there's the possibility of us growing accustomed to them that we forget they're there in the first place.

This is what you should watch out for when you're selling your house. Your house might pass any discriminating homebuyer's checklist in flying colors. You've repainted the walls in a soothing cream brown, you've had the kitchen floorboards polished, installed additional security system, and even threw in new iron-wrought chairs for the garden. But if you really want to make a good impression; a subtle but effective one, then aim at your prospective buyers' noses.

Get rid of those little smelly details of your house that you might not be aware of anymore, but would definitely be an assault to visitors. Pet odors and cigarette smoke are the immediate culprits. But don't just rest your faith on a handy deodorizing spray can, because they just mask odors and don't address the problem. Needless to say, you'd have to keep the dog out for the meantime that your house is up for sale, and well, as for you, you’ll have to transfer your ashtray outside as well.

Smell, Smell, Go Away.

And then, really, as in really clean up. Wash carpets, curtains, rags, any fabric that stores odors.

Now, for the fun part. Bake bread with cinnamon, or lasagna, or anything that smells good and worry-free. Bring out those essential oils or light up aromatic candles, for a more natural pleasant smelling atmosphere, not synthetically induced by any spray can. Lavender oil, for instance, has a positive calming, effect.

Smells trigger memories and coax emotions in us. This is because our brain's limbic system which stores our memories is also the one responsible for tagging a particular odor received by the chemo receptors.

Which is why when we’re giving house tours to visitors, we want them to remember the house even long after they’ve left the premises. And we want them to remember in a good way. So, okay, pretty flowers standing at attention in a vase might not exactly be your house's strongest selling point, but they can put your visitors in a buying mood and really make a difference.

Neoli write articles and press releases for http://www.ozfreeonline.com. This piece he made served as an article exclusive for http://realestate.ozfreeonline.com - which offers a comprehensive list of office & commercial real estates, homes for rent or sell and an apartment finder to thousands of properties in Australia.

Why FSBO Homes Get More Buyer Interest

As the real estate market cools down, attracting buyers is becoming more difficult. FSBO sellers, however, certainly have fewer problems with this issue.

Why FSBO Homes Get More Buyer Interest

As the red hot real estate market cools off, homeowners are finding the demand for their properties slowing down to traditional levels. No longer is there a stampede to make offers on homes. As this evolution occurs, one area of the real estate market is less traumatized than others – the FSBO market. For a variety of reasons, a FSBO property priced appropriately will typically receive more interest than those listed by agents. There are a few reasons for this.

As a FSBO seller, it is important to understand that people assume things about you. They assume you are unsophisticated. They assume you can be had. Most importantly, they assume they can get a deal on your property. Is any of this true? Not really, but you should not complain. These assumptions are going to help you move your house quickly.

Real estate investors love to hunt for and buy FSBO properties. This occurs because the investor understands that you have room to move on the price without an agent involved. They also assume that the property may have more potential than you realize as a FSBO seller, so they can buy the property and flip it for a nice profit. Regardless of their intentions, rest assured real estate investors will be knocking down your door if you list your property for sale by owner.

With traditional buyers, the situation is not much difference. They perceive a FSBO property as one that has a lot of potential movement on the price. They also often feel they are going to get a deal on the property. With these assumptions being made by buyers, you need to consider you approach as a FSBO seller.

Many FSBO sellers go out of their way to make it clear to potential buyers that they know what they are doing. A better approach, however, might be to play upon the assumptions. If a potential buyer thinks they can take advantage of you, why disavow them of this assumption? The point is to sell the property. As long as you know your bottom line and stick to it, who cares? Let them think they are getting a deal. When you walk away with more than your bottom line, who will be smiling then? I am not suggesting you do anything nefarious, just leverage your position to get the best deal you can for a poor, old FSBO seller!

As the real estate market returns to a more typical pace, sellers need to figure out how to attract buyers. Going FSBO is definitely one way to do it.

Raynor James is with FSBO America - save money when selling and buying with FSBO homes for sale by owner.