Inspect Your Home Before Trying to Sell It

I'm not shy, and I have learned to welcome all the help I can find when I sell my home. So, I'm saying you should consider accepting any help available to you as well. Selling a house today requires a lot of attention and careful marketing. Because of the glut of houses available, many of which are vacant, sellers who are living in their own house actually have an advantage over other sellers. Although I usually sell my house vacant, I go to great lengths to insure my houses are well kept so they show well. In fact, my houses for sale are all ready for someone to move right in, which makes a good first impression.



Preparing to sell a house, I pull out a checklist I wrote up years ago so that I don't forget any of the basics. Since I've been selling houses for decades I make it a practice to follow my checklist in order to assure myself that nothing has been overlooked by other people on my team or by me personally. My checklist has become priceless to me because it works so well. In this article I will share two points on my checklist. Although my checklist is considerably longer than this, these two points concern preparing your house and preparing yourself. I realize that neither of these points represents a novel idea, but let me explain why they are important now.



Each time I set about to sell my house I begin by looking at it carefully, inside the house and outside as well. Walking around the perimeter and pretending I'm seeing it for the first time, I begin to see what my buyers will see, which is incredibly important. Since I'm actually the seller and not the buyer I can benefit from another perspective as well, the one representing what the buyer sees.



Making a good first impression is the most important moment to consider when you're preparing yourself and your home for sale. Once you get a glimpse of your house the way buyers will see it for the first time then you know what you must do to improve the appearance and increase the salability of your house, assuming there might be some things to do. No major remodeling is necessary, mostly de-cluttering and basic tidying up the interior and exterior of your house.



When I sell my houses vacant I have an advantage because there is absolutely no clutter in sight. You can gain an advantage as well when you sell your residence by storing all items you don't use on a daily basis. This is not too time-consuming or costly if you consider it can make all the difference in getting a sale. Professional agents have advised their clients with expensive houses to place furniture and other household items in storage, and that technique can work for you, too. Walking around to observe your house the way other people are going to see it is a great way to prepare yourself and also prepare your house for sale. I assure you, I do this same thing every time I sell my house.

Internet Marketing Is An Highly Effective Way To Sell A Home

I've honestly lost track of how many times it has worked out for me when I sell my property online. I usually have quite a few houses for sale at the same time, and it's been like that for over thirty years now. Since the internet arrived on the scene, the majority of my buyers find my houses for sale online.



I think most investors would tell you the same thing now, especially investors who were in the business years before the internet. We would all tell you things have changed for the better. Whenever I sell my house online now I remember the days I placed classified ads in the newspaper and sent out bulk postcard mailings every week.



But every seller has the same great opportunity I'm describing when I sell my house online because anyone can do it. It doesn't matter if you decide to go ahead and sell a home on the multiple listing service and let your agent do everything, or if you market it by your own efforts, right along with the things your agent is doing.



Just remember, if you plan to conduct all the marketing and closing activities completely without an agent, you will definitely need to use the internet yourself. Hopefully, this idea is not overwhelming to you. Posting classified ads online will attract attention to your house and you will hear from buyers by phone and email, the same way real estate agents hear from buyers and buyers' agents. When they see your classified ads online, prospective buyers may go ahead and contact their own agent who may be the one to give you a call. I predict you'll hear from some agents directly, because I always do when I sell a home online.



Another trend is the growing number of buyers who prefer to work directly with sellers, and they prefer to avoid agents altogether. That doesn't mean you should keep your own agent out of the loop, not at all, but I'm saying you are quite likely to find your buyer when you run classified ads to sell a residence online. Most sellers are posting their own houses on websites like craigslist and ebay classifieds because they want maximum exposure on the local market.



Those buyers who do not choose to work with real estate agents may very well be interested in your home, so you are well-advised to make sure all your possible buyers see your house posted for sale online. Of course your agent will cover the multiple listing service, but you should take care of selling your house on the other websites yourself. That is exactly how I sell my house online, and I assure you, it can work for you, too.