The Stalker Homeowner: Don’t follow the prospective buyers into each room and stand there. The key is to point them in the direction then let them look. Standing over a buyer makes them feel uneasy and makes them want to hurry on their way. Give a short guided tour and point out anything that can easily be overlooked. Then tell them to feel free to open doors and closets and you’ll be in the yard if they have any questions.

The Never ending Talker: Stop talking! Disclosure is necessary but prospective buyers do not need over explanation of each room and every decision you’ve made. If your appliances are more than 8 years old, there is really no need to point out the fact they may be a “brand name”. They are just old to a buyer. Drawing attention to the name is only drawing attention to their age. If your kitchen and fixtures throughout the home are more than 10 years old…your home is dated. Like it or not, your home is going to need updates from the prospective of most buyers. Although you may be proud of the brass chandelier hanging above the entry, many buyers will be calculating costs to replace it.

The Tattle Tail: No need to point out the potential honey do list you have not had a chance to do. Once, I showed a FSBO home and the owner had hardwood floors. Rather than just pointing out the hardwood, she went into detail of how they can be refinished. Then the buyers realized the floors really could use a refinish and that was more work to do. If it is not a disclosure situation, then do not point out what is so time consuming that you did not even tackle it prior to selling. If the buyer commented about the floor, that would be the opportunity to explain a possible solution.

Know Your STUFF. Know your energy bill averages. Know your neighborhood and amenities; know where parks and schools are located (you may not have children but a prospective buyer could). Know the basics of your home construction (year, energy features, foundation type, and furnace location/type). Know your property lines (if they are not clearly defined or perhaps they extend past what may appear to be the end).

Remove the Sentimental Feelings From You and Your House. Buyers do not care that you paid so much money to paint the dining room green…chances are, they don’t like it and plan to repaint. If you go on in detail about your decisions on what you have done to the home (or the garden you worked so hard to plant on the side yard) buyers feel guilty as they may have plans to turn your hard work into a RV driveway. Point out unique features that may go unnoticed then retreat to the front yard. Wait for them to ask questions and give them a SIMPLE answer. Be welcoming and polite, but they are not here to meet you. Clean out your personal belongings and pictures. It’s hard enough that someone is living there, and that the person who does live there is offering a guided tour…but if on top of that all of your family pictures are everywhere. It will be hard for a buyer to imagine it to be their home.

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The property price dilemma

As a homeowner selling your home you are faced with a dilemma when setting the asking price for your property. Ask too much and you risk your property sitting on the market for months without attracting any offers. Ask too little and you lose out financially. Faced with this choice many homeowners set their asking price too high believing that they can always lower the price if the property doesn’t sell. However this can have disastrous consequences for the value of your home.

Setting the correct price is the most important part of selling your home. Whether selling your home FSBO or through a real estate agent it is vital to get the asking price right first time. Your aim is to sell your property in a reasonable amount of time and to get on with living your life, in order to do this you must set a realistic price.

Buyers know the real estate market

Buyers are often well researched when it comes to the current real estate market. Therefore if a property is overpriced, it simply won’t sell. As a homeowner you may well feel that a prospective buyer can always make you an offer but in many cases buyers will simply walk away. It is said that a reasonably priced property will attract reasonable offers but an excessively over priced property will attract no offers.

If a property is over priced and doesn’t sell it will sit on the market and will quickly become stale. Buyers will recognize the property as having been on the market for some time and assume that there must be something wrong with it; the property will have gained the reputation of being a lemon. If you overprice the house to test the market and then reduce the price later, it signals to buyers that the property was and may still be overpriced. Homes that are listed through real estate agents are particularly vulnerable as many agents give homeowners inflated valuations on their property to try and secure the listing. The owner is later conditioned by the agent to accept a lower offer that is often less than the true value of the property.

Factors affecting the price of your property

The amount of time that you have to sell your home will affect its sale price. Any property will sell if the price is low enough. If the real estate market is slow and you need to sell quickly you may have to accept a lower price to sell you property. By offering a property for sale at a lower price the pool of potential buyers is expanded as the property becomes attractive to real estate investors who either want to rent the property to tenants or renovate and sell at a profit. If you are not in a hurry to sell your property you can concentrate on appealing to homeowners rather than investors. Homeowners are less likely to be concerned about rental yield and profit margins and will pay more for a home that they fall in love with.

Some factors other than time that affect the price of a property are:

Location: You can’t get away from this one; the cliché location, location, location is well known because it is true. If your property is located in a desirable area that is in demand, you will be able to get a higher price than you can for the same house in a less desirable area.

Condition: A house that has been well maintained and can be moved into without the new owners having to undertake any major renovations will always sell for more than one that has been neglected and needs work.

Desirable amenities: If your house has popular amenities such as parks, schools and shops close by, it will sell for a higher price.

FSBO and property prices

As a FSBO homeowner you are in a fantastic position in that you can under cut your competition (properties listed with real estate agents) and still keep more of the equity in your pocket as you have no real estate agent’s fees to pay. However a significant number of FSBO owners erode their competitive advantage by asking the same or more than properties listed through an agent.

Opinion is divided as to whether buyers would rather buy direct from the owner or through an agent. Some people feel that buyers prefer to negotiate through an agent, as they can be more honest in their feedback, therefore if these buyers are to be enticed to consider FSBO properties they need a reduced price to attract them. Others feel that buyers would rather deal direct with owner rather than have to put up with the deceit and games played by some agents. Having dealt with many agents and FSBO owners I would rather deal direct any day.

Whether the prospective buyer prefers to deal direct or would rather be negotiating through an agent one thing is for certain. The buyer knows that the homeowner is saving a considerable amount through not having to pay commission and will expect the homeowner to share some of this saving with them.

Any sensible FSBO vendor will share the saved commission with the buyer by accepting a slightly lower price. The homeowner is still ahead in terms of the equity they have in their pocket and can move on and get on with their life in their new home. It is important to focus on selling your home not how much you can save.

How to determine the price of your property

In order to determine the price of your property it is necessary to compare your property to other homes that have sold in your neighborhood. There are three ways that this can be done:

1. Online valuation service
These services compile reports based on historic sales data for a particular suburb or street. They are a useful overview and provide information quickly and easily but provide fairly high level information e.g. you may be able to find out the average house price in a street but may not know how many bedrooms the average house has.

2. A professional valuer
A professional valuation is the most accurate way to find out how much your property is worth. A valuation from a professional valuer is not the same as a valuation that you might get from a real estate agent. A professional valuer has no financial interest in your property and is legally responsible for their valuation. Banks will require a valuation from a professional valuer in order to issue a mortgage. Banks will not accept a valuation from a real estate agent, as they know that these are not reliable.
In order to value your home the valuer will visit the property to make measurements and assess the condition. They will then consider how your property compares to other properties that have sold in the local area.

3. Comparative market analysis
It is possible to conduct your own market analysis by comparing your home to others that have sold in the area. The key here is to compare to the selling price of other properties and not the asking price.
Find 4-5 houses similar to yours that sold in your area over the last 6 months. Ask agents or owners or use property records to find out what the properties listed and sold for. Keep an eye on newspaper property pages for examples of recent sales.
As no two homes are exactly the same it will be necessary to make adjustments for differences between your home and those in the comparison e.g. if the home in the comparison has a renovated bathroom and your property does not you will need to reduce the comparison price.

Setting the asking price for your property

It is difficult trying to subjectively value your home because of the emotional attachment that you have. This can lead you to over emphasize the property’s good points and to overlook any shortcomings. In order to get the most accurate valuation we would recommend investing in a professional valuation.

When setting the asking price it is important to remember that the only thing that is relevant is how much a buyer is prepared to pay for your home today. It does not matter how much you paid for your home five years ago, nor does it matter how much your new home is costing or how much you still owe on your mortgage. It is only your property’s value as determined by the current real estate market that is relevant.

You may however wish to include a small buffer to allow for some negotiating room. 5% more on the asking price will give enough room to negotiate but will not overprice the property so much that buyers are scared away.

How to maximize your equity

In order to maximize the amount of money that you end up with in your pocket we recommend using a professional valuer to determine the property value.

Once you have decided how much to sell your property for listing with a good FSBO website (also known as private sale) means you avoid paying commission to a real estate agent and can maximize the amount of equity you are left with.

As a home seller you want to initiate that positive feeling from a prospective buyer; choosing a new home is a very emotional thing and it is this emotional vibe that you want to tune into to. It is always the first impression that will dictate the buyer’s mood.

Think of the times that you have been in the audience waiting to hear a speech. When the person walks onto the stage you are expectant and interested in what he has to say. In the first one minute he either has your attention – or you are wondering where he bought his shoes from. If he has wit, a smile and a bright voice you will listen. If he drawls, sounds dull and is talking too quietly your brain leaves the stage.

You will only listen to a boring speaker if you really want to hear what he has to say. Your house is like the speaker. If it appeals in the first minute, the buyer will proceed with interest and enthusiasm. If the first appearance doesn’t draw the buyer in, he will approach the viewing of your home with the thought that he is wasting his time. This is where the price of your house comes in; if there is nothing much going for it, then make sure you take the realtor’s advice about the price.

If you know your house is a no-frills house, then the first impression will be critical to set the mood. A realtor calls this curb appeal, and if yours is not able to look ‘fantastic’, it can at least look promising.

Step out side your house, and walk to the street and scrutinize your own home from the sidewalk. Check for things like scuff marks around the base of the house and broken parts of fence. Sweep the paths and hide the garbage can. Make sure the gardening is done – no dead weeds or yellow patches on the lawn.

Certain additions can make your home look as if it is cared for. For instance, plants in pots around your front door. A statue or an elegant bird bath placed centrally in your lawn can take away the plainness of a yard. If you are worried about theft, most of these are too heavy to be easily moved. Flowers or plants can be grouped around it.

This applies to any season. If you are selling your home in autumn you can always buy some potted chrysanthemums or azaleas, if you are selling in spring use daffodil and crocus etc. Whatever time if the year, there can be either flowers or berry bushes in the yard. The back yard will not count so much in terms of first impressions. So concentrate on the front for the first visual impact to your buyer.

One very easy solution to the visual appeal problem is to have a very soft bed in the front and cover it with wood chips. As each season turns, a different group of pot plants can be ‘dug in’ to the soft soil. Once the daffodils die, those pots get pulled out until next year and the petunias go in, then chrysanthemums, until finally it is the winter pansies and the berries. With a bird bath in the center and about three small ever green shrubs, your front yard will always have appeal.

It is not just that you are appealing to the type of person who likes a nice yard; if the yard is looking good, it will make the buyer think that the rest of the house will be looked after and he will approach the viewing of your house in a positive way. This positive attitude means that the buyer’s frame of mind will be open to the emotional appeal of your home.

One of the most significant decisions in life is purchasing or selling a house. Either of which, the role of real estate brokers or agents is a very relevant one, making the rather confusing process a lot simpler and faster to the owner or buyer of the property. Brokering real estate is a business that is not only simple but can be lucrative as well, depending on how much you focus your work on this particular endeavor. This is the reason why a lot of people are involved, and want to get involved, in the real estate business, hoping to become a broker or an agent.

real estate Brokers against real estate Agents

Although real estate brokers and real estate may look the same, they have different roles. While the broker is more into administrative responsibility, the agent takes a lot of work in negotiating and talking to the sellers and prospective buyers of properties.

Only one broker usually runs an estate but there are several or more agents working to meet and talk with clients who are selling and customers who are interested in the property.

When a customer wants to dispose his property by selling or renting it, they usually contact real estate agents to do the works for them. It is also the role of the real estate agent to arrange for the property to be advertised. This involves visiting the property before showing it to prospective clients or buyers.

An effective agent would take note everything about the property from the floor plans to the ceilings, from the heating systems to the cesspools, and possibly every little nook and corner, so it would be easier for them to talk the details with the prospective buyer. It is also necessary that they have to be familiar of the neighborhood, so in this way, they can relay the fair market value of the property to the clients.

It is also in the role of an agent to be well-informed of related to real estate details such as the tax rates, ongoing mortgage rates, schools, public transportation systems, and more because these are necessary especially when negotiating the price, of which they must make delicate but fair one in order to hook up an interested client. In this business, negotiating skills are obviously not only important but critical.

The role does not end when the negotiation is closed. Meaning, if the property is considered sold they are still responsible with the part where paper signing and property‘s title transferring are involved. It is the responsibility of the agent to build a network of colleagues, like attorneys, contractors, mortgage lenders, and other relevant people, whom they can refer their clients with.

And lastly, it is in the hands of the real estate agent to be able to take into consideration the needs of their clients during certain or uncertain times. They need to be available when the clients are available, which means that they can be required to work regardless of the time, at night or day, at weekends and weekdays.

Commercial against Residential real estate Brokering

Residential real estate brokering involves shorter deal time than commercial real estate brokering, as they need to do longer work on market trend researches and in identifying detailed needs of the buyers. But since commercial brokers and agents work longer and more carefully, they receive heftier commission fees.