Selling Real Estate

Preparing to List Your Property

Choosing a Real Estate Agent: The five most important criteria for selecting an agent are:

  • Level of service
  • Selling quickly at expected price
  • Reputation of agent and company
  • Experience
  • Results

Cooperative Sales: Nearly 50% of all property sold in the Multiple Listing Service is a Cooperative sale. For that reason your selection of a company should be based on who will represent your best interests and give you the best service.

For Sale By Owner Headaches:

  • Window-shoppers
  • Lookers stopping at all hours of day and night
  • Mis-pricing the home
  • Inability to qualify buyers
  • Letting strangers in the home
  • Negotiating with buyers
  • Knowing everything that needs to be done
  • Missed opportunities when away from home
  • Buyers wanting the commission savings
  • Buyers who don't like to deal directly with owners

Five Reasons A Property Sells:

  • Location
  • Price
  • Terms
  • Condition of the Property
  • The Agent you select

YOU CONTROL FOUR OF THESE!

Pricing Your Home: The National Association of Realtors showed in 2004 that sellers working with a Realtor grossed an average 2% higher than people selling on their own. People selling through The French Team got nearly an extra 2% or more of the value of their home on average in 2004.

Your agent wants you to get the highest price and you want the home SOLD.

Sellers Control Salability -- The seller controls the condition of the property, the terms they will consider and the asking price. Your house will be marketed at the price that will be in YOUR BEST INTEREST.

The Market Controls Value -- Beyond the control of the seller is the value a buyer will assign to a given location and the number of houses for sale. They are not interested in what you paid for the property, what you have spent on redecorating, or how much money you need to purchase your next home. Buyers will always search the market place for the BEST VALUE.

This pyramid represents the fact that as the asking price for your home goes up, there are fewer buyers that are able to afford your home. This will result in a longer marketing time to find the right buyer for your home. Inversely, if you set a lower asking price for your home it will most likely sell faster. It is important to realize this and to figure out if the price you get for your home is more important than how long it takes to sell it. If you print out this page, write in your ideas on price range from "I must sell it now", to "I have plenty of time." The REALTORS are experts and will be able to assist you in figuring out how to meet your goals and needs.

Preparing Your Home for Showing: With buyers, first impressions count. A small investment in time and money will give your home an edge over other listings in the area when the time comes to show it to a prospective buyer.

Here are some suggestions, which, over the years, we have found will help to get top market value:

  • General Maintenance
  • Oil squeaky doors
  • Tighten doorknobs
  • Replace burned out lights
  • Clean and repair windows
  • Paint interior as necessary
  • Repair cracked plaster
  • Repair leaking taps and toilets
  • Shampoo carpets
  • Clean washer, dryer, and tubs
  • Clean furnace
  • Clean refrigerator and stove
  • Clean and freshen bathrooms
  • Clean garage
  • Clean basement and/or crawl space

The First Impression

  • Clean and tidy entrance
  • Functional doorbell
  • Polish door hardware
  • Clean windows
  • Flowers at front entrance
  • Clean outdoor furniture

Curb Appeal

  • Cut lawns
  • Trim shrubs and lawns
  • Weed and edge gardens
  • Pick up any litter
  • Clear walk and driveway of leaves
  • Repair gutters and eaves
  • Touch up exterior paint

The Buying Atmosphere

  • Be absent during showings
  • Turn on all lights
  • Light fireplace
  • Open drapes in the day time
  • Play quiet background music
  • Keep pets outdoors
  • Place setting at dining room table.

The Spacious Look

  • Clear stairs and halls
  • Store excess furniture
  • Clear counters and stove
  • Make closets neat and tidy
  • Remove personal art work/posters
  • Hang mirror to reflect outside light