FSBO TIPS

A popular new way to try and market your home is to make a video about the your house.  This video is easy and fun to do.   So dust off that digital camera and put it to work selling your home to a whole new audience.  

10 Tips for Shooting a Good Video Home Tour:

1.  Make a Plan of Your Tour and Your Shots:  

Ahead of time, decide what features of your property are important.  Think about how you will highlight them visually.   Make sure the areas you want are clean.  Stage the area so your house looks its best on your video.   For example: Add fresh flowers in the kitchen and dining room.  Set the dining room table.  Place candles around tubs and fireplaces. 

A small order idea:  Plan the shot order order in the same sequence as someone would tour the home.  For example, Start with the front yard and approach to the front door.  This will help make your video easy for the viewer to follow.

2. Get familiar with your camera.

I run into many people who don’t even know where to find the on-off switch, zoom and record buttons.   Spend a few moments getting familiar with your camera.  Pause between scenes by touching the “shoot” or "record" button and resume filming by touching it again.  Hint: Practice a little to see how the camera works inside your home.

3.  Use the video camera like a still camera. 

It is possible to walk with a camera, but the my experience has been that the video will be shaky.   Keep the camera as still as possible.  Some will use tripods to keep it steady while panning around the room.  

4.  Shoot 3 Basic Shots of each Feature: 

Start with a Wide Shot (where your zoom is not used at all) to establish the location.   Move the  zoom to about medium to follow action or frame a view or scene.  Then zoom in for a close up shot to show off a detail or something special.

5. Watch how much you zoom. 

However, be careful with the zoom.  I’ve gotten dizzy with zooming in and out too much. 

6.  Try to shoot at least 10 seconds for each shot. 

If you are panning the scene, some have found that 10 seconds  is about enough time to pan.   Go faster, and your viewer might get sick.  Go slower, they will get bored.  

7.  Lighting is a must.

Here are some practical tips for lighting: 

• Do not shoot toward a bright window. 
• Lower the blinds and turn on all the lights, if you can’t get another angle. 
• Lamps or drop lights aimed at the subject or positioned behind the camera . 

If filming outdoors, consider early morning or late afternoon when harsh sun won’t wash out color and details.  Also when filming outdoors, make sure the subject, not you, is facing the sun.

8. Plan to bring emotion and life into your presentation.  

Include historical facts, neighborhood shots, nearby attractions, special views, street scene’s, neighborhood schools and parks, splashing hot tubs and roaring fires.   Add color outdoors with inexpensive hanging baskets or pots of flowers.   You don’t need to plant them unless you want to.  You can hide the pots in the dirt or behind shorter plants. 

9.  Time the Video.  

Most have found that 3-5 minutes is sufficient.

10.  Have a lot of fun Editing,

Editing is great for adding captions, music or voice overs, or selecting the best scene.  Edit to clean it up and then post it away.

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Here are five tips that could help lead to that sold sign:

1. Find the right price.
Overpricing the home is the No. 1 mistake people.  I see many houses sitting on the market that are horribly overpriced in the current lending markets.  Do your research, perhaps talk with a local real estate agent. They’ll pull the prices of similar homes that recently sold in your area. Research your market to set you price.

2. Try a multiple listing service.
Local papers and free online sites are a great start, but experts consider investing in a multiple listing service a requirement these days. A listing service gets your ad onto a database accessible to real estate agents and buyers in your area and nationwide.

Use some of the discounters who will put your house in the MLS for a fixed fee.

3. Stage your home.

Is a Stager Worth it? Make sure to do all the repairs, clean everything and consider baking some cookies before your open house so it smells inviting.

Keep in mind too many little accessories looks like clutter, and define each room the way it was designed.  If you need to spend money, don’t go over 2 percent of the sale price.

4. Don’t over-renovate.
Before anything else, invest in the kitchen, the bathrooms and the outside of the house. But don’t go overboard.

For example, if the average home in your neighborhood doesn’t have stainless steel appliances, go with simple black or white.

5. Do your homework.
Selling a home is time-consuming, so know what you’re in for.   Have your your team of professionals ready to help you.  Assemble your necessary contracts and paperwork.

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You might still be up for the challenge of wanting to sell your house on your own.  Here are two more books you can purchase and read immediately (they are downloadable ebooks).  They will walk you through all the effort you need to make to prepare your house for sale.

	197 Ways to Improve the Curb Appeal of Any Home.  Learn the 9 biggest mistakes to avoid when trying to sell your home, the 10 most common things an inspector finds, and five tips for selling at top dollar when you have the time to wait for the perfect homebuyer. I have prepared many homes for sale and curb appeal is probably the biggest investment that one can make in restoring value to their home.  Special pricing for SDP Partner Customers — $19.97.
	"Selling Your Home Alone……………the secrets to sell your home Yourself in 1-6 weeks, ……………without an agent, and ……………save thousands in Real Estate Commissions,……………access to on-line classifieds for free!   This book was featured in the Richmond Times Dispatch, which called it "a useful guide to the details of preparing and selling a house.". For a limited time, I’ve cut the price to $97 $37
	Declutter your Home!  Inside this gem of a book, you will find all sorts of tips and tricks.  Comes with FREE report by email, no purchase required.  How to declutter immediately.  How you can keep all the stuff you want, yet still be free of clutter, and how to make decluttering truly easy, fast, and stress free.  For just the next few days, the price is under $20 at 19.97.

Each comes with 30 day money back guarantees so there is no risk to you. Order on-line and immediately download either one.

But remember, you don’t have to do all the work.  You can sell your house as-is and where is to us.  We buy houses that aren’t quite ready for the open market so you can get on with your life.  Click here to Get offers from us in 24 hours.

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1. Create and Maintain Informative Website:

Making a useful and informative website provides an easier way to sellers to advertise their properties. A seller can get more fruitful offers for his properties.

Websites are a must when the research shows that 80% of homebuyers start with the Internet.  You can post pictures on line, and in the time of high gas prices, more people want to see the inside from the comfort of their own home to decide if they want to see the property further.

With tools like Flickr or Picassa that integrate or provide you tools to integrate photo albums, there should be no reason not to have a website.

2. Adequate Signs:

Placing custom signs on some of the noticeable locations is one of the best methods to advertise for the property sale. 

We use directionals, open house directionals (with little arrows), along with the website.  

People follow the arrows when they are out driving around. 

They have our phone number instead of an address.  That is our choice as some people.  People driving by the directional can call us if they want more information.

3. Effective Flyers:

You can make effective flyers that will attract potential buyers.

One Simple Word: Color.

Use photos and highlight the website for more information.  Provide possible financing scenarios.
 

4. Be Available for Buyers at Anytime:

A buyer needs to be present to show the property to the potential customers or answer their queries all of the time.  Buyers have their own time table. 

If you are not able to show a property when the buyer is ready, you will loose a buyer in this slow market.  I know a friend who has been trying for three weeks now .

To see a property, but the seller is never available.  That buyer is moving on to another house.  The seller has lost a buyer simply because the seller won’t make the house available.

5. Provide the Details:

Buyers are full of questions.  The more information a seller provides, the better.  The more information you can share on the history of repairs, the better.  When a buyer asks a question, "I don’t know" isn’t really the best answer.  Go find an answer.

Selling a house FSBO is not always the easiest option.  It requires a team of support people to help you, knowledge of some contract law, and you have to be ready to show the property at any given time.

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The NAR 2007 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers reports on difficult tasks associated with For Sale By Owner (FSBO).

Home sellers who chose to sell their home For Sale By Owner (FSBO) were asked to list the most difficult tasks associated with selling. The list was not surprising to me.

In order of importance/difficulty, FSBO sellers listed the following as the most difficult tasks:

1. Understanding and performing paperwork
2. Preparing and fixing up the home for sale
3. Getting the price right
4. Selling within the length of time planned
5. Attracting potential buyers
6. Having enough time to devote to all aspects of the sale
7. Helping buyer obtain financing

There is so much more to selling a home than some sellers seem to realize. It isn’t just about finding a buyer, there are legal contracts and required disclosures. There are also negotiations on price, terms and repairs. Getting a home from being listed to closing is a very long and complicated process.

Are you prepared? 

If you are in Virginia, consider selling to an investor who can cash you out quickly.  Visit www.ChrisBuysHouseVa.com

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Here is another site where you could list sell your house FSBO.  Private Sale Partners has a new system that they claim sets them apart from other FSBO listing services.

They offer a Home Selling Training Course, tips on selling and closing, marketing tools, and helping your buyer get a mortgage.  They have listing plans for their homes and an 800# with a 24/7 call center that can help you pre-screen buyers and give out information.

I’ve not used them, but it is another FSBO Listing service provider for those who do "For Sale By Owner."

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 10 Tips For Buying a Home Pets Will Love

The article above, while focused on buying a home, can give you the seller some ideas of what a pet owner might be interested in when they come and see your home.

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A relative newcomer to the For Sale By Owner Listing Services.

Sell home without an agent’s commission. Homes for sale by owner at Fizber.com

Here is a brief review.

Message Boards For Sale by Owner FORUM

The company has a free message board that allows you to post all sorts of questions about selling your house as a for sale by owner, or buying a house from a for sale by owner.  With each post you can subscribe to that thread and receive instant email notification when someone has posted to that thread. 

Pricing

FIZBER has some basic plans

• Pay per week at 24.95
• Pay per month at 49.95
• Pay until Sold, 129.95
• Feature plan (until sold) 299.95
• Premium (includes MLS) at 499.95.

Each plan has different features, and different marketing tools, all of which are explained at the company’s website.

They claim to post your house on Craigslist, but I’m not sure how they get around the craigslist terms of service about third party posting, unless they claim the same privileges that real estate agents do to post their inventory on craigslist.

The greatest feature is their claim to place your house is lots of other for sale by owner websites.  You could do that on your own, but that does take a lot of time and research to find them all, retype your ad, fill out numerous forms, and then remember everywhere you have placed your ad.  I think the market is ripe for a consolidation service like this that populates your house into many different databases.

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Common wisdom that I’ve seen on the Internet suggests that 80% of home buyers start with the Internet.

This is why any FBSO marketing strategy should include Internet Advertising. 

You can use any search engine to locate FSBO MLS services, or FLAT FEE FBSO MLS Services.

You have to get your home in front of as many people as possible.

My experience with a Flat Fee FSBO MLS.

I have used FSBO listing sites such as owners.com.  This service is a on line listing that charges the seller a fee to put your house on their site.  For an additional fee, they will put your listing into the MLS, which is called a Flat Fee FSBO MLS.

I have used a local realtor that provides flat fee FSBO MLS and skipped the FSBO listing service altogether.

For the flat fee MLS listing, the fee I pay allows me access to the MLS for my state. 

The agent collects my fee up front, and their required information, and then for an additional deposit, I secure a MLS lock box, realtor sign and it’s in the MLS which is then populated to realtor.com

I as the seller am responsible for showings, paperwork, and all the other services that an agent might usually provide. 

The agent I chose to use for my flat fee MLS listing gave me unlimited changes and price adjustments.  Other services charge fees for that service.  It depends on your market.

Most of the time, the buyer’s agent made sure most of the paperwork was done.  The Flat Fee MLS was something that worked for me and may work for you as well.

It puts your house on the internet which is where 80% of buyers start.

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Selling a home can be a long, hard fought process. In today’s market around Richmond, some houses are sitting 90, 120, 180 days.  After lots of initial activity, listings go stale and people stop looking at your house. 

When it comes to for sale by owner real estate, as a seller you have to put a lot of work in.

• You will need to put a marketing plan into place.
• You will need to set the price of your home.
• You will need to design the flyers, take the photos, and post the information to the online classified.
• You will need to pay for all your marketing.
• You will need to arrange all your showings.
• You will need to organize and promote your open houses.
• You will need to have a support team of attorneys, inspectors, lenders, and title companies.
• You will need to have legal forms that are approved by your attorney (save money and provide your attorney with a template FSBO Legal Form, rather than start a new one from scratch).

Simply be prepared for what you will be getting involved in.  This is not a simple project in today’s environment.  You will have to put a lot of work into it. 

If you are prepared for what to expect, you should not have any problems with the for sale by owner process.

Read as much as you can so that you are ahead of the game from the start.

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