Before marketing and selling homes got so technical many homeowners chose to go unrepresented in the sales transaction and just planted a FSBO (For Sale By Owner) sign in the front yard.  National Association of REALTOR© statistics show that less and less people are taking on the challenge of selling a home themselves and of the ones that do less than 7% are successful.  Before you consider selling your property yourself, ask yourself if you are going to have the time and knowledge needed to sell your house - even if you just cover the basics.

The Basics

• Complete an extensive research of local market conditions, including:
• the listing and selling price of all houses in your area for the last six months,
• the listing price of houses currently available on the market, and
• the listing prices of houses that were on the market but did not sell.
  Tips: Begin your research on the Internet. There are many websites where you can purchase sold data online or hire an agent that has access to sold data to help determine pricing.

Put together a marketing plan.

• How will you market your house to real estate agents? Most buyers use a real estate agent, so marketing to real estate agents is essential. At a minimum, you'll want to send a letter and sales flyer to all REALTORS® within a 30 mile radius. There are currently over 6000 agents actively selling Real Estate in Austin. There are probably 500 servicing your market area.
• How much money can you afford to devote to advertising? Call the local newspapers to determine how much it will cost for advertisements. Newspapers are seldom used anymore by real estate agents but can be one of the few advertising media available to unrepresented sellers.  Please see rates for ads in the Austin Statesman.
• Who will create your sales flyers? Buyers expect fact sheets to take with them when they drive-by or tour a house for sale.
• Where will you place signage? In addition to your front yard, is there areas leading in to your neighborhood where signage would be appropriate? In rural areas like Dripping Springs this is very important to direct traffic from busy roads to your front door.
• How will potential buyers find information about your house on the Internet? You'll want potential buyers who begin their house shopping on the Internet to find your house. Be sure to build a website to help sell your house.
• Who will take inquiry calls and schedule appointments? You'll want someone to be available to answer inquiry calls and schedule appointments. Be sure to schedule showings as quickly as possible - even the same day.
  Tips: Ask newspapers for a discounted advertising rate for multiple placements. Be sure to check with local officials to determine if there are any restrictions on where you place signs.
  " Pre-qualify" buyers before showing your house. Please feel free to refer your leads to my "Local Partners" page.

• Confirm that the potential buyer has pre-qualified for a mortgage loan.
• If the buyer is buying with cash, confirm that they have the necessary resources.
• If the purchase is contingent on the buyer selling their own house, confirm that the buyer's house is on the market. (You may also want to determine how long the buyer's house has been on the market.)
• With the recent changes in lending you should make sure that everyone you show the house to is qualified to purchase it.  Have them talk to a lender before you open your house to a stranger that may or may not be capable of buying the house.

• Negotiations, Contracts and Closings

• Are you prepared to negotiate the contract?
• Do you know what the legal responsibilities of the seller are in your area?
• Who will write the contract? Will you need to hire an attorney? If so, what will be the attorney's fees?
  Tips: In addition to the sales contract, the State of Texas requires you to complete a Seller's Disclosure and a Lead Based Paint Disclosure if the home was built prior to 1978.
  

• Attempting to sell your home yourself can be a daunting and discouraging task.  If you have decided to go unrepresented in the transaction please call us to discuss your options and what to expect. We would be glad to answer any questions you may have and help in anyway we can.  Over 93% of unrepresented sellers eventually use an agent to sell their home and we would like to be able to show you what we can do to sell your home for you quickly and for the highest amount possible.  Please call us today. 

    (512) 829-2062