A Step-By-Step Guide on How to Sell Your Own Home

A Step-By-Step Guide on How to Sell Your Own Home For Top Dollar and In Record Time! Bindman Bruzas Realty is happy that you have decided to receive this FREE REPORT on how to sell your own home. Let’s start with the basics. Selling Your Home Is Not Going To Be Easy! Selling your home will not be easy, unless you sell it at a price that is far below market value! You can expect many hours of servicing. Why? Well, when you decided to sell your own home, you have decided to become a Realtor, instead of hiring one, and you will need to be doing the activities that Realtors do to make sure your home sells. And this takes plenty of work! Such as pricing the home properly so that it is at current market value. This will require you to get your hands on some information concerning the most recent sales of comparable homes in your area that have sold over the last 120 days. Now if you cannot find this information, then you will need to hire an Appraiser. This will cost you between $300 to $1000 but this information is absolutely essential for you to know so that you are not : Selling too high... Which means that you'll be wasting time, effort and advertising money since an over priced home will not sell. Would you buy an overpriced home? Of course not! So please do not expect your buyer to pay more than market value! Selling too low... Which means you'll not be saving any commission money at all since the buyer got a real bargain. You need to keep this in mind when selling yourself. Buyers always want private sellers to lower the selling price since you are not paying a commission. Just say no to your buyer when this comes up. Please DO NOT overlook the seriousness of pricing your home properly BEFORE you begin to spend money on marketing expenses. Negotiating With The Buyer This is one of the most difficult challenges you'll encounter during the home selling process. Becoming skilled on how to handle a buyer takes some "hands on" experience. This free report simply cannot replace years of trial and error that Realtors go through every day. Take this man as an example. He sold cars all his life so when it came to selling his own home, of course, he thought he could sell it himself without using a Realtor. (Especially since he was a salesman all his life... for 44 years!) He was surprised to find out that it wasn't the same after all. What was our advice? To become friends with a Realtor in his hometown who could help him should a buyer want to present an offer. (This man lives 300 miles from our city and this is why we couldn't help.) We also told him that he would need to pay this Realtor friend at least $1000 for his time and expertise in helping out in the sale. So we recommend the same to you. Get yourself a Realtor who agrees to help you should a buyer want to buy your home. And please pay the Realtor at least $1000 for his expertise. Believe me it is a small investment that may bring you a good return! Closing The Sale Between the time you accept an offer and the day arrives to close the sale and receive the money from the buyer, you'll need to invest some time, some multi-tasking, and most likely, some frustration in handling a few details. The best bet is for you to hire a lawyer so that some of the details are covered. Keep in mind, the lawyer is limited to what he will do during this transaction such as not attending inspections or “final walk through”. A lot of the other details will be your responsibility. You will need to cover the Realtor details, which is to stay in touch with the buyer. Communication between all parties is absolutely essential for a successful and timely closing! What is the main item you'll need to know during this stage? Buyers sometimes develop cold feet. We call it 'buyer’s remorse' in the business. You see, as soon as a buyer buys a home, he sometimes needs to find reasons for making the decision. And those "good" reasons are harder to find than the "bad" reasons. The result is that they do one of two things. Try to get out of the deal. Or Ask for a price reduction. That's where the Realtor comes in. Between the date of signing an offer and the date of closing the deal, Realtors are constantly providing to the buyer the "good" reasons, keeping the buyer excited about the home. This is a part of the home selling process that sellers are not aware of since they never see their Realtor do these extra "behind the scene" activities. (Actually Realtors do plenty of work that clients never see!) As Realtors we usually invest about 10 to 20 hours of service time between offer acceptance and closing date, making sure that the buyer stays in the deal. You will need to set aside some time to keep your buyer in the deal, too. (And do not expect your lawyer to do this for you. Why? They are inexperienced in this area plus they charge for it!) Selling Your Home Will Cost Money! Selling your home will cost you money. There's no way around it. How much money? Let's review some of the expenses. Advertising A good rule of thumb in terms of expected advertising costs is 1% to 2% of your home's value. So if you are selling a $200,000 home, then you can expect to spend up to $4000 in marketing costs and most of this, about 98%, will be on advertising. Appraisal As stated important is Would you concerning appraisal to above, the cost will be between $300 to $1000. How an appraisal? Just put yourself in the buyer's shoes. buy from a private seller and just take him at his word the asking price for the home? Of course not! But what if the seller offered you, the buyer, an prove market value? Well you could call the appraiser and have a conversation with him about the home. Then you would feel more at ease about the asking price. And maybe you might even put in an offer. This is why you, the private seller, need an appraisal of the home before you try to sell it. You must make it "easy" for the buyer to want to buy your home. When To Hire A Realtor! Another part of your selling process is knowing when it is time for you to stop selling yourself and to hire a Realtor. If you have not sold your home, as a private seller, within the first 30 days of trying on your own, then it's time for you to list with a Realtor. Why? There are two reasons. Market Trends As time goes on, you need to invest money over and over again, including the appraisal. The market is always in a constant state of change. Your home may suddenly jump $2,000 or even $5,000, and you need to know the market trends at all times. (I have seen the market increase by as much as 15% within just 30 days.) Advertising Expenses The advertising budget of 1% to 2% is the amount of money you need to invest over the FIRST 30 days of trying to sell your own home. Starting in month #2, you need to invest in a NEW 1% to 2 %. So the longer you decide to keep selling yourself, the more you'll need to budget for advertising. Summary So before we get into the FREE Report on how to sell your own home, allow me to summarize what you need to do. You need to decide up front just how many months you will set aside for selling your own home. You will need to know the current market value of your home. You will need to have a Realtor friend who can help you when your buyer makes an offer. (If you do not have one, Bindman Bruzas Realty would be happy to provide you with this assistance.) And you need to know how to keep your buyer in the deal right up until closing! And, most important, prepare YOURSELF to sell your house. Do your best to see the house, no longer as your home, but as a product to be marketed. This takes some work, especially if you have been in the home for a number of years and you have many memories there, but it is necessary if you want to maximize your potential. Let's now review the FREE Report! Understanding Your Home's Price Within The Market! Price is the most important yet also the most misunderstood step within a private seller's marketing efforts. In fact, it is the #1 reason why private sellers fail to sell their own home. And we do not want this to happen to you. To make sure that it does not, you need to focus on two areas so that price works for you and not against you. Current Market Conditions Now Prevailing In The Marketplace. There are at any given time only 3 market situations any seller will find themselves in when selling a home. Let's review each within the following chart. Market Conditions, Market Characteristics, & Market Implications A Buyer’s Market: The supply of homes on the market exceeds demand. High inventory of homes. There are few buyers compared to the availability. Homes are on the market longer. Prices tend to drop in this type of market. Your home may take longer to sell. You may have less negotiating leverage in terms of selling price. A Seller’s Market: The number of buyers exceeds the supply or number of homes on the market. Smaller inventory of homes. Many buyers. Homes sell quickly. Prices usually increase. You may have more negotiating leverage and obtain a higher selling price for your property. A Balanced Market: The number of homes on the market is equal to the demand or the number of buyers. Demand equals the supply of homes. Homes sell within an acceptable time period. Prices are generally stable. A more relaxed market atmosphere prevails. Buyers have a reasonable number of homes to choose from. To properly analyze your current market conditions, you will need to know which of the 3 conditions now are occurring within your market. How can you get this information? You can try calling the local MLS board in your area. Here's what to ask for. Total listings on the market over the last 90 days. Total sales within the market over the last 90 days. For an example, if there were 3000 listings, and only 1000 sales, that is a buyer's market. (45% or less rule) Prices will reflect a little less than stability. But if there were 3000 listings and only 500 sales, prices would be declining sharply. If there were 3000 listings, and 1500 sales, that's a balanced market. (46% to 60% rule) Prices are stable. If there were 3000 listings, and 1800+ sales, (60% or higher rule) that's a seller's market. Prices would be increasing, and even more so if the timing of the sales are quick, usually within just a few days of going on the market. Once you discover the type of market you are in, you need to price your home accordingly. How? A balanced market will reflect a longer sell time with homes priced above market value. A seller's market will be quick sale times at or slightly above market value. A buyer's market will mean that you need to price your home slightly below market value to have a timely sale. Your Competition Once you know the kind of market you are in, the next thing you need to know is your competition. Here's where you are going to need to do some real work. You will need to be aware of your competition within a radius of at least 7 miles of your home. You will need to find out what each home is selling for and what they have to offer. You can find this out by calling every home that is for sale by a Realtor. Once you narrow it down to homes that are priced at your price level, then you will need to personally inspect each home to see what they are offering the buyer so that you are "in competition". How can you see these homes? Well one thing is for certain, a Realtor does not have the time to be showing homes to "unqualified buyers" and "private seller competitors" so you will need to keep an eye on open houses and newspaper advertising. Visit the open houses and take a good look around the home. Do the same for newspaper ads. What will you need to look for? We'll discuss that in our next point. You will need to be comparing your home to the competition according to: 1. Number of bedrooms 2. Age of home 3. Age of neighborhood 4. Number of baths 5. Pool and spa 6. Garage size 7. View 8. Waterfront 9. Lot Size 10. Home Condition 11. Upgrades 12. Features Caution: Recent maintenance items such as new roof, paved driveways and cooling units do not increase a home's value. Only major improvements increase value, such as new kitchens, pools, and finished basements. So when comparing your home to others... keep this in mind. Setting Your Price! Once you have all the above information, you will need to get your hands on recent sale information. When combined with present competition and market conditions, you can now price your home. Always price your home according to recent sales more so than present competition, unless the competition is selling lower than recent sales. If they are, you will need to decide if you will wait until the competition sells before placing your home on the market. Summary I know this may sound challenging but it is the work you will need to do since you have decided to become the Realtor instead of hiring one. It may take you upwards of 2 weeks to gather all the information. Please invest the time and effort for it is essential in terms of ensuring a successful sale. Now if you feel you cannot complete this task yourself, Bindman Bruzas Realty would be happy to provide you with this assistance. Understanding How To Calculate Your Bottom Line! Your Closing Costs: Once you have determined your market value through researching recent sales, you are now in the position to calculate your bottom line. What is bottom line? It is the amount you will net, and receive a check for, on closing, after paying all expenses that are associated with selling a home. And even though you are selling yourself, the only expense you may save is the commission. You will still need to pay for the other closing costs just like any other seller. What are these costs? Generally speaking, the following are the costs you can expect to incur when selling your home. These costs are deducted from your sale price. 1. Mortgage or loan Any 1st, 2nd, and 3rd mortgages or liens will be deducted from the sale. 2. Documentary stamps on the deed This is computed as .70 per $100 of the contract price. 3. Prorated interest Interest on a mortgage is generally charged in arrears. This means that when you make your June payment, you are actually paying for May. So if your home sells on the 28th of June, you still owe interest for 28 days even though you made your June payment. This will be computed by your lender and included in the principal pay off balance at closing. 4. Buyers closing costs If you agreed to pay the buyer closing costs, then you need to set aside money for this expense on closing. The buyer could ask you (lenders permit this) for up to 6% of the contract price. If you are selling a home for $200,000 and the buyer requests you to pay his closing costs, this could be another $1200 added onto your closing costs. 5. Attorney fees You'll need an attorney for closing your home. A good real estate attorney could spend up to 5 hours of his time to bring your deal to closing. If there are title issues or complications, we have seen this escalate up to 20 hours. In our area, attorneys charge anywhere from $150 to $350 per hour plus expenses. 6. Escrow Fees Escrow companies are 3rd parties that hold funds, handle paperwork and cover all closing conditions before releasing the final monies or transferring title. 7. Transfer taxes & charges Check your state government for these charges. 8. Appraisal fees If the buyer needs this for financing, sometimes the seller has agreed to pay. If so, you need to deduct from sale. 9. Termite inspections Required on some loans and sometimes requested by the buyer. If so, you need to deduct from sale. Normally the buyer pays for this once a contract is signed but we suggest you obtain one before you put the home on the market to assure the buyer you are free of pests. 10. General inspection Sometimes required by law and other times by the buyer. If so, you need to deduct from sale. 11. Title insurance fees Title insurance protects the buyer and the lender against issues of improper title. The title company researches title to make sure it is clear for transfer. Please contact your local title company for their rates. This is a cost that is pretty standard across the board but you can receive a discount if you have your original title policy. 12. Homeowner association fees If your area has HOA, chances are that there is a fee for transfer on closing. You need to check this out. 13. Prepayment penalties Your lender may have an early prepayment penalty for ending the mortgage sooner than term expiration date. It is important you check your loan documentation for this as the charge can be 6 months of interest, a flat fee, or a percentage of your loan balance. You do not want to be surprised when you get to closing and find your net proceeds check is a couple thousand dollars less than what you anticipated. 14. Transfer fees They are fees that are charged to pay off liens. 15. Failure to notify penalties Some loans will automatically charge an extra month of interest if you fail to give them advance notice of sale. 16. Assumption fees If you are allowing the buyer to assume your mortgage, there is generally a fee. 17. Home warranty coverage If included on your home and requested in the deal by the buyer, you may experience this fee. Although this can be negotiated at the time of contract. 18. Repair costs The seller will usually have certain repair costs to pay for. When a realtor is handling a sale, most all contractors and repairman will wait until closing to be paid. When you as a seller are dealing with these people, they like to be paid at the time of the job. To avoid problems with a buyer, make sure the repairman is a licensed contractor in the state of Florida 19. Courier costs The title company or attorney will post these charges to your closing statement if they must send your lender a payoff or obtain certain documentation overnight. Summary You need to get to the bottom line on all these selling expenses BEFORE you actually sell your home, so that you know which applies to you and the cost. Now if you feel you cannot complete this task yourself, I am sure that Bindman Bruzas Realty who is providing this FREE REPORT to you would be happy to do the work for you. Preparing Your Home For The Sale! Have you ever noticed just how much attention a car manufacturer and dealer invest in the appearance of a car? It's called a "showroom shine" and for good reason... buyers generally buy 2 things when buying a car. 1. Paint color or what is called showroom shine. 2. Payment amount. And it is in that exact order. Well, the same applies to your home. And the purpose of this stage is to address point one... paint or showroom shine. But Let’s Start First With a Home Inspection! We strongly suggest you consider a professional whole house inspection. An inspection will most likely uncover any major defects before they can cause trouble with a potential buyer. It also is a signal to buyers that you are a responsible seller. It is pretty safe to assume that a buyer who contracts to buy your house will want to have a professional whole house inspection conducted. Most sale contracts are written with a "contingent upon an acceptable whole house inspection" clause. So why not wait until you have a buyer who wants and will pay for an inspection? While many sellers do wait for just this situation, there are a few compelling reasons for you, the seller, to invest in a professional whole house inspection before listing your house. 1) If you were planning to do any cosmetic repairs or remodeling before listing your house, an inspection may reveal additional defects that your cosmetic repairs could have masked. A pre-listing inspection gives you the opportunity to fix possible underlying problems right the first time. This saves you the time, trouble, and money of fixing a seemingly small repair, then finding out there is a larger problem, forcing you to destroy your work, fix the underlying problem, and then do the cosmetic repair all over again. 2) You will know, in advance, of defects. You will have an opportunity to repair them before the first potential buyer ever sees your house. 3) Experience has shown that when a buyer, through their own home inspection, finds a defect, they tend to look for more. A completed whole house inspection signals to buyers that you are a conscientious seller. If a buyer is torn between two houses—your house and another that has not been pre-inspected—it is very possible they may feel more comfortable with yours. 4) It removes an “unknown” from your selling process. There are plenty of “unknowns” when you sell a house—when will it sell? How much will it sell for? Will the buyer’s financing be approved? By discovering (and repairing) any defects up front, you remove at least one uncertainty from the selling process. Showroom Shine Properly preparing your home will make the difference between a quick sale and a slow sale. Buyers purchase from emotion, a feeling inside that yells out, “this is the home!” So, how do you properly prepare a home? There is only one way and that is through the eyes of a buyer. You, the seller, must remove how you see your home and now see it through the eyes of a buyer. Please remember... buyers just do not visit your home when shopping for a home. They will visit many homes so you must be right on the money when it comes to your showroom shine. Why? Buyers usually buy what they see and if they see a dirty, worn out looking home as compared to your competitors, then you will not sell your home. The objective of a showroom shine is to make your home appear well maintained, spacious, organized and clean. Factors such as lighting, colors, decor, sounds and smells must all be taken into consideration. Here's a good checklist to follow in the process of creating a showroom shine on your home. Outside Your Home 1. Curb appeal This is how your home looks from just across the street. It's the first impression a buyer will have of your home. A poor curb appeal will only lead to a slow sale or no sale. Make sure your lawn is at its best. Plant colorful flowers around the walkway and doorway and have trees and shrubs looking their best. 2. Your driveway Is it in good shape? Have you removed the oil stains? Is the grass neatly trimmed along the side of the drive or is it growing onto the drive? 3. Your roof Have you fixed any loose or missing shingles or tiles? If it is moldy and black, hire someone to clean and spray it. 4. Your mailbox Is it up-to-date or an old model? Buy up-to-date before you sell. 5. Your front door The door simply needs to be fantastic. This is the first thing a Buyer sees before he enters the home. If the door is dirty, dented, creaky, or generally awful looking, this bad impression will stay with the buyer. 6. Windows Clean and if any are broken or cracked, get them fixed now. 7. Exterior paint Is it chipped, peeling or blistering? Or faded? 8. Garage door Any dents? Then repair them ASAP. 9. Political signs Get rid of them during the sale period. 10. Back and side yards Follow the same points as above. 11. Your cars If you have cars that are not so good looking, then please have them gone from your driveway before a buyer visits your home. Now The Inside of Your Home 1. Front entry Clean and make sure it is not piled with shoes. Have some colorful flowers in a pot by the doorway. Put a seasonal wreath on the door and create a warm and inviting feeling. 2. Front closet, any closets Have the door opened and remove clothes you do not wear so that it looks spacious. Make sure the buyer will not have the contents tumble onto his head when the door opens. Nicely arrange whatever may be on the interior shelving. 3. Carpet Must be clean. Must be free of odors, especially animal odors. 4. Door to garage from inside home Have it opened and make sure the garage is cleaned up and spacious. Make sure buyers can walk around easily and see the electrical panel, access to the attic, lawn pump, and other mechanical systems. 5. Interior painting Should be fresh. If you have a black or dark colored wall, please paint it in light colors, preferably white. 6. Windows All must be kept clean during the entire sale and please remove any stickers, unless they are brand new windows just installed. 7. Light bulbs Replace all with new ones and make them nice and bright. 8. Furnace and air conditioner Clean them up. 9. Home clutter Remove any furniture that you do not really need to use during the sale to make the rooms look larger. Also, “de-clutterize” you refrigerator door – take off all those magnets! 10. Little details Fingerprints on the walls, nicks on the molding that could be painted, broken tiles, torn screens, etc. Have them fixed up, repaired and/or cleaned. Remove most of the "imprint" that you have made on the house. Having a few family pictures around is fine, but if your house is a "shrine" to your family--walls full of personal pictures--you should take some steps to depersonalize it. Buyers must be able to envision themselves in the house, which is nearly impossible if everywhere they turn they stare at you! 11. Kitchen Must be clean and bright and free of all odors and clutter, including dirty dishes. 12. Fridge, stove and dishwasher Clean and shiny. And, remember, no excessive collection of magnets. 13. If you smoke Then clean the walls and ceilings. And invest in air cleaner and freshener to get the smoke smell out. Clean your upholstered furniture also. 14. Plants Have them looking their best. And have plenty of them around. If your house lacks little knick-knacks and decorator pieces, think about bringing in some table and floor plants for warmth and personality. 15. Bedrooms All beds must be made and the room neat in appearance. Please, no clothes on the floor! 16. Bathrooms Have them clean and smelling fresh. Have your towels hanging on the racks. 17. Bathtub and toilets Get the stains out and have them clean and bright. 18. Pets Never have your pet in the home when a buyer is looking at it. And get the pet odors, toys, and fur out! Summary Remember, you are selling an asset which is far more important, and expensive, than a car. And if the car companies invest so much care into their product, you need to as well when it comes to selling your home. Also, a second opinion comes in really handy on this selling point. Bindman Bruzas Realty, who is providing this FREE REPORT to you, would be happy to give their opinion concerning the showroom shine of your home. Marketing Your Home! With stage 3 completed you are now ready to begin marketing your home. And there's only one rule about marketing... getting your phone to ring! The goal in advertising is not to sell your home but rather to have prospects call on your home. Ads never sell homes. That is not their purpose. Your home will sell itself once you are successful at getting prospects to take a look at it. Since you are not working with a Realtor, you simply must understand that the buyer pool from which you will draw your buyer is very small. Why? Well you need to understand the difference between a qualified buyer and a buyer. By understanding this difference you will be better able to categorize the calls you will receive when you begin advertising. In real estate, there really is only one kind of buyer – a pre-qualified and motivated buyer! It could be a homeowner who has just sold his own home and is now in need of a new home before the closing date arrives on the sale of his current home. Do you understand what I mean? If not, allow an example. Tom Jones sells his home on July 1 with a closing date of October 1, which is 90 days away. Tom is now a "qualified and motivated buyer", since he is homeless in 90 days. This is the only kind of buyer you must source out for your home. Why? Tom has urgency. And that urgency creates the environment needed to make a purchase decision. A buyer who is not homeless will simply have no urgency to buy a home, unless, of course, he is being relocated or sizing up or sizing down. And without urgency, a buyer has really no need to buy a home other than to hope to find his dream home at a dream price. (Dream price means finding a $200,000 home and paying only $100,000 for it.) So a buyer is looking for a steal of a deal while a qualified buyer is looking for a home at fair market value. And by the way, Tom does not have 90 days to find a home. He needs to find that home within roughly 15 days from July 1 in order to be able to match closing dates or else when October 1st comes along Tom will need to move into a hotel. Can you now see why the MLS has such an advantage? It's simply a fantastic system! Realtors are working with qualified "homeless" buyers who are operating under urgency. They have the inside scoop on who these buyers are since they just sold their home for them. However, you can still sell your home privately. You simply need to invest the money into advertising to get that phone to ring. And when it does, you need to qualify the buyer. How do you do that? By asking a simple question! "Sir, have you just recently sold your own home or are you out looking for homes before you sell your home?" Any and all callers who answer with "I just sold my home." are qualified buyers and you need to do your best to have them drop over to your home for a showing. Now How Do You Get That Phone To Ring? It is very simple. You need to advertise that you are selling your home at a hot price. After all that's what we all want to find, a great home at a great price. So here's the ad I suggest you use. $198,700, Fantastic deal! Save Money Today! Wilson Way Drive, Financing Available, 4 Bedrooms, Fireplace, Pool. Call info line at 555-555-5555 That's all. Say nothing else. (Of course you need to say 3 bedrooms if it is a 3 bedroom, price at your price point, etc.) This ad will cause your phone to ring and when it does go straight to the question about defining the buyer as to whether or not he is qualified. Also, when you ask for the appointment you need to offer 2 alternatives for showing. Here's how. "Great, is Monday or Tuesday evening better for you to drop by and see the home?" Then wait for the answer and then follow-up by asking, "Is 7 or 8 better for you?” Why? Well that's how it's done in terms of booking appointments in the sales business. Fact Sheets or Brochures Sometimes called house brochures, Fact Sheets are one of the strongest marketing tools that you or your Agent can use when selling your house. They are the information sheets that you find attached to many For Sale signs and can also be found inside homes for sale. They give information on the property and will often answer buyer's questions relating to items such as square footage, room sizes, and available schools. Why should you use a Fact Sheet? First and foremost, because an effective Fact Sheet will put your house above others in buyer's minds. After looking at five or six houses in a single day, a buyer's mind tends to become a little mushy--after the second or third one they no longer remember which house had the beautiful deck off the kitchen and which house had the stunning master bedroom suite. With a Fact Sheet on your house in hand, they will be able to refresh their memory when they review their day and the houses they saw. In addition, Fact Sheets attached to the For Sale sign have the capability of "capturing" drive-bys. Rather than looking for paper and pen to write down your phone number and address--and probably losing it anyhow--prospective buyers will have a record of how to contact you as well as information about your house What should a Fact Sheet include? At the very least, it should contain all of the most salable features of your home. In addition, it should give the total square footage, sizes of individual rooms, as well as any additional information about your house that you believe important. Indicating which schools serve your neighborhood is always a good idea. (Put a note saying that school assignments are subject to change--please call to confirm). Always put your phone number (or your Agent's) on any Fact Sheet as well as any special instructions regarding showings (e.g., due to our young children, we must keep showings before 9 PM). Where should they be placed? One set of sheets should be in an all weather box attached to your For Sale sign. Another set should be inside the house. The dining room table is usually a good location there. The best Fact Sheets are those that are printed on quality paper and use a glossy photo print. It actually is usually less expensive to do it this way, since printed color copies can cost as much as $1.00 apiece, while a 24 exposure roll of film can often be developed for less than $10.00. If you have Desktop Publishing software, you can make your Fact Sheets for not much more investment than the cost of the film and processing. With a glossy photo, you give your Fact Sheet a professional appearance. Having only one Fact Sheet in the house, will put you at a big disadvantage with the competition. Open Houses When you have a house on the market, sooner or later the question will arise: "Should we have an Open House?" Open Houses are a bit different from normal showings for a couple of reasons. First, instead of having to deal with just one buyer, there is the possibility of 5, 10, perhaps even 50 visitors, all-arriving in a compressed period of time. Some may be honestly interested in your home, but others may be neighbors, people thinking of putting their house on the market, or just folks out for an afternoon drive. Regardless of the quality or type of visitors, there is the possibility of a large volume of people coming through the house in a short amount of time, which can tax you (if you are a self seller) or your Agent. It is important that you or the Agent knows how to quickly qualify the visitors in order to focus attention on the most serious buyers. The second reason that makes an Open House different from an ordinary showing is that when a house is held open, people do expect the house to be 100% ready to view, which will take a bit more preparation. When a buyer sees a house during a normal showing, a few things out of place is not seen as a deterrent. To some degree, they expect it. It is understood that you, the seller, do still live in the house on a daily basis. In an Open House situation, though, things that aren't "just right" can be a major distraction. Extra time must be put into preparation when an Open House is scheduled. It is okay, then, at this time to put on a bit of a "show": fresh flowers in a vase on the dining room table, soft music playing in the background, and a little potpourri (with a gentle fragrance) may all be appropriate at this time. (For "regular showings", though, this may be a little overdone. Even though it is widely recommended, buyers sometimes feel "set up" when they visit a house where the stage has been too obviously set). When you are discussing the possibility of an Open House, some Agents will tell you "I don't believe in Open Houses. They rarely bring buyers." To some degree, this may be true. What Open Houses do, though, is frequently bring traffic to your house and traffic (the people kind, not the vehicle kind) is good, Even though an Open House may not bring a ready, willing and able buyer, it may bring someone "who knows someone" that may have an interest in your home. Summary Remember, you should be prepared to invest at least 1% to 2% of the value of your home in advertising and this is a monthly budget. And lots of your precious time. So if you have not sold your home by the end of the first month, you should turn it over to a real estate company. By marketing it more than one month your expenses will begin to reach or exceed the real estate commission level you are trying to save. At this point it simply no longer makes sense to try to sell your home yourself. Bindman Bruzas Realty who is providing this FREE REPORT to you would be happy to offer their services. Now let's move on. The Offer Presentation! With all the other stages complete, let's now review how to "Entertain An Offer". Step 1: Familiarize yourself with a standard purchase contract. Step 2: Never accept a verbal offer. Only accept a written offer. Step 3: Do not expect the buyer to have the proper forms, so have a few available and hand them one when showing the home. Make sure you have the appropriate disclosure forms. If not, your buyer could have every legal right to back out of the sale right up to closing. Step 4: Always negotiate face to face and never over the phone, by mail or Internet. Step 5: Politely but firmly take control of the offer situation. Step 6: Make sure that every item discussed between you and the buyer is in the offer. If you are selling the house furnished, itemize the furnishings down to the last fork and knife. Step 7: Have the buyer initial every item; point-by-point layout is best, within the offer. Any time a change is made, make sure you have those initials, yours and the buyer’s. Let's address how to structure your offer. 1. Down Payment: It should be at least 2% to 5% of the selling price of the home. 2. Price It should be at market value without reducing the net commission dollars. In other words, do not give in to the buyer when it comes to reducing the price to offset the commission you are saving. 3. Conditional Offer Be very careful accepting a conditional offer. If the buyer needs to be approved for a mortgage, then have the buyer go to the lender before you accept the offer. If the buyer wants to sell his home first, then do not accept this kind of offer but tell him to place his home on the market, sell it and then come and make an offer. 4. Closing Date If you have not yet found a home yourself, your closing date should be no less than 60 days from that date of the offer being accepted. 5. Loan Discount Points Who pays? The buyer may ask for you to pay his closing costs and may put this into the contract. 6. Appraisal Who pays? 7. Home Inspection Who pays? 8. Items Included Such as dishwasher, stove, etc. Cover this clearly with the buyer. 9. Title Is it clean and clear to give to the buyer? Are there any encumbrances on the title? Are there any encroachments, easements, unpaid liens or assessments? Has the chain of title been broken? Summary Always prepare for contingencies. Although a buyer may meet all the requirements for offer acceptance, sometimes things just come up. And when they do you need to insert these potential problems into your offer and have the buyer sign it. Example: Closing Date Extension or Insurance Extension Now if this seems a little too much for you to handle, I am sure that Bindman Bruzas Realty who is providing this FREE REPORT would be happy to offer their services. The Time Between Offer Acceptance And Closing Date! When you accept an offer, the sale is not yet complete so now is not the time to celebrate. There are many items that can go wrong with the offer before the closing date arrives. Let's review a few. Buyer's Remorse Guess what happens to a buyer as soon as they know that the homeowner has accepted their offer? They begin the process of rationalization or what Realtors call "Buyer’s Remorse". This is the time when the buyer suddenly becomes an anxious, worried individual who needs all kinds of tender loving care and encouragement that they made the right purchase decision. This time tends to be a very busy time for a Realtor, as they know they must ensure a smooth and quick rationalization process. They do this by maintaining contact with the buyer right up until closing. Often they will say over and over again just how great of a home their client bought and how lucky they are to be moving into such a fine neighborhood. This period is a very emotional time and each buyer, both male and female, reacts differently. We have seen husbands as cool as a cucumber at contract time and then become a nervous anxious wreck at closing. One wife cried the whole time we were at closing. Another client of ours was completely numb; she just signed the papers and ran out of closing. She did not even remember the beautiful closing gift we gave her at the table. So you too must maintain contact with your buyer and try to handle your buyer’s emotions that are revolving around this sale. Discuss important issues like schools, churches, parks, sports complexes and other neighborhood features during your "taking care of the buyer" remorse period. The Fine Details You will also need to deal with mortgage companies, title companies, escrow companies, an attorney, an appraiser, an inspector (or several inspectors) and any other issue that pops up. Deposit Monies You need to make sure the deposit monies are taken care of and are in a solicitors trust account or title company. You need to provide evidence to the buyer that this matter is under control. Transferring Utilities And Change Of Address You also need to make arrangements for utility transfer and change of address. Your buyer cannot turn on his utilities until you have given the order to turn off yours. Summary Always prepare for contingencies. Make sure that your buyer is always feeling great about the home. Make every opportunity to keep your buyer pleased during this time period. And if an issue comes up that may stop the deal from closing, if possible always give in to your buyer. Why? Well it is much easier saving a deal than it is to create a new deal with a new buyer. And if you need help with any of these issues, I am sure Bindman Bruzas Realty who is providing this FREE REPORT to you would be more than willing to assist you to ensure your deal stays in place. The Closing Date Of The Sale Arrives! The last stage of the selling process is the day of closing. Mostly other people you have employed, such as an attorney, title company, and mortgage company will handle this day. Be handy to a phone so that if any last minutes issues arise, you can be easily contacted to seek resolution. Also you will have needed to arrange for the move itself, transferring the utilities out of your name and change of address at the post office. Summary If you are successful at reaching this stage of the closing process, you really need to understand just how fortunate you are as compared to other Private Sellers. Only 3% to 10% of Private Sellers are successful at actually selling their home. As for the remainder, they end up listing with a Realtor. So if you try to sell your own home and find yourself not succeeding, please do not feel like if you have failed in some area. You have not at all! When Should You Employ The Services Of A Realtor? My opinion is that a Private Seller should not invest additional money beyond the initial 30-day period, as expenses simply offset any savings in commission you may experience. What kind of Realtor should you select when employing the services of a Realtor? Let's move to the next section to review this critical issue. Selecting A Realtor! If you have not sold your home within the first 30 days of placing it on the market, then you have reached that stage where employing the services of a real estate agent will save you money. Why? It simply becomes too expensive for you to market the home. In fact, going beyond the initial 30 days will cost you more money than if you had employed a Realtor from the beginning. But what should you look for in an agent before hiring one? There are really only 5 points you must ensure your Realtor embraces. Point 1: Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Driven! Never hire a Realtor who is not a member of the MLS. The MLS is the most powerful meeting place for buyers and sellers. It is responsible for up to 97% of all real estate transactions in any market within North America. Insist your Realtor enter at least 10 photos of the property into MLS with additional links to the seller’s disclosure, visual tours and/or internet brochures. Buyers are visual; they want to see pictures of the inside and outside of the home, including pictures of the neighborhood. When Bindman Bruzas Realty lists a property for sale, an Internet brochure of 30 to 40 photos and descriptions are uploaded to the web with it’s own web address. Once this is done, it makes it easy for us to give the web address to anyone calling on the phone, other agents in the office, out of town buyers, and other Internet inquiries. We also use the address in our advertising when we promote the property. Remember, buyers want to see pictures, and lots of them! Point 2: The Realtor Must Know How To Sell Into The MLS! Just listing your home on the MLS board is not good enough. Yes it will sell even if your Realtor simply places it onto the board, provided it is priced at market value, but more is needed to generate a quick sale. Quite a lot more, so we will explain: You simply must make sure that your Realtor sells "into" the MLS. What does selling into the MLS mean? Let's explain through an example. Let's say your home is selling for $200,000. When your home is placed onto the MLS, sellers who currently have their home listed on the MLS for between $140,000 to $170,000 are the targeted groups of buyers. Why? Well when they sell their home, they will want to "move up" from the $140,000 - $170,000 home to the $200,000 range of homes. You must make sure your Realtor understands this "move up" concept of selling into the MLS and has a marketing strategy to reach these $140,000 to $170,000 home owners who are on the MLS. How Is This Done? Your Realtor will personally contact all the Realtors who have the listings on these homes that are between $140,000 to $170,000. This personal contact is made to make sure your home stands out to these agents so that when their client's home sell, they will be ready to take them to view your home. The contact should be by email, phone and print. Point 3: Realtor Experience! Never look to experience as the total number of years that a Realtor has in the business. It really does not matter if they are less than 1 year or over 30 years in experience. However, what does matter is their track record. To review track record, you will need to ask for testimonials from your Realtor. These testimonials are from past clients your Realtor has serviced. Ask your Realtor for at least 3 testimonial service letters, with contact information. Next you should call each individual and discuss his or her experience with the Realtor. And please make sure the testimonial letters are 30 to 60 days old, meaning that they are from recent clients who just sold their home with this Realtor. Choosing the right Realtor is crucial to experiencing a smooth and stress-free transaction. If the Realtors you interview cannot properly answer these 10 questions, you are talking to the wrong Realtor. The sale of your home is the biggest financial and emotional expenditure most people will make in their lifetime. Who do you want handling this responsibility? THESE ARE QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR REALTOR: 1. How long have you been selling real estate? 2. What is your average list to sell ratio? 3. What percentage of your accepted contracts actually goes to closing? 4. Do you have a customized marketing plan for each property you list? 5. What is your follow-up system for buyers? 6. How many office assistants, part-time and full-time, do you have? 7. Can you provide a list of recent references? 8. What are your ethical and professional accreditations? 9. Do you have a web site and other access to Internet marketing of listings? 10. What system do you have set up for communication with your clients? Point 4: Listing Or Buyer Realtor? The first are those Realtors who deal primarily with home sellers and then the second group are Realtors who deal primarily with buyers. Never choose a Realtor who deals primarily with buyers. Since you are selling your home, you need a Realtor who markets to other Realtors first. Allow me to explain. Very few buyers are first time buyers. And buyer agents tend to work with first time home purchasers. But the vast majority of buyers are resale buyers, which are homeowners who listed a home and then sold it and are in need of another home. When a homeowner lists a home and then sells the home, that homeowner already has a relationship with a Realtor. And in 98% of the time, uses that Realtor to help him/her find their next home. And when you have a Realtor who understands the MLS and how to sell into it, this Realtor already has the necessary relationships with other Realtors that are essential in selling your home. In many of the successful mega-teams, you will find buyer specialists and listing specialists. Always, always work with the Listing Specialist of the Team! Point 5: Understand What Really Sells A Home! You must ensure that your Realtor understands how homes really sell. And the only way to do that is to discuss open houses and advertising with your Realtor. If the Realtor states that these are the only effective ways to sell a home, then please DO NOT employ this Realtor. The only Realtor you must consider employing is a Realtor who understands that the combination of MLS and market value pricing sells a home. And, most important, the Realtor must love your home. Summary This is all that is needed when selecting a Realtor. The last issue to discuss is price. Let's now review this point. Setting The Price! This is perhaps the easiest task when selling your home. How is price determined? Well before we answer that question... allow me to first say something about Realtors and home pricing. 1. Realtors DO NOT Set The Price Of A Home. The open market sets the price. All that a Realtor does is inform a homeowner about what the market is now indicating concerning the value of the home. 2. Different Realtors Will Quote Different Price Ranges! Why? The reason is that market pricing is RANGE pricing. No Realtor will exactly know the final price outcome for your home. However they will all know a pricing range when suggesting an asking price for your home. 3. Which Range Do You Select? Well that depends upon the most recent comparable sales and the upward, downward or consistent pricing trends of the market. But let’s suggest your market is increasing in price by about 3% per year. This means that your range should be no higher than 3% of the latest comparables. 4. Realtors Only Market Homes! The job of your Realtor is to market your home. And he/she can only do so if you price the home properly, within the ranges now moving within your market. If you over price your home, your Realtor will simply not be able to sell it, even if your Realtor is the #1 agent in town! There are 3 reasons why a house will not sell – price, location or condition. This must be analyzed after 4 weeks of your home being actively marketed. Summary Setting your price is indeed quite easy but it is also the most important issue in terms of selling your home. There are a few pricing issues you do not want to find your home within when selling, and let's review this point next. Your Choice Mr. Homeowner: Asking Price Or Value Price? If you want to sell your home at the highest possible price, in the quickest time and with the greatest amount of ease, then you have a decision to make concerning price. 1. Do you want to be an "Asking Price" homeowner? Or... 2. Do you want to be a "Value Price" homeowner? What's the difference? Let's review this difference through the following discussion. Example With Realtor Speaking First… Folks, I agree with you that your home is among the nicest in the neighborhood. And to make sure that it sells, we really need to see the purchase process from a buyer's point of view. You see, it is a buyer who gives us the money for the home and it is indeed wise to consider his perspective, wouldn't you agree? Mr. Homeowner, there are 2 kinds of buyer pools in the market at any given time for you to draw your buyer from. 1. The first group is called the Asking Pool. This is the group of buyers out looking at properties within certain asking prices, in our example $200,000. 2. The second group is called the Value Pool. This is a group of buyers looking at properties within the value range of $150,000, according to our example. So, if you as the homeowner are trying to sell your $150,000 value home for the asking price of $200,000, here's what's going to happen. A. The Asking Pool Group of Buyers: These buyers are going to visit your home. They also will be visiting other $200,000 homes. And these other $200,000 homes are your competitors. Their homes are really worth $200,000 and have benefits and features that are better than yours. After all, generally speaking a $200,000 home would naturally offer more benefits and features than a $150,000 home. So when these $200,000 buyers visit your home, they will see that they can get a better home, or more home for their $200,000, at your competitor’s homes. Do you understand what I am saying Mr. Homeowner? So they will not even bother to put in an offer since they will find a better deal for the same money just down the street! The result... your home does not sell. B. Next Let's Look At The $150,000 Value Pool Group Of Buyers This group of buyers will not even visit your home, since they only want to invest $150,000. And even though you may drop from $200,000 to $150,000 and accept their offer, how do they know that when your asking price is $200,000? They naturally think, and they are correct, that since you are asking $200,000 that you want something around $200,000 and that your Realtor has listed the home at fair market value, since that's what a professional Realtor is supposed to do when listing homes for sale! So these value buyers will never look at your $200,000 home. The result is that they do not buy your home! Mr. Homeowner… If the “Asking Pool” group of buyers will not buy your home and the “Value Pool” group of buyers will not buy your home, who exactly are we going to find to buy your home? The only answer to that question is an uninformed Buyer… But here's the problem with that Mr. Homeowner. Even if we are successful at finding an uninformed Buyer, the system will end up protecting him. Allow me to explain. When a buyer purchases a home they almost always need a mortgage to close the sale. And buyer-financing problems are the number 1 reason why sales do not close. So since they need a mortgage to close the sale, they naturally go to the bank. The banker then orders an appraisal of the home to make sure that the buyer does not pay too much for the home. Why? Because than bank is not in the business of buying back homes. So when the Appraiser tells the bank that it is a bad deal, the bank will not give a mortgage on the home. And let me tell you, bankers talk to one another so it is not going to be all that easy to find some banker to lend money on that home! (He can lose his job if he did that!) The result is that the home you thought you sold to the buyer for $50,000 more than it is worth ends up not closing since the buyer cannot get a mortgage from anyone. Therefore we need to understand all this, make the right decision, and price the home properly from the start. My question to you Mr. Homeowner is this… Do you really want to sell your home? Or Are you just trying to find out if it can sell at an inflated price? Summary Selling success is found by pricing a home in the "Value" pool. Every successful business, from Wal-Mart to real estate, is successful because they understand this difference. Buyers, regardless if they are purchasing a $2 item or a $200,000 item, also do so through the "Value" pool concept. In fact, our entire economy is based upon the "Value" pool theory. Just take a look at the stock market. As soon as a stock's value is considered too high, that stock quickly falls. Therefore we need to position the price of a home within this very same "Value" pool strategy. It is a proven concept that has made the United States the #1 economy in the world! But how high should you price your home within the "Value" pool? Let's review this point next. Your Choice Mr. Homeowner: Win Or Just Compete! Once we decide to price within the value range, we then need to guard against top value pricing. What is top value pricing and why is it so damaging to a successful sale? Let's discuss this in detail. Have you ever heard of a “Stale Home”? Probably not! Allow me to explain. When your home is first placed on the MLS board there will be activity, which means that since your home is FRESH on the market MLS Realtors with qualified buyers will be anxious to show your home to these buyers. The first 4-6 weeks of any listing is a crucial time – this is when you will know how the market is responding to your listing and whether or not the problem is with location, price, or condition. And when the Realtors show your home, it will be in competition with other homes at that same price. So let’s say you want to try to sell your home at an extra $5,000 for a few weeks, just to see what happens and then lower it later to fair market value. Here’s what is going to happen. When the MLS Realtors bring their buyers to your home, they will discover that your home is over priced compared to the other homes they are seeing that day with their buyers. The Result Will Be Twofold: 1. The buyer will not buy your home since he can buy “More Home” for the same price at your competitors’ home when comparing it to your home. This in itself is damaging to the sale of your home but the second point is far more damaging. 2. The MLS Realtors will consider your home to be over priced, or at top value pricing, and call it a “Stale Home”. And now they will not show your home again. What this causes your home to become is a “Stale Home”, which is the worst possible thing to ever have happen to your home. Why? Once Again, The Answer Is Twofold. 1. MLS Realtors are the first to consider your home before showing it to their buyers. And if we cannot “Sell it to the MLS Realtors”, we’ll never get the chance to sell it to their buyers. 2. Once your home becomes “Stale”, it is next to impossible to regain that “FRESHNESS’ in the eyes of the MLS Realtors unless we completely take it off the market for at least 30 days. Then by that time the MLS Realtors will have forgotten about it so that when we do put it back on the market at the right price we will have the freshness back. Just think about what you do when you go into a store. If you see the item you need on the shelf and it’s dusty and looks like it has been sitting there for awhile, what do you think? Either you won’t buy it and instead look for another one that is newer, or you will offer a discounted price for the dusty item. As a home seller, neither one of these choices is a desirable option for you. So, You Have One Of Two Decisions To Make. 1. We price it high today and be prepared to take it off the market in two weeks, then put it back on the market 30 days later at the fair market value price. Or 2. We price it right today. Is It Worth The Trouble? Do you think it is worth all this trouble to try to get more than market value when we know up front that we will eventually need to lower that price anyway? Buyers Buy Homes The Same Way They Buy Groceries! If you are at the grocery store and there are two cans of tomato soup, and one can is for $1 and the other can is for 95 cents, which of the two would you buy? The way all of us buy food, cars, insurance and all other items is the same way we buy homes. This is why it is so important to make sure that when you price your home; you really take a good look at what your competition is up to in terms of price. Summary Therefore... please make sure your Realtor provides to you a detailed competitive market analysis before placing your home on the market. This analysis is critical to a successful sale. There is only one more issue we need to discuss about price and let's do so now. Understanding A Bounce Home! The last issue that we need to discuss is the concept known as the bounce home. The best way to explain this marketing situation is through an example discussion. Let's listen in on a conversation between Mr. Brown and his Realtor. Realtor: “Mr. Brown, according to our competitive market analysis at the price you are suggesting, we really are not over priced. Over priced listings are those where the homeowner wants more than $5000 to $10,000 as compared to his competition. So in your case, price is really fine! However, at the same time we really need to be careful about making sure your home isn’t going to be used by other Realtors to sell your lower priced competitors’ homes. Allow me to explain.” Mr. Brown: “All right, I'm listening.” Realtor: “When Realtors show homes, they usually show them in price ranges. What this means is that a Realtor with a buyer wanting to invest $200,000 will show homes between $190,000 to $210,000. So let’s say your home is at the top of that range. Since it is such a narrow range, the differences between the homes will be mostly cosmetic. The Realtor will schedule your home in the tour of homes he takes his buyer to view. But what he will do with your home is use it against us and for your lower priced competitors by saying to the buyer that the $200,000 home offers the same house for less money. Basically your home becomes known as the “Bounce Home”. Do you understand what I mean Mr. Brown?” Mr. Brown: “I think so.” Realtor: “Now as your Realtor, I must make sure this doesn’t happen for too long, since all we will accomplish is to help your competitors to sell their homes. Therefore… You and I need a price reduction strategy to counter attack this situation so that your home sells. And how we do that is to monitor your competitors’ homes while your home is for sale. And should a competitor’s home sell, what this tells us is that Realtors have identified your home as the “Bounce Home”. At that time, we need to reduce the price to make the price range gap a little smaller.” Mr. Brown: “How much smaller?” Realtor: “I would estimate somewhere around $4000 to $6000. And we really should make this reduction within the first 14 days of the listing term. Does this make sense to you?” Mr. Brown: “Yes, I guess. I didn’t know some homes could be used this way!” Realtor: “Yes indeed and it happens quite frequently. That is why I wanted to explain this to you. Now we can make sure to cover all the bases so that your home sells at top market value, in the quickest time possible and with the least amount of inconvenience. Mr. Brown... here is a price reduction form. Let’s fill it out now so that I have it at the office, ready for quick use just in case Realtors begin to use your home against us!” Mr. Brown: “That's a good idea. But when will we lower the price?” Realtor: “We may not have to at all. But I will keep you posted on the matter and should it become an issue, we can act to resolve it then. Sound fair?” Mr. Brown: “Yes!” Summary So please make sure you have this "Bounce Home" discussion with your Realtor the same evening you list your home for sale. By doing so you will know in advance what the competitive price reduction needs to be. Now let's review the final summary! Free Report Summary! Selling a home privately is indeed a rewarding experience. I certainly hope the information provided in this free report will help you to succeed both in selling yourself and if not, then in selecting a Realtor to market your home. I strongly recommend that you begin to interview Realtors immediately rather than waiting until you reach the conclusion of selling privately. This way you will be prepared to place your home on the market when the time to hire a Realtor does arrive. How Many Realtors Should You Interview? You should invite no more than 3 Realtors for the purpose of providing a competitive market analysis, CMA, on your home. You should not be surprised that each Realtor will have a slightly different pricing opinion. Rather you are looking for the lowest to the highest pricing range. Let's review an example based upon a home worth $200,000. Realtor 1's CMA states a recommended pricing range between $198,000 to $208,000. Realtor 2's CMA states a recommended pricing range between $197,000 to $210,000. Realtor 3's CMA states a recommended pricing range between $201,000 to $212,000. This will provide you with an accurate pricing range for your home based upon prevailing market conditions. Reviewing the above example tells us that this home's pricing range has a low of $197,000 and a high of $212,000. What Next? After you interview three Realtors, it is now time to make a selection. Please DO NOT choose your Realtor based upon personality or friendship. Rather Choose Based Upon The Following! 1. The testimonials of other homeowners that the Realtor has worked for in the past. 2. The integrity factor of the Realtor. Was the Realtor upfront and honest with you during the interview? And most importantly.... 3. Did the Realtor stress the MLS during the presentation? 4. And did the Realtor answer those 10 questions to your satisfaction? Allow Me To Explain! When you get down to the bottom line, the MLS is the most effective method for selling homes. But most Realtors simply place a listing on the MLS. You do not want to hire such a Realtor. Rather you must hire a Realtor who understands completely how to sell into the MLS. Remember what we discussed a few pages back. "You must make sure your Realtor understands this "move up" concept of selling into the MLS and has a marketing strategy to reach these $140,000 to $170,000 home owners who are on the MLS." Make this MLS knowledge a major "determining factor" in terms of deciding which of the 3 Realtors you will hire. And Lastly, 3 More Points To Consider... 1. Choose a Realtor who is enthusiastic about being a Realtor, one who is passionately involved in the industry. 2. Never choose a part time Realtor. 3. Always choose a Realtor with excellent presentation skills and materials. Conclusion We want to say "Thank You" for allowing us this opportunity to help you in the sale of your home. We encourage you to give us an opportunity to talk with you further. You can rest certain that Bindman Bruzas Realty possesses the skills that are needed when selling a home in today's competitive market. Please call us if you have any questions concerning this report, we will be happy to help you! We can be reached at 727-321-2300 or visit us at www.bbrfl.com Forms To Help You Sell Your Home Moving Contact List New address_________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Item Address and Phone Date Completed Utilities Power Telephone Water/Sewage Gas Cable Trash Disposal Other: Schools Elementary Middle High School Other: Medical Doctor Pediatrician Dentist Other BUYER REGISTER PHONE LOG Keep a phone log to help you keep track of who has called. It’s also a great way to follow up with prospective buyers, encourage offers and advise prospects about the price changes and special incentives. Use a notebook and put the following headers across the page horizontally and create columns. NAME PHONE SOURCE DATE/TIME COMMENTS