Sell Your Home Online

Traditionally, when we buy shoes we go to a shopping mall for stores that sell shoes. We go there personally to try and see if the shoes fit. Today, people buy shoes online without even trying them first. The introduction of Internet makes it easier to buy anything online, even houses.

A good number of real estate purchases come from buyers who have never been into an open house. How do these people see themselves in the new house if they have not even seen the house in person? This is made possible by the profusion of great technology providing the buyer with an experience that is similar to visiting the property in person.

Here are a few tips on how to bring buyers into your house virtually:

Google Street view can help. It allows your buyers to feel like they are walking on the street of their future home. Direct your buyers to Google Maps and look your address up; they can investigate the surroundings from a remote location without having to leave from the comfort of their home.

Create a community video and post it on your website. Community videos will show your buyers what it is like to live in your area. Highlight the location and amenities that might entice people to live there. For example, if you live near a shopping mall, create a video showing the shopping mall and how easy it is for the local residents to go shopping and relax.

Create a Facebook account. Facebook is perhaps the most used social media site today. In Facebook, not only that you can post pictures and upload videos of your house, you can also interact with your prospective buyers in real time. Buyers are more incline to make an offer if they feel that they are being accommodated right away. And being able to reach you, asked questions, and get an answer via Facebook is a great way to show them that you care.

You don’t have time for online marketing? You need not worry. You can always sell your house to Lucas Properties.

Lucas Properties buys houses as is, distressed houses, houses that need repair, and houses with tax issues. 

Finding the Best Agents

You are considering selling your house but you don’t know where to start. The easiest way is to hire an agent but agents don’t work for free. How much are you willing to pay for their services? Do you have enough money to pay for them? While it is not impossible to find an agent which charges low, you have to be cautious in hiring one. You should be looking at an agent’s success rate in moving a house instead of setting your focus on his service fees.

Where to

Search for agents online. Top caliber agents are very much updated with the trends. They knew that people nowadays use Internet, most of the times, in searching for products and services so more likely they have an online presence such as personal website, directory, and social media accounts.

Search for agents locally. You can’t discredit agents who do not have online presence. Agents who prefer to work locally do not find the need to build a personal website because they find clients through family and friends’ referral. What is good with local agents is that they knew the marketplace already – which house has sold, at what price, what marketing strategy to use to attract buyers, etc.

Who to choose

Look for at least three agents to represent you and have them evaluate your house. You will know that an agent is any good if he is able to provide you with a sound marketing plan, success rate over period of time, and relevant experiences from his past clients.

Once you find the ‘one’, determine exactly what services does he offer. You should know the agent’s limitations and if you are willing to go with them. Otherwise, you can always find another agent to work with.

Selling a house can be overwhelming especially if you are time constrained. There is one sure way to do it – sell your house to Lucas Properties.

Lucas Properties is a private investor which buys houses; this means that you don’t have to spend money to sell your house. Received cash offer from Lucas Properties and close the deal in as short as seven days.

Step by Step Home Selling Process

Home selling process is identical whether you are hiring an agent, selling in an auction, or by FSBO.  There may be slight variations from state to state, but selling process includes one or more of the following steps.

1. Check the local market and how it will affect your sale. If you are lucky enough to be in a hot market where there are more buyers than sellers, you can price your house aggressively. Buyers will compete with each other and will more likely bid higher.
2. Set a price that sells. Over-pricing can make buyers move on to the next listing while low-pricing can make you look desperate. Buyers will be suspicious about your house and will probably move on to the next listing. Review the actual selling prices in your area and set your price within the same range.
3. Prepare your home for the showing. Before you put up your house in the market, make it look as nice-looking as possible. Buyers gravitate towards a clean house as they picture themselves living in it. You don’t have to do a major revamp; a new paint or wallpaper can do a lot in improving the look of your house.
4. Market your house. This part is done by a realtor should you ever hire one. Realtors have access to Multiple Listing Service where they can list your home. You can reinforce this marketing tool by creating a website for your house, distribute flyers, put up a ‘For Sale’ sign, and hold an open house.
5. Receive an offer. If you are in a hot market, you can expect multiple offers from different buyers. Do not fall for high offer alone as most buyers with exceptionally high offer do not have financing yet. Offering a very high price is their attempt to get your house while waiting for financing approval.

If you are in a cold market, do not despair because you can still sell your home and even get cash. Sell to private investors like Lucas Properties.

Lucas Properties buy houses as is, houses that need repair, distressed houses, and houses with tax issues. 

What Is Home Appraisal?

A home appraisal determines the monetary value of your property. It is commonly done to know how much the property will sell or how much tax the owner will pay annually. A home owner can either hire a licensed appraiser or a real estate agent to do the job. Home appraisal is not pre-requisite to selling; however, it plays an important role in determining your selling price.

There are other ways to determine your selling price but having an appraised value available can speed up your selling process. Buyers will feel confident that you are not overpricing your home and will more likely give you an offer. Lenders do not like owning overpriced property, which is why most require an appraisal before they will grant an approval of the buyer’s loan. Buyers with loan approval are the ones who can close the deal.

Home appraisal is different from home inspection. A home inspector educates buyers about the home’s condition and its main components while an appraiser formulates an estimate of the home’s value by weighing its location, proximity to schools and shopping centers, the size of the lot, house structure such as number of bedrooms and bathrooms, recent sales of comparable features, house upgrade, and the like. An appraiser evaluates both the house’s interior and exterior condition. There are multitudes of different variables that determine a home’s value. These include and not limited to house condition, amenities, market trends, and improvement. An outside-inspection is not enough to provide all these information.

A well-kept house certainly has more value than a neglected one. Appraisers will notice a sign of neglect in cracked walls, broken windows, leaked roofs, damaged flooring and chipped paints. Dusty cabinets and trash do not decrease a home’s value but they do deter buyers away during home showings.

While home appraisal is not required, it does provide valuable information to both seller and the buyer.

Need to sell your home now? Sell your house for cash to Lucas Properties. They buy houses in any condition so you don’t have to fix anything. In as little as seven days, you are guaranteed to have a closed deal.

Get Rid of Unwanted House

Disposing of unwanted house can be credited to job relocation, downsizing, divorce, impending foreclosure and family emergency. If you find your way in one of these situations, what will you do?

Give the house away. This is the fastest way to get rid of your house. This is very common to rich people where the property can be handed down from grandparents to grandchildren. It only requires simple paperwork which can be done by an attorney or title company depending on which state the property falls under.

Donate your house to charity or any organization. This is not just for the well to do but this is most beneficial to owners whose property is a financial setback. With donation, property owners can do away with liability exposure, property taxes, and insurance costs. Certain regulations apply for real estate donations and these can vary depending on which state and who is making the donation. It is recommended that paper works should be done by an attorney to avoid legal complications.

Trade your unwanted house. Although this is not common, it is worth to be given a thought. You can do away with your house by making offers to trade it for another property, may it be another house in another location, vacant lot, or even a car. Ask a tax consultant for advice regarding property exchange.

Sell your house. It may not be the easiest however this is the most efficient way because you get to be free of the property and receive monetary compensation as a result of the sale. You can use the property as leverage to earn money. Invest the funds to earn more or simply spend it on a much needed vacation. Do a little research and know the different ways in selling a house.

Sell your house quickly to Lucas Properties. As a private investor, they buy houses in any condition any time. You will receive a no hassle cash offer on your property and expect to close within a week.

Home Selling Tips That Work

There could be several reasons why you want to sell your home – job relocation, family expansion, family reduction, and financial problems. Whatever your reasons are, the ultimate goal is to sell your home as quickly as possible. The following are home selling tips that you can follow to help you reach your goal faster.

Remove emotion from the equation. Perhaps, this is the hardest step that an owner can do. If the emotion prevails, the owner may make decisions that will create situations where it takes longer to sell the property. Such situations are the owner might delay the marketing because he could not let go of his first home, the owner may make the asking price too high because he has invested in his home too much, the owner may refuse buyers who have pets because they don’t, etc.

Let your buyers think that your home is their potential home. As you may have noticed, newly furnished homes for sale lack of personal touch; there are no family photos, no personalized paintings, no sports trophies, and no collectible items. The items that you may see portray “anyone”. This is because vendors would like the buyers to envision themselves in their home.

Choose the right marketing path. You can list your home in free listings and online directories; place your home in an auction, set up a website that you can promote, put a for sale sign near your property, connect with a real estate agent, or sell it to private property investors. Each option has its advantages over the other. However, if selling your home at the quickest possible time with the least stress is of importance, selling it to private investors is your best choice.

Lucas Properties is a private property investor specializing in distressed property solutions. They buy lands, houses, commercial properties and rental properties in as is condition. In as little as seven days, you can go away with cash for your home.