Home Selling Tips: Sell Your House Quickly

Home selling has become a complicated process and not as easy as it used to be. For a first time seller, the prospect of selling one’s home, from preparing the required documents to finding a client and finally closing the deal, can be a bit overwhelming.

Home staging is still one of the most effective and proven way of attracting the right clients, so, before you even start putting your house in the market read through the list below.

• Make your house anonymous. First and foremost, de-personalize your home. Make it anyone else’s house. Remove the personal stuff you have gathered over the years so that buyers can imagine themselves living in your house with their own personal belongings. Maximize the full potential of your house by arranging the furniture to best showcase the floor plan.
• Invest in small fixes. Do not overdo the upgrade as you might not get your money back. Small fixes will go a long way such as applying fresh paint to the interior of the house, replace the tattered and stained curtains, fix leaky faucet, and make sure that closet doors are in place.
• Keep it pet-free. Not everybody is a dog lover or a cat lover so make sure to clean your house properly. Hide or remove the pet bowls and food, sofas and carpets should be fur-free, and keep it smelling fresh.
• Make the most of the first impression. Preparing the exterior is equally important as staging the interior of the house. Before the buyers enter your house, they have already judged it based on its outside appearance. It is important that your house should look warm and welcoming so buyers will be encourage in taking a look at what is inside.

The next phase is finding the right broker. Or, if you want to get your hands on, you can sell your house on your own. This means that you will work on marketing your house, making yourself available for the showings, and dealing with all possible negotiations.

Don’t have time or the experience to sell? You can sell your house with the least effort on your part by selling it to private property investors. Visit Lucas Properties for more details.

Should I Sell My House at an Auction?

There are thousands of homes being auctioned off every month. These properties are bank owned, facing foreclosure, or distressed properties. Sometimes, home owners who want to sell the property quickly opted to sell it in an auction. Auction offers a fast and efficient way to sell but is it the right option for you?

As a home owner, when you sell your house at an auction, you will get the benefit of not having potential buyers snooping through the house for months only to find out that these potential buyers are just looking around.

In an auction, buyers are aware that they are bidding at a house that can be less than perfect. Most of the times, houses in an auction are sold as is, where it is, and in its present condition. The whole selling process can only take a few minutes with a maximum of 45 days to close.

Types of Real Estate Auction

Auction with Reserve – This type of auction allows the seller or agent to accept or reject any bid offer. For example, if the highest bid does not match with the seller’s reserve price, he has the right to decline the bid. This type of auction is sometimes a deterrent to buyers because they don’t have the assurance that they can purchase the house even if they offer the highest bid.

Minimum Bid Auction – A minimum price is predetermined by the seller and the auctioneer will only accept bids equal to or above the minimum reserve price.

Absolute Auction – In this type of auction, the house will be sold to the highest bidder regardless of the offered amount. Seller may or may not receive a fair market value offer to his property.

There are other options to sell a house quickly. One of the fastest ways is to sell to private investors. Private investors offer cash for your houses or any property, buy houses as is, and offers a fair price for your property.

Contact Lucas Properties today if you are ready to move your house.

Real Estate Agents Alternatives

While most owners when considering selling a house would opt directly to hire a real estate agent, there are alternatives to the conventional method. These options can save you money but with a little effort on your part since you will be doing more of the work yourself – home selling online and private home selling.

Property Sale Websites

The introduction of the Internet makes marketing easier. There are many private property sale websites nowadays that will allow you to reach a wider audience. Property sale websites function as the local classifieds; the main distinction is that your listing will be virtually available anywhere.

Since you will be doing this on your own, be prepared to write description of your house, take photos that will go with your ad, facilitate viewings, and negotiate with potential buyers. If you are willing to do this and if you have time, you can have big savings selling your house this way.

Aside from these websites which purpose is to list properties for sale, there are also agents who are only available online. Unlike traditional agents, they provide services virtually. They are capable of handling negotiations and proceed to sale completion via online mode. The difference between property sale websites and online estate agents is that the latter handles queries from potential buyers and pass on to the seller. A property sale website can also be an agent if it acts in such a way.

Private Home Selling

Another alternative is to sell your house to a private investor. With private investors, there is no need for home viewings, home staging, and home listing. Private investors even buy houses as is so you can go directly with the sale without preparing your home.

Lucas Properties is a private investor which buys houses in any condition with cash. If you want a quick and guaranteed sale, contact Lucas Properties now and be prepared to receive a cash offer.

Do’s and Don’ts of Home Selling

Home selling is a complex process regardless of the market condition. However, it does not have to be. You can sell you’re your home efficiently if you know these do’s and don’ts.

Don’t overprice. Your house is worth what the market is willing to pay you. The sum that you paid for your house does not necessarily means it is still worth that amount.

Do a market research. Get a feel of how much your house could sell for. You can run a comparable study by searching online for houses sold near your area. Check for home similarities and prices. Your asking price should not go over the sold houses with similar features as yours otherwise; your house could sit for months.

Don’t show your house with broken things. Buyers will always notice the things in your house that are broken or need repair. Chipped paint, leaking water system, and broken windows are some of the things that you need to fix before you let the prospects in.

Do a clean-up. You don’t have to stage your house lavishly. A simple cleaning will do. Remove personal items such as family pictures and memorabilia. Apply a new paint which is neutral in color. Make your house as ‘anonymous’ as possible so buyers can picture themselves in your house.

Don’t sell your house by yourself…unless you know what you’re doing. Unless you've sold a house several times within a couple of years, do not go for FSBO. Real estate rules and disclosures change over time, if you are on your own you are accepting that you deal with the complexities by yourself.

Do hire a Realtor.  Realtors perform real estate transactions all year round. They know the ways around buying and selling houses. They are on top of their game and they will be able to help you sell your house.

If you do not want to work with a realtor, do sell your house to private investors. Private investors like Lucas Properties buy houses in any condition any time. Receive cash for your house and move on.

Home Selling: Pros and Cons of Open Houses

Open houses are a good means of selling a house but like any other methods, it has its share of advantages and drawbacks. Before you decide if it’s worth it to have an open house, make sure you know the pros and cons.

Pro

Open houses attract buyers. There are people who are not comfortable working with an agent so they prefer to buy houses on their own. Open houses provide a less intimidating way of viewing your home. Potential buyers who do not feel pressured by hovering agents will have a good time of considering themselves in your home.

Con

Open houses attract the wrong crowd. Not all onlookers are serious buyers. Some are just nosy neighbors while others are looking at some things they could steal upstairs while you are busy answering questions from other house shoppers. A large number of shoppers also pose risk of property damage. Visitors who tend to get comfortable with your belongings might leave dirt tracks or worst, break valuable vases and furniture.

Pro

You can save on staging costs with open houses. Staging your house for the sale involves time and money. Drawing multiple buyers at the same time could mean less private showings resulting in less last-minute preparations and staging. Since open houses are less intimidating, people are inclined to give you feedback about your house. These feedback can be valuable information towards improving your house and close on the next buyer.

Con

Not all houses’ location is perfect for an open house. Some cannot just accommodate several cars parking in so the owners can go inside the open house. If you are still living in the house you are planning to sell, open house means you have to vacate the premises together with your children and pets.

Bottom line, open house does not work for everybody. If you want to have a quick sale without the hassle of home staging and showing, sell your house to private investors.

LucasProperties is a private investor who has been in business of buying houses and other properties with cash. Over the years, they have helped property owners disposed their homes hassle-free.

Home Selling: How to Choose a Real Estate Agent

Selling a home can be easy if you know what to do. There are many ways to sell a home – for sale by owner or FSBO, hire a real estate agent, through an auction, or sell privately.

When you do a quick search for real estate agents, you will be surprise to know that there are hundreds of them. Choosing the right one can make or break your deal. Referral from family or friends is always a good start in getting a good agent since they have had a first-hand experience with that agent. They can tell you if that agent is any good or not.

If you don’t have a referral, you can still get the best agent to sell your home and these questions will help you identify that agent.

How long have you been an agent? Although new agents bring in fresh ideas, veteran agents still take the lead. They have more experience and they know the market well, so they will more likely represent you better.

How can I contact you? There is nothing more frustrating than not be able to reach your agent. A common complaint from home owners is that after they hire the agent, they hear nothing. A good agent should keep you well informed. He should be available in common communication channels such as phone, email, and social media.

How many home units have you sold? The higher the number of units sold the better. This goes to show that an agent is good at what he does. The number must be recent, that is within the last six months or at least a year. If he has not sold a unit within a year, then he should have a good explanation for it.

How will you market my home? A good agent should be able to list your home in MLS; this listing targets a wide range of potential buyers. He should be able to provide you with a marketing plan with proof what option works and what does not based on his experience.

If you do not want to work with an agent, you can sell your home privately. This is done by working with private investors. Unlike hiring an agent, you don’t have to pay for their services. Private investors, like Lucas Properties buy houses all the time regardless of its condition.

Why it is good to Sell Your House Today

The economy is starting to get back up again and mortgage companies have been less strict in their loan requirements. FHA has a ‘back to work’ program which allows boomerang buyers to be back in the market looking for a new house.
These mean that more buyers are now searching for new homes to acquire.

Given these circumstances, is now a good time to sell your house? It is difficult to predict the housing market. It is like predicting the stock sales. As a home owner who is trying to sell, the decision should be based on not just “When can I sell to get the most money?”

If you have moved out to a new home because of job relocation and your old home is just sitting vacant, then you will have to decide whether you can afford the maintenance costs of two houses or not. You can have it rented however if the revenue is not enough to cover the maintenance costs, then it may be wise to sell your house today.

Location, location, location. In real estate, this is one factor that is not time sensitive or bound to market conditions. It is true that real estate market is recovering in most areas; if you want to sell your house now, do a comparative market analysis in your area so you can position your house aggressively. If you price your house based on other locations’ market condition, you might overprice it. That is to say, a house in the farm land may cost less than a house in the heart of the city.

If you simply want to move on with your life, if you think that the new home will bring more happiness to your family, if the new home will bring in more revenue, then today is as good as any to sell your house.

Lucas Properties LLC is a private investor who has been in real estate industry for years. They buy houses in any condition regardless of the market condition or location. Visit their website to get more details.

Fix It or Sell As Is

If you are planning to put your house in the market, it is expected that you will face competition. There are already hundreds of ‘for sale’ houses in your area that you might think to fix your house before putting up the ‘for sale’ sign to set it above the rest. Fixing up means either repair or renovation and there’s a big difference between the two. Repair can be refer to fixing up a broken water system while renovation can be refer to applying a new paint color to any part of the house.

While fixing up can boost your house’s sale ability, it requires time and money. Before you make any decisions, think of your target buyers and how much fixing up will do.

Target Buyers

Do your buyers need a fixed up home? In your area, check the houses that were sold for the past six months. Are they being fixed or renovated before they got sold?

Some buyers prefer a house that requires a little repair. Usually, they are the ones who don’t qualify to buy a more expensive house or they simply want to ‘personalize’ the house. Some buyers are house flippers; they are the ones who want to make a profit by fixing the house themselves.

How far would you go?

While minor repairs are not a problem, over-improving can be an issue. Buyers will normally look for the least expensive house in the most expensive and desirable subdivision they can manage. If you overdo your renovation, this will put your house at the top of the market from the pricing perspective. It’s not bad but it’s also not the best place to be from a selling standpoint.

If the cost of improvement won’t return the investment, it may be unwise to go through with an upgrade. You can sell your house as is and still make some money. Sell your house for cash to private property investors.

Lucas Properties buys houses in any condition. You can walk away with cash in as short as seven days. Contact Lucas Properties now.