Diane Eavey
Florida Realtor®
(904) 923-6777
Treating you as an Eavey Exclusive Everyday!
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Some homeowners wish to try to sell their homes themselves to save a commission from being paid to a Realtor.  It is ultimately your decision on whether to use a professional Realtor when you sell your home or not.  If you decide to sell your home yourself, consider these following steps:

• Conduct your own mini walk-through inspection.  Make notes of anything you see that may need repair.  Look at your home as if you were a potential buyer.  Some things to look for might include:  Fresh Paint, Clean the windows, make sure the lawn is well-manicured, all the appliances and plumbing are in working order, clean or replace carpet as needed, no repairs are needed to the roof or structure of the home.

• If any improvements are needed, take care of them before you begin to market your home.

• Carefully research the price of homes in your neighborhood.  Find out what recent homes similar to yours have sold for in the past few months.  Then you will have a better idea of what to price your home for.

• Meet with lenders to find out what type of financing they might have available for your potential buyers.

• Find out pricing for different real estate magazines, newspapers, and internet websites to find out where you would like to advertise your home.

• Establish a budget for you advertising expenses and figure out a back-up plan in case it takes longer for your home to sell then you originally anticipated.

• Prepare a professional ad that will attract buyers to your home and upload pictures of your home on the internet.

• Prepare a plan to target out-of-town buyers who account for a major portion of today's home buyers.

• Buy and eye-catching For Sale sign to place in your front yard.

• Each time you hold an open house, make sure you properly advertise it and place directional signs to your home on the day of the Open House.

• Prepare an attractive flyer pointing out the features and benefits of your home.

• Have Open Houses on weekdays as well as weekends.  Put out fresh flowers and possibly burn scented candles.

• Be available at all times for showings and to answer questions potential buyers may have about you area, schools, etc.

• Learn how to recognize "lookers" from actual potential qualified buyers.  Return all emails and phone calls in a timely manner.

• Be prepared to negotiate with the buyer as you are an impartial third party.  Remain calm and refrain from any emotional outburst that might spoil the sale.

• Obtain all forms necessary for the legal sale of the property.  For example: Buyer's cost sheet, Deposit receipt and offer to purchase contract, seller's disclosure forms.

• Think about, understand, and determine what type of financing you are willing to accept from your buyers: FHA, VA, Conventional, etc.

• Negotiate with the buyer all the final terms of the sale including the price, financing, inspections, repairs that may be needed, date of closing, date of possession by the buyers, and other important information.

• Set a date for the final walk-through with the buyers prior to the closing with a witness present.

• While you are selling your own home, locate a negotiate your next home.  Try to schedule both transactions so they close simultaneously.  This way you and the buyer will be able to move at the same time.

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