If you are selling your home on your own, also known as "For Sale By Owner or FSBO", you are the agent for your home. Here are tips for you to make the sale of your home a success. Your home must be ready for the critical eyes of the potential homebuyer. You will want to take a look at your home in a new light. You may ignore the chipped paint and the crooked screens, but to a potential homebuyer it is a warning to "stay away from this house."
As the seller in the FSBO home, you will have the opportunity to meet every potential buyer. You will be able to notice first hand the reaction of the potential buyers when they see the outside your home for the first time. Since the yard and the entry way is the first things the potential buyer will see, you will want the lawn and entry way of your home to look its best.
In order for your FSBO home to create a great first impression, let’s start with the lawn and the yard. You will need to mow or have your lawn mowed once a week for it to look its best during a showing. You will also want the leaves raked and the sidewalk swept. Make sure to remove all the fallen branches and limbs from the trees and shrubs from the yard.
Your "For Sale By Owner" home will look great with just a little landscaping. If you don’t have flowers, plant some or place some potted flowers around to give your landscape some color. You need to repair any problems with the fence and touch it up with a fresh coat of paint or stain, if needed. You will want to do the same with the mailbox by replacing it or painting it.
Put away all lawn equipment and tools, as well as toys or any other clutter in your yard. Store them neatly. If you have a shed, it needs to have everything neatly put away. If you have a large dog, make arrangements for it to stay with a neighbor while the house is being shown.
The front entrance to your "For Sale By Owner" home is just as important as the rest of the home. In fact it is one of the keys to the first impression of your home. Take a good look at your front door, if it needs painting, cleaning or staining, make sure it gets done before the house showing. Remove any old screens if they don’t fit or they are slightly damaged in some way. You can add a nice welcome mat and a potted plant if you have room on your entrance steps. Make sure the porch light or any other outdoor lights along with the doorbell are in working order.
Make sure the number of your house is visible from the street especially at dusk and early evening. Replace any missing numbers.
You may ignore the shutter needing a coat of paint, the bent gutters or the loose shingles on the roof because they don’t leak, but these are signs to a homebuyer to avoid your home as a serious purchase prospect. Make sure to include washing all the windows. If your home has siding, make sure it is clean and in good repair. Do all the necessary repairs to make your "For Sale By Owner" home look more inviting.
