The old adage that “your house is worth precisely what someone is prepared to pay for it” should act as a guide post to what should be done.

Getting top dollar means reaching the right buyer that will emotionally respond favorably to both your home and the offer.

Selling your home

Yes … it’s that marketing thing that just can’t be avoided. If you’ve decided that the “for sale by owner” method is the way to go and you absolutely don’t want the expense of commissions, you’ll have to roll up your sleeves and dig in.

As mentioned in a previous article, once you’ve established a value for your property, you’ll want to figure out what needs to be prepared for showing your house.

You could hire a property inspector do to a full inspection, thus revealing those important areas that could detract from closing the deal. Then it’s a matter of deciding on what the pay back will be for each of the identified weaknesses.

For example, if the inspector points out that the windows should be replaced then you could do the math, while considering the positive impact of new windows, and judge if they should be replaced.

Your approach to this will be dictated by your sense of urgency to sell the property, as well as the current local real estate market conditions.

In future articles, we will touch on other items that will help you sell your own house. But if you’re in a hurry, consider reading “Sell Your Home Alone” and get to the meat of things quickly.

This online MLS® service provides real estate agents a means to present their listings to consumers on a national basis. This way, should you be looking for a property clear across the country, you can easily find any number of potential real estate listings to suit your taste.

Decisions, Decisions

If you decide to sell your home with a licensed real estate agent, they will gather all the necessary particulars of your property before placing that information within the MLS® system.

But if you’re selling your home on your own, the online MLS service can provide you with some useful information. That, coupled with the tricks and tips in the Sell your Home Alone ebook can help you get the highest price for your house.

At the end of the day, whether you go with an agent or take the “for sale by owner” approach, MLS Canada is definitely a handy tool.

You could do an open house to kick things off right. Perhaps a casual get together with friends and neighbors to help spread the word. Most people would prefer to have great neighbors and they might help you along by telling their friends.

But if you do go with an agent, make sure they looked after their end of the deal. Your house should have a sharp looking presence online and within the MLS system.

How to sell a house yourself can be as simple as picking up a book that will show you first hand how you can avoid paying lofty commissions. Selling Your Home Alone is one such book that will walk you through, step by step, on what needs to be done to sell your house for the most money possible.

Search online, look through newspapers, read local RE magazines and talk to people so that you can begin to understand the true value of your home.

Any Real Estate agent worth their salt will prepare relevant market background information for you to consider. These reports should consider the normal factors of your house with like comparisons to other homes in the area. From this data, the agent should be able to offer an expected selling price for your home.

Once you have accumulated all of the facts, at the end of the day, you need to decide what price to ask.

Not the agent. If they don’t like your approach or suggestions, then cut them loose and find another to work with. Best yet, see some of the gems in Selling Your Home Alone.

Just browsing through MLS Canada real estate listings, you quickly realize that there is a lot of expense tied up into that marketing system. It’s no wonder RE agents command a 5% to 6% commission fee for selling your home.

So if you’re really set on using an RE agent, then treat it as a job interview. In that you’re interviewing them to find the best Real Estate agent for the job.

Check with family, friends and other acquaintances for references of local agents that they’ve worked with directly. Once you short list your selection, don’t be afraid to ask each of them about how they plan to market your house.

And ask them what they think you should do to get your house ready. While you’re at it, why not refer to Selling Your Home Alone for some inside pointers.

Best of all, you can preserve your house’s “built up” equity, thus using it to purchase a larger home or to do something special for you and your family.

Chances are that you’ve already heard of FSBO (For Sale By Owner), but figured there was no way you could do that, even if you could save all that money.

A good friend, who worked as a Real Estate agent and mortgage broker sat down one day and wrote Selling Your Home Alone, a step by step guide on how you can sell your own home.