How to Sell Your Own Home

Selling your home doesn't always require the services of a real estate agent. In fact, with the housing market in its current state, more and more homeowners are taking charge and making a whole lot more money.

Things You'll Need

• Determination
• A little advertising cash.

Instructions

1. IT'S NOT YOUR HOUSE The minute you decide that you are going to sell your home, you need to stop thinking of it as YOUR HOME. A home sale can be a rough experience for those with a sentimental attachment to the property. Understand that potential buyers will not have the same emotional investment in your house. Buyers can be rude, picky, and critical. If you really want to sell your house, come to terms with its loss before you end up with overpriced memories no one else wants to buy.

2. APPRAISAL AND SALE PRICE You can get a free appraisal of your home's value from your local property tax office. However, the appraisal they issue may be less than you expect and more than anyone else would want to pay. To get a better idea of what your home will sell for, research the sale price of other homes on your street. Compare the size of the home and condition to your own. Would you expect more or less? Would you NEED more or less to cover your home mortgage? If you are really struggling to come up with a sale price, you may wish to hire an independent appraiser to evaluate your home's actual worth.

3. STAGING YOUR HOME In order for your home to sell for a reasonable price, it will have to look its absolute best. Clean your home thoroughly and remove every scrap of clutter. Learn about staging through online research. The basic of staging indicate your home should be as clean as possible, free of clutter, free of excessive decoration, pretty and bland inside and out. Remember, the idea is that the buyer needs to envision themselves in your house. Selling your own house means getting you out so someone else can think about moving in. That means your 400 cat figurines should probably go into storage for a while.

4. ADVERTISE

   Advertising real estate isn't expensive. With a little creativity, you can effectively advertise and sell your own house. Look to local trade and swap guides, free online listing sites like Craigslist, and local bulletin boards where you can post a flyer with a picture and description of your home. Also, you will need to put up a 'for sale by owner' sign or something similar in front of your home. You may also wish to announce that your home is for sale in online real estate forums.

5. OPEN HOUSE An open house is a wonderful way to get people viewing your home. You set the time, provide refreshments and a smile, and they spend some pleasant time in a home they might want to buy. When holding your own open house, advertising should be one of your first priorities. Announce your open house in the local newspaper, online, to friends, on bulletin boards, and place signs near the road. Make sure your open house provides an atmosphere someone would want to live in. Calm, casual, relaxed, pleasant.

6. THE SALE Depending upon your location, there will be different local laws regarding the sale of your home. Also, financed buyers will likely be required to provide an appraisal of the home to their lender. When you find someone who wants to buy your home, the rules of the sale will likely be dictated by their lending agency.

Tips & Warnings

• LOOK ONLINE FOR HELP WITH FORMS AND DOCUMENTS YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO HAVE AND COMPLETE.

• LOOK ONLINE FOR THE LOCAL LAWS THAT APPLY TO THE SAFE TRANSFER OF PROPERTY OWNERSHIP.

• IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO INVEST THE TIME TO LEARN THE LAWS REGARDING HOME SALES, IT IS ALWAYS BEST TO HIRE SOMEONE, A REAL ESTATE AGENT, TO NAVIGATE THE LEGAL ASPECTS FOR YOU.

Resources

• More Articles by Kate Downs