How can I sell my own home?

Selling your own home probably sounds either ridiculously simply or impossibly complex, depending on your market area, your understanding of real estate and marketing, and your past experiences with either buying or selling a home. Take a minute to get a grip on the process before you start.

Tutorial

Your take on how difficult it will be to sell your own home is probably closely tied to your own experience in buying or selling real estate, but there are some things you have to keep in mind as you start this process. For one thing, if you purchased real estate through an agent and it seemed like no big deal, you may be underestimating the amount of work that was done by the agent. This is a time-consuming and serious task you’re about to undertake, but if you’re ready and willing to take that on, you can save the realtor’s fee and have a greater say in the marketing of your house.

The key to getting your house sold is to get the for sale notice into the hands of the person who’ll buy it. That may sound difficult, but there are lots of advertising options that don’t cost a lot. Local and state newspapers, area advertising supplements (the free want ad papers) and even local radio programs that allow individuals to sell things are good places to start with the marketing. You’ll likely want to put up a sign and be careful that it’s clearly visible with contact phone numbers written large enough to be seen easily.

Be prepared for those “drop ins.” This is one of the disadvantages of selling your own home because a realtor would make an appointment to bring potential customers back for a look at the house. You’ll get people who see the sign or see the advertisement and simply drive over for a look. You can’t be sure which are serious so you need to be ready to show the house at any time.

List the positive points of your house and write it up on a sheet that you give anyone who comes through for a look. It might be a minor point, but they’ll be able to remember the house and to repeat the features later.

Finally, get an attorney or some other qualified person to handle the contract once you have an offer.