Are you knee deep in offers?

Tri-Cities, Wash

Are you selling your home by owner?  Hopefully by know you are knee deep in offers and your biggest problem is which offer to accept.  If that is not the case, what are you doing wrong?  The better question is what are you doing different? If you continue to market your home using the same methods that didn't work in the past, you're likely to get the same result....NO SALE?  When you first put your home on the market did you expect to join the other 90% of sellers that we're unsuccessful in the past?  You need to ask yourself, what I am I doing today that is going to get my home noticed?

1. Be prepared.  Do your homework.  Make sure that you contact a local real estate professional to obtain a market analysis
2. Decide upfront how long you plan to attemp to sell this on your own
3. Take advantage of FREE online marketing services (like www.homesbylender.com & www.craigslist)
4. Properly clean and stage your home.  You may wish to get a storage unit to store your "extra stuff".  Keeping in mind that you are STAGING YOUR HOME TO SELL.  You may wish to consult a professional home staging expert.
5. Use a professional looking sign, don't throw a sign in your yard that looks like your neighbors sign. (HomesByLender.com local affiliates offer FREE yard signs)
6. Meet with a mortgage professional.  It is important that you A. make sure that you can qualify for your next home before you sell and B. you need to know all of the financing options that are available on your home.  IF YOUR HOME IS IN AN ELIGIBLE AREA, IT MAY QUALIFY FOR THE USDA RURAL HOUSING LOAN!
7. Make sure that your friends, co-workers, family and neighbors all know that you are trying to sell your house.  Give them all flyers and ask them "Who do you know that would like to live in...."

If you have exhausted all of your efforts and the deadline is drawing near, you may wish to consider using the services of a professional Realtor.  Don't hire the first Realtor that calls you.  Interview several candidates, ask your friends, your mortgage professional can also be a wonderful resource. 

A professional Realtor will be able to maximize your homes exposure in the marketplace.  They will make sure that your home is priced to sell and offer you objective advice.  Statistically a home that is listed with a Realtor will sell faster.