selling on your own

Selling On Your Own?

Linda Grissette Keller Williams Realty West

Direct: 636-352-7122

Office: 636-947-5700

[email protected]

www.ByOwnerHelpCenter.com

This book is protected under copyright laws and is for

the use of sellers who are trying to sell on their own

and written by Linda Grissette of Keller Williams Realty

West.

Any sharing, copying or other distribution of this book

is a violation of copyright laws and will be vigorously

prosecuted.


Direct: 636-352-7122 Office: 636-229-8722

[email protected] www.ByOwnerHelpCenter.com

I can understand why you are trying to sell on your home by

yourself. After all, the media has been telling you how horrible

the market is and that homes are worth so much less than sellers

paid for them.

The reality here is St. Charles County is that homes are selling.

To sell your home, you need to know what it takes to get a home

sold.

Before you can even think of selling on your own, you need to un-

derstand the factors that influence the sale of a home and

whether or not your home will sell.

Check the information in this book and then have me come over

and evaluate your home to see if it is sellable in today’s market.

Only then will you know if your home will sell and, if it will sell

what the best way is to sell it.

I look forward to meeting you.

Linda

Understanding the Market

You’ve heard all the “doom and gloom” in the media about the housing market, as

well as occasional good news stories. It’s hard to know what to believe. You want

to sell your home, but you sure don’t want to “give it away”.

Remember: Real Estate Is Local

We all know that some areas, such as Florida, California , Arizona, and Los Vegas

have been particularly hard hit.

In contrast, the St. Louis area is doing quite well. While some areas of the St.

Louis area are being hit by the economy harder than others. St. Charles County

is one that is one that hasn’t been hit hard,. In fact, sales have been increasing

every month and Keller Williams Realty West has been increasing at a higher rate

than our competitors.

Here’s something else that is very important for people who want to sell their

homes:

There are fewer homes on the market!

That increases the chances of your home selling.

Now let’s look at what determines whether or not a home will sell.

Factors Influencing the Sale of Your Home

How long does it take to sell a home? There is no easy answer some homes sell in a few days,

others may take several months. There are many factors involved in determining how long it may

take to sell your home. If you understand these, and get a proper balance of them, you'll be more

comfortable with the selling process, and better able to make the best pricing and marketing

decisions for your home.

Condition:

The better your home shows, the easier it will be to sell. Most home buyers do not want to

purchase a home which needs repair. If you take steps to improve your home's appearance (many

of which aren't even that expensive) you will improve the chances for a prompt sale.

Price:

If your home is priced too high when it is first listed, it won’t get the exposure it would were it

competitively priced. A careful review of the Right Price Analysis will help you in working with me

to establish the best listing price for your home.

Location:

This is the single most important factor in determining how

quickly, and for what price, your home will sell.

Terms:

If you are in a position to offer potential purchasers "terms"

you expand the number of buyers who could purchase your

home. If you can afford to help the buyer finance the purchase of your home, please let me know.

If you can offer terms, you might obtain a higher price than if you don’t offer terms.

Competition and Market Strength:

If there are lots of homes similar to yours available, then you may have to lower your price to

distinguish your home from other available homes. If it is a "seller's market" with homes selling

quickly, then you may obtain a higher price than if it is a "buyer's market" with more homes taking

longer to sell.

When these factors are in balance, there is a better chance your home will sell. Linda will go over

all of these factors when she comes to your home to evaluate why it hasn’t sold and what the

chances are that it will sell.


Direct: 636-352-7122 Office: 636-229-8722


Critical Elements Your home will sell with the highest profit and in the

quickest amount of time when all the ingredients are

combined perfectly.

Who Controls The Critical Elements of a Sale

Seller

Who Controls

Seller Asking Price

Seller

Contract Terms

Cannot Change

Market Conditions

Cannot Change

Property Location

Agent and Company *

Marketing

Elements

Property Condition

* When selling on your own, you have to depend on your own marketing expertise and your own budget to market your home.

All of these have to be

in balance and be the

best possible. If that

happens, your home

should sell as quickly as possible and for the

highest price possible in

today’s market.

Homes that are in top showing condition and priced right…..that are marketed correctly…. will sell, even in today’s market.

If only one ingredient is left out of the formula…

or is out of proportion to the others, your home

will take longer to sell and will, quite possibly,

COST YOU MONEY!

of a Sale


Direct: 636-352-7122 Office: 636-229-8722


Getting Your Home Ready to Sell "Get ready to move - start packing"

Here are some tips for you to think about while getting your home ready to sell. In doing this, we will be ahead of most of the sellers in the way your home shows…

Inside:

1. Clear all unnecessary objects from furniture throughout the house.

Keep decorative objects on the furniture restricted to groups of 1, 3,

or 5 items.

2. Clear all unnecessary objects from kitchen countertops. If it

been used for three months...put it away! Clear refrigerator front of

messages, pictures, etc. (A sparse kitchen helps the buyer mentally

move their own things into your kitchen.)

3. In the bathroom, remove any unnecessary items from countertops,

tubs, shower stalls, and commode tops. Keep only your most needed

cosmetics, brushes, perfumes, etc., in one small group on the counter if

needed. Coordinate towels to one or two colors only.

4. Rearrange or remove some of the furniture if necessary. As owners, many times we

have too much furniture in a room. This is wonderful for our own personal enjoyment, but

when it comes to selling, we need to thin out as much as possible to make rooms appear

larger.

5. Take down, or rearrange certain pictures or objects on walls. Patch and paint if

necessary.

6. Review the house inside room by room, and:

a) paint any room needing paint.

b) clean carpets or drapes that need it.

c) clean windows.

7. Check heating, air conditioning, and other systems of the house. If you're unsure of

their condition, offer a home warranty on your house.

8. Don't worry about closets or garages in regard to being "too full”. People expect that.

Save that as a job for later in the process.

9. Leave on lights in dark areas when you aren't going to be home. When you know there is

going to be a showing turn on all lights and lamps.

10. Have soft stereo FM on during the day for all showings.

Outside: 1. Go around the perimeter of the house and move all garbage cans,

discarded wood scraps, extra building materials, etc.

2. Check gutters and/or roof for dry rot. Make sure they are swept

and clean, removing leaves from gutters. If wood condition is questionable, have a professional roofing inspector check it out.

3. Look at all plants...prune bushes and trees. Keep plants from blocking windows. You

can't sell a house if you can't see it. Plants are like children - they grow so fast!!

4. Weed all planting areas. Keep lawn freshly cut, fertilized, and watered. Remove any

dead plants or shrubs.

5. Clear patios and decks of all small items, such as small unused planters, flower pots, charcoal, barbecues, toys, etc.

6. Check paint condition of the house - especially at the front door and trim. Curb appeal

really works!

In general: Try to look at your house "through the buyer's eyes" as though you've never seen it or

been there before. Any time or money spent on these items bring you back much more

money in return, and hopefully a faster sale.

Working together, we make a great team!


Direct: 636-352-7122 Office: 636-229-8722


Curb Appeal ___ Neatly mowed and edged

___ Shrubs trimmed

___ Front door clean & freshly painted?

___ Condition of driveway

___ Get rid of oil stains on driveway

___ Is there any peeling paint?

Other Exterior

___ Windows washed inside & out

___ Pet areas - clean up, re-sod spots, as

needed

___ Extra vehicles - remove from curb view

___ Any cracked window panes replaced

___ Torn screens replaced

___ Clean out gutters, paint if needed

___ Exterior lights operating

___ Do all windows work?

___ Is all fencing secured?

___ Prune dead branches from trees

___ Replace dead shrubs

___ Freshen up mulch in landscaping areas

Entry ___ Doorbell operating ___ Lights operating

General Interior

___ Repair ceiling and wall cracks

___ Water stains covered

___ Paint or touch up

___ Wallpaper repaired or removed

___ Do all light switches work?

___ Woodwork painted or touched up

___ Curtains washed, ironed

___ Carpets cleaned or replaced

___ Clean light fixtures & replace bulbs

___ Hinges oiled

___ Remove extra or unhealthy plants

___ Hardwood floors - clean & shine

___ Replace filters

___ Windows washed

Living Areas

___ Clean fireplace

___ Hobby supplies put away.

___ Remove papers from coffee & end tables

___ Arrange games in play areas

Condition

Bedrooms

___ Make all beds

___ Clean out closets

___ Excess furniture removed

___ Keep laundry put up

Kitchen

___ Clear away extra appliances

___ Remove & pack extra dishes

___ Remove personal papers

___ Sink free of stains

___ No dripping faucets

___ Appliances in working order

___ Wash walls and cabinets

___ Pantry neatly arranged

___ Refrigerator defrosted

___ Scrub and wax floors

___ Keep trash taken out and area deodorized

___ Magnets, etc. off refrigerator

Bathrooms;

___ Stains removed

___ Leaky faucets repaired

___ Grouting stains removed

___ Re-grout as needed

___ Missing tiles replaced

___ All fixtures operating

___ New shower curtain

___ Guest towels out

___ Floors cleaned

Garage

___ Straighten up tools

___ Sweep floor, clean grease spots

Before You Leave for a Showing

(or leave for the day)

___ Make beds

___ Bathrooms straightened up

___ Dishes put away

___ Countertops wiped down

___ Double check entry way

___ Turn off TVs and loud stereos

___ Open drapes and blinds

___ If possible, get pets out of house

___ Turn on a soft FM station

___ Turn on lights in dark areas

___ Empty wastebaskets

___ Do a "once over" cleaning - vacuum, sweep &

dust

___ Final check every room

___ Make sure rugs are clean & straight

___ Leave feature sheets and sign-in sheet out.

Checklist


Direct: 636-352-7122 Office: 636-229-8722


When pricing your home for sale, proper initial pricing is very important. We will show you a detailed Market Analysis on your home and we will talk about the current market conditions. But you may not agree.

Perhaps you are thinking…

“I need to leave plenty of room for negotiation.” Although low offers do occur (at whatever price you are listed at), the

prospective buyers are usually just trying to find your “bottom dollar”.

All you need to do is counter-offer with your “bottom dollar” even if it’s

not too far below your list price.

“I can always come down.” Often when a seller starts out high, they end up selling the home at a much

lower price than they would have sold it for if it had been priced right initially.

And it takes longer!

“We’ve been getting showings.” When buyers look at a listing that is priced too high, they compare it against

homes that are priced right and usually go for the lower priced home.

Proper Pricing

“What about all our improvements.” I’m sure you’ve seen all the articles on how much various home improvements

add to the value of your home. That’s at best! Adding the cost of all the

improvements to your home can often take the price way over market value

for your area. Even if you get an accepted contract, the home might not

appraise if the sales in the area don’t support that price.

“I’m negotiable, they can always make an offer.” Buyers know “everything is negotiable”, but will only look in the price range

where a lender says they are qualified. Although they will look a little higher

if nothing is available, there are usually a lot of homes on the market at any

given time. In general, the higher the price, the fewer potential buyers there

are.

“Can’t we try it for a few weeks.” Sure, but you might miss potential prospects. Agents notice your home in the

MLS and think “Boy, that one’s overpriced.” They’ll keep that opinion for the life

of the listing - even after you lower the price. Those few weeks can be fatal!

of Your Home


Direct: 636-352-7122 Office: 636-229-8722


Drawbacks of Overpricing

• Reduces Activity

• Lower Advertising Response

• Loss of Interested Buyers

• Attracts the Wrong Prospects

• Helps the Competition

• Eliminates Offers

• Causes Appraisal Problems

• Lower Net Proceeds

In today’s market, it can keep

your home from selling at all.

NOT SOLD

Benefits of Proper Pricing

• Faster Sale

• Less Inconvenience

• Increase agent response

• Exposure to more prospects

• Higher Offers

• More Money to Sellers

In today’s market, it will increase the

chances your home will sell.


Direct: 636-352-7122 Office: 636-229-8722


Sources Used During Home Search

Despite the wide variety of sources people use during their home search process, most buyers will only look at the home with an agent.

There are 2 kinds of Marketing

#1. Marketing to draw agents to your home.

Unfortunately just telling agents that you will pay

them a commission if they sell the house isn’t

enough, because they will soon forget about you

home and when they get a buyer in your price range,

they will turn to the source the depend on...the MLS.

#2. To prospective buyers, but you have to find

them or have them find you. When agents advertize

a specific home to attract buyers, they know that

there is a good chance that the buyer prospects

that contact them won’t buy the home they are

advertising. Usually they buy some thing else.

You only have one home to sell them.


Direct: 636-352-7122 Office: 636-229-8722


Myths About Selling Myth: If you sell your home on your own you will make more money

because you aren’t paying a commission.

Truth: The only reason a buyer will buy a home without using their own Buyer’s Agent to protect them is that they want to save money. Yes, it’s the same

money the seller’s think the will make. Most times, the sellers actually make

less money than they would if they had listed their home with a smart,

experienced real estate professional.

Myth: You can reach real estate agents by offering to pay commission to

a Buyer’s Agent.

Truth: Sounds great. The problem is it’s not in the MLS, their main source of listings for their buyers. The MLS offers a wide variety of homes that will

work for their buyers and gives a better chance to find the perfect home.

When they sell a “By Owner”, they will end up doing twice as much work to get

the transaction to closing.

Myth: It’s easy to sell your home on your own.

Truth: Right now, it’s a challenge to get a home sold. Good agents know what

needs to be done to get a home sold. You could get lucky and get your home under contract. But that’s only half the work. Even in good times, over 50%

of homes sold by owner don’t get to closing. But in today’s market it is harder

than ever to get transactions to closing. Agents have to keep up with all of

the changes that continue to effect the housing market in order to having

those changes “kill” a sale.

Myth: I know how much my home is worth.

Truth: Are you sure? If you are wrong, you will be making a very expensive

mistake.

a Home on Your Own

Myth: If I decide not to sell, it will be hard to get out of a listing.

Truth: In today’s market, if you aren’t committed to getting your home sold,

you might as well wait to try to sell your home. But occasionally those committed to selling their homes have circumstances that make them decide

to stay in their home longer. If that happens, you should be able to get out

of your listing contract.

Myth: I can just pay a small fee to some companies to get my home in

the MLS.

Truth: Yes, that will get your home in the MLS. But the selling agents know that unless this is the perfect home for their buyer and no other home will

work for them, they should avoid these listings. They will have to do twice the

amount of work. Plus, the company who puts homes on the market for a small

fee will not have an agency relationship with you. That means you could be up

against a highly experienced buyer’s agent in the negotiations. That could

really hurt you.

Myth: I can save money by listing at a lower commission rate.

Truth: I have worked for discount companies in the past and sold a hot of

homes. But in today’s market, I have realized that sellers need to pay a high commission so that the listing company can offer a very high commission to the

selling agent. Most agents aren’t making as much money as they have in the

past, so they will really want to sell a home with a high commission offering and

will make sure to show it to their buyers.


Direct: 636-352-7122 Office: 636-229-8722


Linda’s Designations & Certifications GRI (Graduate, REALTORS® Institute), 1984 LTG (Leadership Training Graduate), 1998

E-PRO Certified, 2005 PSPi Certified, 2009

Linda’s Real Estate Awards Runner-up for Rookie of the Year, Ira E. Berry, 1883

WCR LACE Award for St. Charles County, 1984 REALTOR-Associate® of the Year in St. Charles County, 1993 WCR Member of the Year for St. Charles County, 1994

Community Activities: Member. St. Charles County Association of REALTORS® (SCCAR)

Member, Professional Development Committee of SCCAR Member, Missouri Association of REALTORS® Member, National Association of REALTORS® Member, New Hope Presbyterian Church

Member, Pershing Rifles National Alumni Association Founder, Coed Affiliates Pershing Rifles (CAPERS) Alumni Group Founder and President, University of Oklahoma Pershing Rifles Alumni Group Member, Wheelers and Dealers Square Dance Club

Past President, St. Charles County Chapter of Women’s Council of REALTORS®

Additionally: Linda has owned her own company for 9 years while she was living in Oklahoma. Linda is a real estate marketing expert who sells products to REALTORS® around the country and world, helping them with their marketing.

Over the years, Linda has helped hundreds of home buyers and sellers attain their dreams and she is ready to help you with your dreams. She has sold in both “good” and “bad” markets, so she knows that homes can sell in a “bad” market.

Linda has been licensed since 1981 and has attained the following:

Linda Knows What It Takes To Get Homes SOLD!

Contact Linda now to set up a time for her to evaluate your home to see if it will sell in today’s market. If it should sell, she’ll go over the marketing that needs to be done specifically for your home.

Linda Grissette’s

Mission Statement It is my mission to consistently provide the highest quality, most innovative and exceptional real estate service available in

the St. Louis area.

My client’s needs always come first. I will strive to always provide value far in excess of my client’s expectations. My

constant goal is mutual respect, and long term relationships that are beneficial to all parties.

I will always be positive, helpful, and enthusiastic at all times—always focusing on solutions, not challenges. I will always take

care of business first and foremost, but have fun and enjoy myself in the process.

I strive to be organized and efficient and will always adhere to the highest standards of integrity and ethical business

practices.

I will never rest on my accomplishments, but will constantly strive to create, develop, and implement new ideas, strategies,

and services that will benefit my clients. I will continue to seek continuing education in all aspects of my business to in-

crease the level of service I offer my clients

The Keller William Belief System in Action...


Direct: 636-352-7122 Office: 636-229-8722


Win-Win - Or no Deal

Integrity - Do the Right Thing

Commitment - In All Things

Customers - Always Come First

Communications - Seek First to Understand

Creativity - Ideas Before Results

Teamwork - Together Everyone Achieves More

Trust - Starts With Honesty

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