So you have decided to sell your house…NOW WHAT???

So you have made up your mind to sell your house on your own…FSBO…NOW WHAT?

Follow these steps and you are more likely to sell it than not!

The Decision to Sell

There are many reasons why a homeowner decides to sell a home.  Some are because they want to; others are because they have to.  Let’s explore some of these reasons:

WANT TO SELL	HAVE TO SELL
Baby-house is too small	Job Relocation
Kids marry-House too big	Can’t afford
Move south to warmer climate	Short Sale
Just want to	Family emergency-lost job/injury
Just won LOTTO	Estate Sale
	Foreclosure

Whatever the reason, you have made up your mind to sell your house.  Now what?

1. 1. Get pre-approved to buy another house.
2. 2. Call your lender to check the mortgage pay-off, if any.  Subtract the mortgage pay-off from the fair market value of your house.  From that subtract the estimated costs it will take to sell your house.  This will give you an idea of the proceeds you will get at closing.
3. 3. Determine your homes fair market value.  Espi and I can do this for you in the Queens-Long Island area.  This is a FREE SERVICE.  You might want to pay for a licensed appraiser to get a fair market value.
4. How much is it going to cost to sell your home?  Consider:
   1. Advertising (Free with a R E Agent)
   2. Marketing (Free with a R E Agent)
   3. FSBO Lawn Signs (Free with a R E Agent)
   4. Attorney’s fee
   5. Legal Documents( Free with a R E Agent)
   6. Appraisal
   7. Pre-sale inspection
   8. Repairs
   9. Surveys
   10. Taxes you will pay until you sell house
   11. Estimate how much is it going to cost you to move and buy or rent another dwelling
   12. Make necessary repairs.  Whether you do them yourself or hire a contractor, make your house look presentable.  If you cannot do it the right way, hire a professional.  Nothing looks worse than a job done incorrectly!  If there are too many repairs, your house will be labeled a fixer-upper and the offers you will receive will be insultingly low.
   13. Before you put it on the market, do a clutter removal and a clean-up.  Odors, especially pet odors, are a big turn-off.  There are many fine odor-neutralizers on the market today!  The house has to sell the buyers.  A clean house will get better offers!  Stage your house, if possible. (Espi and I give a FREE HOME STAGING for all of our listings.)  Fix the curb appeal.  First impressions are lasting impressions!  You might want to add some flowers and shrubbery to make the house more appealing.  Remember, FSBO’s get most of their activity from drive-bys, that is, people driving around the area they know they want to move into.  If your house says “UGLY” from the outside, they are less likely to want to see the inside!

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Tags: FSBO, help, things to do