7 Hot Tips to Help You Sell Your Home as For Sale by Owner

If you’re thinking about selling your own home, without working with a Baltimore County or Howard County REALTOR®, you may need a few nudges in the right direction – and these seven tips to FSBO your home can help.

It’s entirely possible to sell your home yourself, though there are certainly some pitfalls you should avoid. Check out these seven hot tips that can help you list – and successfully sell – a for sale by owner home in Baltimore County or Howard County:

Make sure you’re making the right choice
Hire a real estate attorney to protect yourself
Clean and stage your home
Price your home properly
Advertise online
Be ready (and flexible) for showings
Negotiate the price when you receive an offer

Here’s a closer look at each.

FSBO Tip #1: Make Sure You’re Making the Right Choice

Selling a home yourself isn’t for the faint-of-heart – it requires a good deal of work. However, with the proper preparation, you can do it. Examine your reasons. If you want to save on real estate commissions, that’s valid; however, you’ll most likely still have to pay a buyer’s agent’s commissions. If you’ve always loved making deals, that’s also valid; just make sure you’re ready to negotiate with a buyer’s agent.

FSBO Tip #2: Hire a Real Estate Attorney to Protect Yourself

Any real estate transaction requires a bit of legal help. You’ll most likely benefit from working with a licensed real estate attorney who can ensure that you’re steering clear of legal landmines and protecting yourself (and your home).

FSBO Tip #3: Clean and Stage Your Home

Whether you’re selling your home yourself or working with a REALTOR, it’s important that you clean it and stage it properly – think of it as putting your home’s best foot forward. Many people choose to hire a professional cleaning service for a one-time deep clean; if you do that, you only have to maintain what the experts did while your home is on the market.

FSBO Tip #4: Price Your Home Properly

Pricing a home can be tricky, but here are the secrets to doing it right:

Look at homes similar to yours (and in the same geographical area) that have sold, those that are currently on the market, and those that were on the market but never sold
Account for differences like swimming pools, guesthouses and other amenities that can increase a home’s value (yours or theirs) and research the exact amounts that these amenities can add to a home’s sales price
Try to calculate your home’s value by comparing it to others, whether it’s newer or older
Don’t use online home value estimate tools – they can be off by as much as 18 percent, and that’s tremendous when you’re talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars; instead, talk to a real estate attorney who’s also a broker for a little help with pricing

FSBO Tip #5: Advertise Online

The only way people will know your home is for sale is through advertising, and online is the way to go. List your home on popular home-search websites to get it the exposure it needs. Some websites charge for this service, so be aware!

FSBO Tip #6: Be Ready (and Flexible) for Showings

People rarely buy homes without touring them first, which means you have to be ready to show your house when a prospective buyer wants to see it. You don’t have to show your home in the middle of the night (or even during dinner), but you should remain as flexible as you can so more buyers have the opportunity to check it out.

FSBO Tip #7: Negotiate the Price When You Receive an Offer

Buyers often offer less than what a seller is asking for a home, and that’s normal – and you’re under no obligation to accept an offer that’s not good enough. Don’t be afraid to negotiate with the buyer’s agent; it’s your home (and your profit), so you get to set the bottom line. With that said, if you don’t get many offers and one seems fairly reasonable, it may be a good idea to accept it; the longer a home is for sale, the less likely it is to sell.

Are You Buying or Selling a Home in Baltimore County or Howard County?

If you’re ready to buy or sell a home in Baltimore County or Howard County, we can help. Check out these listings:

If you’re thinking about selling your home, we can help you sell it quickly – and at the best possible price. You can:

If you have specific questions, fill out the form below or call us at 443-955-1227 – we’re here to help you with any aspect of your real estate transaction.[wpforms id=”220617″]