Tips to Selling Property Quickly – With or Without an Agent

Amenities are equally important. The type of flooring, countertops, lighting fixtures, etc that you are offering are all considered amenities. You want to look and see how what you are offering compare to other houses in your area. In fact, you should have done this before you purchased the property to make sure there was enough money allocated in your budget to cover these amenities.

Everyone wants to see a brand new listing so you need to put your best foot forward on day 1. I have seen so many times where a rehabber lists a house and the agents take potential buyers to the house, but the house isn’t quite finished. There are a few odds and ends that still have to be taken care of. Agents rush to new listings the first two weeks to see if they want to bring any of their buyers to that house.

When they come out there and they see a dirty house or one that is not complete, they are not overly impressed by it and are less likely to bring buyers back. You are losing that critical time period by not having the house done. Always have your best foot forward day one. Whether you are listing with an agent or selling yourself, make sure that each and every person that comes by is going to see a beautiful home. Here are some things you can do to ensure a quick sale:

1. Curb appeal. This is one of the most important aspects of the house. The exterior is the first thing people see. If potential buyers drive up to your house and do not like the outside, chances are they will not even get out of their car and see the inside. The inside of the house could be gorgeous but they will never see it.

2. Staging. Staging is those added touches that give a house that lived in look. I am not talking about doing a model home where you bring in furniture and window treatments. What I am talking about is little odds and ends things that give it that home feeling. For instance, in the kitchen adding a rug on the floor. Putting hand towels that are full of color. Putting a cookbook on the counter. Even opening up some spices. By opening up the spices what you are also creating a smell in the air. You want to start changing their senses from smelling paints to smelling home type things. Another trick is to get fresh ground coffee beans and open them up in a bowl. They are pretty to look at but also they give off that aroma that will start filling the house. In your bathrooms, you can do flowers and soaps and towels and curtains around your showers. Do all these things that give it that nice lived in look. Staging will sell your house. I don’t believe that those white on white and those absolutely neutral colors like off white and ivory are a good choice. Yes, anybody can come in and match their stuff to it, but the first thing you are going to hear from all the buyers is that they have to paint the house. That means that they are not falling in love. If you want you buyers to fall in love with your house what you have to do is give them color, contemporary colors not old colors from back in the 70s. You want to give them contemporary colors that give the house a designer feel. When you go to see a model home they are never painted white. They have a lot of color in the house because that is what makes it feel like a home. You can’t do a model home because you only have that one house. So make that one look great.

3. Cleanliness. You need to go beyond having the house cleaned up. It needs to shine. The windows should sparkle. There shouldn’t be a speck of dust on the fixtures or counters. The floors should be spotless. Everything should look great.

4. Sun shine. Open the blinds and remove the curtains. Clean the windows. Take out the screens and store them. Let plenty of light come in to create a bright and cheery environment. You do not want the house to appear dark and dismal.

5. Light bulbs. Make sure that all of your light fixtures and bulbs are working. Buyers should be able to turn lights on when they come in the house.

6. Temperature. Keep the house at a comfortable temperature where people will stay in it and have time to walk around and fall in love. I have walked into homes where it is either so hot in the summer time or so cold in the winter time that the only thing you can focus on is how soon can you leave. That is not what you want your buyers thinking about.

7. Access. If you are not going to list the house and have a realtor lock box, then you need to figure out how to have easy access. You need to have an easy way for buyers to get into the house when they are there looking at it. If they have to call you and make an appointment to come back two days later, chances are slim you will ever see those buyers again.

8. Information. Be sure to have flyers with information about the house right there on site. Don’t have empty information folders. Make sure that either you or your agent is responsible for keeping that filled.

9. Signage. Make sure there is good signage that let’s people know that the house is for sale and even some special features about it. Make sure there is also special signage from the main roads so that people know that the house is back there.

10. Other Agents. If you are offering the house for sale by yourself and you are not using an agent, then you should put up a sign that says “agents protected”. This means that even though you are not going to list the property, if an agent brings a buyer you would still pay them the normal half commission.

11. Pictures. If you have the house listed online check what pictures are being used. Make sure they are good, clear pictures that show the features of the house.


12. Description. Whether you are marketing online or in print, make sure you offer a great description of the house. Talk about the features that will sell it. For example, you might say “This is a beautiful home with 10 foot ceilings and heart of pine floors. It’s got an oversized master bedroom with sitting area and large bath. You won’t be cramped for space with this over 3,000 square foot home.”

13. Mortgage Broker. Make sure that you have a good mortgage broker available that offers a wide variety of plans for people with different types of credit, especially if you are listing the house as a FSBO. Many of your buyers are not going to have financing.

14. Incentives. Buyers are usually in need of cash so rather than drop the price, offer to pay things on their behalf. They won’t have to bring as much cash to closing. You could offer to pay the closing costs or give them some sort of allowance toward decorating. That will often attract them more than just the discount price of the house. Let’s say that the price was discounted $10,000 off the original price. This is a big deal to you, but to a buyer, this is only a $10 per month difference.

15. Commission Rates. Offer higher than normal commissions to the selling agent. If the house down the street is offering 3% but you are offering 4%, they are more likely to show the buyers your house.

If you do all of these things, your houses will sell quickly. Just always remember to look at it from a buyer’s prospective and make sure you are offering a great deal.

Lou Castillo has been successfully investing in real estate since the early ‘90’s. Castillo was on his way up the corporate ladder until he recognized that real estate offered a greater opportunity for financial freedom, and for the lifestyle he desired. Lou has a knack for developing powerful & proven systems that work in real estate and has authored more than 7 books and courses on the subject.
For more information or to sign up for Lou’s Powerful real estate Investing Tips go to: http://www.FreeRealEstateStrategies.com
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