Selling Your House Privately Is Much Easier Than You Think

Today, it is possible to sell your house privately and it isn’t very hard to do either; many Australians and people from all over the world have adopted this way of selling property and have reap large rewards. It is more profitable because property owners don’t have to pay agents’ commissions and they also get to be in control of the whole process themselves. To sell a house privately, you need to do the following things:

A house that is in good condition fetches more money and sells faster. The first thing you should do before you sell your house is invest some time and money to make sure that it is in excellent condition. Do all repairs and get a paint job done. Don’t worry about the money that you are spending; you will recoup it all after you sell the house because the money you spend will most likely be doubled and add to the overall valuations of the home. After all repairs are done, take out all clutter and trash and then clean every room thoroughly. Everything that needs polishing like door knobs and sinks and tubs should be polished. If the curtains in any room are not flattering, get new ones measured or even rent a set. Arrange every room neatly and make sure there is nothing you wouldn’t want people to see during inspection. Don’t forget the garage, the swimming pool, the driveway and the yard.

Next is to write your sales copy. This is a summary of the reasons why someone would want to buy your house, the features, the benefits and the local area included. Start by making a bullet point list of all the positive aspects of your house. When you have them all written down, go back to the first bullet point and elaborate on it. Do that for the rest of the points. Read it through to make sure that it reads well and it sound professional. If you are having trouble getting it together, look online for copywriting guides or other property listings. You can even hire a copywriter too; they don’t cost very much and they are typically very fast. Just tell them what they should include and they will put together an enticing piece of copy that you can put within your listing to "woo" potential buyers. Don’t forget to include any features outside the home that may help to make the house look more attractive to potential buyers. The copy may also need to indicate the days you will be available for inspection so look at your calendar and free up a few days.

 

In addition to that, you need to take pictures of your property. Get a good camera and take pictures of everything you described in your copy. Listing sites allow between 20 and 30 pictures so you have a lot of room. 

FSBO means For Sale By Owner. They allow owners to sell their own properties through the major listing . When you list your property with them, they in turn list them with the major real estate sites within your country such as Zillow.com, RealEstate.com.au etc meaning that it will get maximum exposure and that you will be able to field enquiries yourself, rather than an agent doing it on your behalf. The reason why you cannot list directly on these websites yourself is because they only allow holders of real estate licenses to list with them. FSBO sites hold the licenses and that is why they can list for you. 

 

Listing is very easy. Once you find a site that you like, choose a package. Most sites have several packages on offer and they are differentiated by price or inclusions like For Sale signs, professional photography etc. Most packages are under $1,000 depending on the inclusions that you choose. 

All enquiries are directed to your email address and you may even be allowed to list your direct contact number. You will then call up each enquiry so that you agree on a day and a time for inspection. During the inspection, show them the whole house with special emphasis to the things you highlighted in your copy. As you continue with more and more inspections, you will start to get a fair idea of who is serious and who isn’t. When you feel you have had enough enquiries you can narrow down your list based on how interested each party is. When you are down to three names, call them and negotiate individually or even invite them out for a coffee. 

Your lawyer is important at this point because they not only prepare all of the paperwork for you, they ensure that there are not any cracks within the documents that may trip you up later on. They also protect you in case the buyer tries to swindle you. Once they have all the paperwork, they get you to sign it and then they call up the lawyer of the buyer to finalise the paperwork. 

Let the buyer know where they should place the deposit (typically in a trust account) and agree on when they will do it. Also agree on how they will pay the balance. After that, the deal is done! You have successfully managed to sell your house privately.