Selling my house.

[romangod]

Today I decided I will put my house on the market and downsize to a cozy condominium. I retired at 47 and now spend a lot of time in Europe and need to simplify my life and hopefully cash out. I’m thinking of selling it by myself at first and see if I can save on a large commission.

I need some tips and experiences on buying or selling a house in a tough market. Anyone?

 

[KarmaSutra]

Good thing you're in Canada (I assume) because the housing market here in the states sucks d1cks.

It will not be easy selling your house without the resources of a Realtor but it can be done. Persistence and knowing the bottom line you will commit to accept for your house will go a long way. There is a ton of information on the net regarding this.

Good luck brother.

 

[Bible_Belt]

Women tend to buy houses for emotional reasons, and nowadays when a couple looks at a house, sadly the woman is often in charge. Pretty colors and flowers and nice smells are good, a little paint and landscaping will go a long way. A Realtor trick is to use a stove burner and vanilla to fill a house with the vanilla smell. Also, of course, keep it spotlessly clean for showing.

 

[KarmaSutra]

One tip is to bake fresh bread or a pie and have it done just before you expect someone to check out your crib.

The double assault on the senses will leave an indelable mark on them when they think about which house to pony up cash for.

 

[romangod]

Good thing you're in Canada (I assume) because the housing market here in the states sucks d1cks.

It will not be easy selling your house without the resources of a Realtor but it can be done. Persistence and knowing the bottom line you will commit to accept for your house will go a long way. There is a ton of information on the net regarding this.

Good luck brother.

Thanks, KarmaSutra. There is a bottom line I will accept and am willing to be patient for the right offer. My house has a few special perks which make it desirable even in tough times. It only takes one motivated buyer and I'm hoping I find him. Cheers!

And yes, I am in Canada.

 

[romangod]

Women tend to buy houses for emotional reasons, and nowadays when a couple looks at a house, sadly the woman is often in charge. Pretty colors and flowers and nice smells are good, a little paint and landscaping will go a long way. A Realtor trick is to use a stove burner and vanilla to fill a house with the vanilla smell. Also, of course, keep it spotlessly clean for showing.

Thanks, Bible_Belt. My sister is going to help me get it ready with the female touch to get rid of the over-abundance of testosterone. :crackup:

 

[romangod]

One tip is to bake fresh bread or a pie and have it done just before you expect someone to check out your crib.

The double assault on the senses will leave an indelable mark on them when they think about which house to pony up cash for.

I love that tip and will use it. My friend recommended the same thing and at first I was a little surprised. Then it made total sense. Cheers!

 

[LoneSilver]

Here romangod maybe this will help

http://forsellbyowner.com/

LoneSilver

Today I decided I will put my house on the market and downsize to a cozy condominium. I retired at 47 and now spend a lot of time in Europe and need to simplify my life and hopefully cash out. I’m thinking of selling it by myself at first and see if I can save on a large commission.

I need some tips and experiences on buying or selling a house in a tough market. Anyone?

 

[romangod]

Here romangod maybe this will help

http://forsellbyowner.com/

LoneSilver

Thanks, LoneSilver......................... I'll give it a look. Cheers!

 

[romangod]

I'm going to budget about 10,000 dollars to get the place up to par. Paint, some new carpeting and assorted fixtures along with some strategic landscaping hopefully will do the trick. I'm gonna splurge on a new HDTV to make the TV room more attractive. That'll go with me if and when I sell it.


The selling point I think are my garages. I have a 3 car and a 2 car garage with gas lines, electricity and a hoist. I think the previous owner was a car buff. It is perfect for a home-based business and is ideal for someone with a family and a business.


Thoughts?

 

[The Bat]

Wait, so you got a five car garage? Holy ****. Turn one (or two) of those garages into a room or something.

Coincidentally, my parents are looking for a house. If you were, oh I don't know, 1200 miles closer, and 3 car garages less, I'd have send them to you.

Good luck though.

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

I'm going to budget about 10,000 dollars to get the place up to par. Paint, some new carpeting and assorted fixtures along with some strategic landscaping hopefully will do the trick. I'm gonna splurge on a new HDTV to make the TV room more attractive. That'll go with me if and when I sell it.


The selling point I think are my garages. I have a 3 car and a 2 car garage with gas lines, electricity and a hoist. I think the previous owner was a car buff. It is perfect for a home-based business and is ideal for someone with a family and a business.


Thoughts?

Before you go hog wild on updating things, find homes for sale in your area which are comparable to yours in age, size and style and check them out yourself. Make note of what works and what doesn't in each of them and adjust yours accordingly while taking into account the cost of the other homes and how much it will cost you to make your adjustments. None of your improvement are going to mean much if there's a negative return on your investment because you overprice your home.

 

[Magma]

The selling point I think are my garages. I have a 3 car and a 2 car garage with gas lines, electricity and a hoist. I think the previous owner was a car buff. It is perfect for a home-based business and is ideal for someone with a family and a business.


Thoughts?

It sounds as if you're obviously set up for a shop. However, you could stage that area in a number of different ways. Just something to think about...

Speaking of "staging," I know there are folks out there that do this sort of thing for a living. Good luck romangod.

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

...Speaking of "staging," I know there are folks out there that do this sort of thing for a living. ..

Staging is easy.

• Neutral colors
• Declutter and emphasize space (including the closets, cabinets and garage)
• De-personalize
• Maximize lighting
• Clean and deoderize (board any pets, even children)

Cover those bases and that's it.

 

[LovelyLady]

Provide comfortable seating with writing surface for three people to be able to write a contract in various places, so when they are talking about writing it - the agentcan do it right then and there. (front & back yard and each floor of the house should do it. )

Small vase of flowers or plant by kitchen sink.

Personally I wood stay away from food smells unless it's fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. "fresh linen" air scent is a clean. smell No Pine Sol

Turn every light on in the house before you leave so they are not searching for switches.

Good luck!

 

[romangod]

Before you go hog wild on updating things, find homes for sale in your area which are comparable to yours in age, size and style and check them out yourself. Make note of what works and what doesn't in each of them and adjust yours accordingly while taking into account the cost of the other homes and how much it will cost you to make your adjustments. None of your improvement are going to mean much if there's a negative return on your investment because you overprice your home.

Good point. My new neighbor just moved in about 8 months ago and I will ask him what he paid for his home which is equivalent to mine without the extra garage. Hopefully, he'll tell me.

I'm thinking of getting a professional appraiser to tell me what it is worth and I'll price it slightly under the appraisal price and use it as a tool if a buyer is not sure. Cheers!

 

[romangod]

It sounds as if you're obviously set up for a shop. However, you could stage that area in a number of different ways. Just something to think about...

Speaking of "staging," I know there are folks out there that do this sort of thing for a living. Good luck romangod.

Thanks, Magma. My place is definitely perfect for a small shop or if someone wanted turn one of the garages into a detached office it would be perfect. My sister is going to help me "stage" the property which she has done a few times on her own successfully. She's got great taste and instincts. Cheers!

 

[romangod]

Provide comfortable seating with writing surface for three people to be able to write a contract in various places, so when they are talking about writing it - the agentcan do it right then and there. (front & back yard and each floor of the house should do it. )

Small vase of flowers or plant by kitchen sink.

Personally I wood stay away from food smells unless it's fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. "fresh linen" air scent is a clean. smell No Pine Sol

Turn every light on in the house before you leave so they are not searching for switches.

Good luck!

Good tips, LovelyLady. The "food smells" tip I could try and see how it works and then I could try it without. My guess is it will take a few Open Houses in this tough market to get a bite. Cheers!

 

[BMX]

Declutter but do not leave rooms completely empty. Try not to make a room serve more than 1 purpose (i.e., a personal office and a gym, or office and toddler's room) just stuff I learned from HGTV. Oh and if you've got bars on door or windows, might wanna remove them because the buyers would like a view from the inside and to even go out the doors, but if you have the door to the backyard barred, it can become a negative.

 

[romangod]

Declutter but do not leave rooms completely empty. Try not to make a room serve more than 1 purpose (i.e., a personal office and a gym, or office and toddler's room) just stuff I learned from HGTV. Oh and if you've got bars on door or windows, might wanna remove them because the buyers would like a view from the inside and to even go out the doors, but if you have the door to the backyard barred, it can become a negative.

No bars on the doors and windows. This is Canada. :crackup: Good tips, bmxcetera. Thanks for your input. Cheers!