Welcome! That’s Right…Welcome!

 

A lot of real estate companies regard the Seller who is trying to sell their own home as the “enemy” or as “competition”….. But that is not the case here at Corali Realty.

You see, the way we look at it is if we can help you sell your own home, you might consider letting us help you buy the next home or introduce us to your friend or neighbor who wants a good realtor. And who knows, if you get tired of all the hassles that you face trying to sell it on your own, you might contact the agent who is helping you to finish the process and get it SOLD! We see this as a win-win situation.

At Corali Realty, we respect your right to sell your own property and we are willing to help for FREE….. Simply call us; we will visit your home in the Houston, TX metropolitan area. We’ll give you information on what has sold in the neighborhood recently, offer advice on pricing, staging, and the best ways for you to try to sell and more!
All we ask is that you consider using us to help you sell if you tire of the process later! Fair enough!

A lot of Homeowners feel that they can do as good a job in selling as a Realtor can… And that might be true in some cases…..however, statistics shows that the average homeowner sells about 1-5 houses in their entire lifetime…..we do that in a month! AND… we’ve been doing this for over 25 years!

Download a FREE copy of our Ultimate Guide to Selling our Home!

TIPS FOR HOME SELLERS:

1. Think like the buyer: Remember when you were buying the home……what was it about the home that caused you to make the decision to BUY? Whatever the reason, be sure to include it on your flyers and tell your prospective buyers!

2. Be available: If you work full time and nobody is home, you will have a harder time selling, if you are able to sell at all! Be at home for showings and phone calls. Remember, the Buyer’s time is just as valuable as yours! If you’re not able to show your house, the buyer will just go to the next house on the list!

3. Be phone friendly: Use Voice Mail when you’re not home and create a new message centered on the home sale. Use a female’s voice, as statistics from marketing professionals have shown that people hang up less often when the voice mail is female. In your message, put in the Time and Dates of the showings you will have….Put in the best times to call back or to see the house and ask them to bring their pre-qualified letter with them.

Please do not advertise when you will not be home along with your address as this can lead to security problems. Be very voice friendly and DO NOT mention negative issues about the house over the phone.

4. Show your home only to Prequalified Buyers: No one likes to waste their time talking to someone who is not capable of buying a home. Call some local lenders that offer FHA, VA, and conventional financing, and see if they will prequalify buyers for you over the phone. . Showing your home to non-qualified persons is dangerous and a real time waster. If they show up without a prequalified letter from their new lender, ask them to return once they have it in hand.

Prequalify your buyers! A pre-approved buyer is like money in the bank! The difference between Pre-Qualify and Pre-Approved is important.

Pre-qualified people have made a phone call at least, to a lender, who has talked to them and has some idea of how qualified they are. This doesn’t mean that the information that they gave over the phone is true. Therefore, being pre-qualified does not mean that they are able to actually purchase your home.

Pre-approved means that this buyer has been to the lender, given him tax documents, the employment info, the credit report has been checked, there won’t be any financing surprises a month down the road…..ALSO, pre-approved buyers can CLOSE FASTER because the letter of approval is already in the lenders file….all you normally need are buyers inspections and a good appraisal to close the loan.

If a Buyer will not pre-qualify with a simple phone call to a lender, he probably won’t buy your house. Serious buyers know this and go through the process before they even start looking for a home!

5. Signage: A good FOR SALE sign is a MUST! It doesn’t have to say “For Sale By Owner”….in fact, that terminology will TURN OFF a lot of first time buyers who are afraid of being taken advantage of. DO NOT have “By Appointment Only” on your sign…..This will ensure that buyers who are actively looking will continue to drive by your home in order to go see another house where they will feel welcome.

6. Flyers: You need a good informative flyer, which is enthusiastic about the home with good photos. List key benefits about the home, List bedrooms, Baths, Square Footage, Special Features, Financing options, List Pools, Fireplaces, floor plans, appraised values if available, and the best times to call or see the home. List if shopping or schools are close by…bus lines? Get creative but NEVER LIE…..Puffing (over exaggerating) real estate can get you into trouble! Is the roof new? Are appliances included? If so, which ones and how old are they? A good Flyer can really help you sell the house. Remember that any advertising you do should qualify under the Federal Fair Housing Guidelines too. Don’t discriminate or you could find yourself at the wrong end of a law suit.

7. Marketing the neighborhood: Go door to door with the flyer when you first put it on the market…..This lets your neighbors “choose their own new neighbors” and I have found this technique invaluable when listing homes. Also, canvas the area again whenever you plan an open house. Don’t keep it a secret that your house is for sale!

8. Pets: If you are showing the house or having an open house, get the pets OFF THE PROPERTY! As many as 30% of buyers will not look or consider a home where there are pets. Clean the yard before you show the home. Put away the feeding dishes too.

9. Cleaning the house: Before you show the house, TURN ON ALL THE LIGHTS…OPEN ALL THE SHADES and Blinds…..clean up any clutter. Hide the lawnmower, the tools, etc. Hide anything that looks like work….Enhance anything that looks like FUN or play. Do the dishes, clear up that laundry pile.

10. Legal stuff: In Texas, Homeowners, Real Estate Brokers, and Attorneys have the right to sell homes. You’ll need a contract so that people can make offers on your property. You can find these at office supply stores, but it’s best to have your Attorney review the contract before you use it to take an offer. You’ll need to disclose all the negative facts about the house to the buyer before he buys the house or you can get in a real financial bind by getting sued later. Get a good disclosure form and use it. If the house was built before 1978, you must disclose the possibility of lead based paint being in the home and provide the buyer with a lead based paint pamphlet. If you have a swimming pool, you’ll need to disclose to the buyer that rules and laws exist regarding proper enclosure of a pool area and the dangers of drowning. You’ll want to have a termite inspection especially in Texas…You might wish to hire an appraiser to determine the value of your home prior to selling it. And you will probably want to offer home warranty to protect the buyer for the first 12 months of purchase. No one wants to buy a $200,000 home only to have the AC unit breaks down a few weeks after closing. The buyer could come after you stating that you did not disclose that the unit had prior issues.

11. Pricing: Find out the sale prices of all the homes within a 1/2 mile or in your subdivision over the last 6 months. Older sales aren’t used by appraisers. Compare your home to these sales. Buyers will very often make offers that are 5%-25% LOWER than your asking price because they know you are not paying a commission! Oftentimes, buyers are investors looking to make a deal for a quick close or an unqualified buyer looking for owner financing opportunities. If you price the home correctly, you will have moderate interest in the home unless it is in a very special neighborhood. If you do not get any calls, your property is probably either Over Priced or Under Marketed or both.

You probably won’t be successful with buyers from out of town either, if you over price! Surveys now show that between 60 to 80% of Buyers will search the internet for homes before they visit the city they plan to buy in….ALSO, it is now possible for buyers to do their own property searches on the Houston Area MLS, even without a Realtor. Therefore the average buyer today is well educated in what homes are worth in a given area before they decide to make an offer!

12. Financing – appraisal – closing: Once you have a buyer on contract you might need to help them get an inspector and an appraiser. The lender can usually help you with this part. Find a good Title Company for closing.

For more information, download THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SELLING YOUR HOME

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13. If it’s not working — hire a realtor! If you try and don’t succeed, it may well not be the houses fault. Most For Sale By Owners who fail to sell their house in the first month or so will get tired of the constant work in trying to sell, or time will have passed and they realize that they need a better plan …..They decide to interview and hire a good Realtor to get the job done!

Corali Realty can help you with your Houston area properties. We can do this in a friendly and professional manner and get the job done quickly! Have Patience, Have Fun, Price Fairly.

Our best wishes in your selling efforts!
Let us know if we can help!