Close the Deal By Passing the Home Inspection

If you are planning to put your home on the market, one step you will have to take before you can finalize your sale is the home inspection. If the home inspection comes out poorly, you may find yourself losing out on a potential buyer. Or, you may have to make many costly repairs before you can finalize the deal. Therefore, before the inspector ever shows up at your door, it is a good idea for you to take a few steps to help make certain your inspection goes well. Here’s a look at a few key areas you should address in order to help things move along smoothly and quickly.

Take Care of Dampness

Dampness in any part of your house, particularly your basement or crawlspace, will send up red flags with the home inspector. When the inspector comes to your home, he or she will take a close look at the floors and walls in order to find any sings of dampness or mildew. The inspector may even use a special meter to help determine how much moisture there is in the area.

To help reduce the moisture levels in these areas, be certain to cover any exposed earth with plastic. In addition, take steps to improve the drainage around the foundation. This way, poor drainage won’t be mistaken for being a leaky foundation. You can improve the drainage around your home by making certain your gutters are clean, by pointing your drainage downspouts away from your home and by making sure your drainage lines are not plugged.

Update Electrical Systems

If your electrical systems are outdated, you will need to upgrade them before you can finalize your deal. This means it will take much longer to close the sell of your home and, quite possibly, you can lose out on an interested buyer who wants to complete the transaction quickly. Therefore, it is in your best interest to update your electrical system before the inspection ever takes place. Make certain to install ground fault circuit interrupters in your kitchen and bathrooms and make certain your circuit breaker configuration is adequate for your house.

Repair Your Roof

It won’t take a home inspector to notice that your shingles are deteriorating, as this is one of the first things buyers look at when considering a home. Once the inspector gets on the roof and determines that the area beneath the shingles is rotted or moist, however, you can be certain the potential buyer will want the roof to be repaired or for you to drop your asking price. Therefore, be certain your roof is in good shape and that the flashing around your chimney is watertight. The better the condition of your roof, the more quickly you will be able to find a buyer and close the sell of your home.


About the Author:
Shannon Kietzman is a well known author and trusted resource. Shannon regularly writes for http://www.byownermls.com/, a For Sale By Owner MLS service, the leading real estate search engine of homes for sale by owner (FSBO). For more information, please visit http://www.byownermls.com/.

Keeping Yourself Out of Legal Trouble When Selling Your Home

As you start to consider how to market the home that you are putting up for sale, it is important for you to keep a few things in mind in order to keep yourself out of legal trouble. The reality is that there are many rules and laws that a real estate agent needs to follow in order to avoid the possibility of being sued or facing other legal problems. Therefore, in order to keep yourself protected, it is important for you to keep the same factors in mind.

Considering the Fair Housing Act

One of the most important legal guidelines that a real estate agent must follow is the Fair Housing Act. This act was put into place in order to prevent discrimination from taking place when selling property. As such, it should come as know surprise that the Fair Housing Act was put into place as part of the Civil Rights Act that was put into place in 1968. According to this act, which was later modified in 1988 by the Fair Housing Amendment Act, there are seven different classes that are protected. These include:

Color
Familial Status
Handicap
National Origin
Race
Religion
Sex

Due to this Act, there are several specific items that cannot be included in the marketing material when trying to sell a particular property.

Writing a Discrimination-Free Listing

In order to avoid being faced with a discrimination lawsuit, there are certain words that agents have to avoid using in their listings. Therefore, it is a good idea for you to avoid using these terms as well. Some of these include:

Bachelor Apartment
Children Welcome
Couples
Gentleman's Farm
Golden Agers
Handicapped
Integrated
Married
Mature
Mother-in-Law Quarters
Professional
Section 8
Seniors
Singles Only
Sports-minded

Similarly, a real estate agent cannot tell a potential buyer about churches or other religious institutions that are in the area. The same is true when it comes to providing information about the ethnic makeup of a neighborhood. Therefore, in order to prevent getting yourself into trouble, you should also avoid sharing this type of information. If a potential buyer is interested in the demographics of your neighborhood or wants to know more about religious groups in the area, encourage the buyer to complete some independent research instead. That way, the buyer can get the information he or she needs while you keep yourself out of trouble.


About the Author:
Shannon Kietzman is a well known author and trusted resource. Shannon regularly writes for http://www.byownermls.com/, a For Sale By Owner MLS service, the leading real estate search engine of homes for sale by owner (FSBO). For more information, please visit http://www.byownermls.com/.

Questions to Ask Potential Buyers Before They Leave Your House Showing

While trying to sell your home, you might be surprised by the help you can get from potential buyers if you ask the right questions. Unfortunately, many people are afraid to ask questions, but performing a quick “exit interview” before the potential buyer leaves can provide you with important feedback that can help you make the changes necessary to sell your home more quickly and for a greater profit. Here are a few of the questions you might want to ask and what you can learn from them.

What Did You Like Most About This Property?

As the homeowner, it is easy for you to start taking the positive characteristics of your home for granted. By asking potential buyers what they liked the most about your property, you can find ways to highlight these characteristics during future showings.

What Did You Like Least About This Property?

Just as you become used to your positive features, you also grow immune to the least attractive features your home has to offer. Don’t get offended if the buyer says she doesn’t care for your carpeting or if he mentions an unusual smell in the home. Rather, take this feedback and make some changes – they just might be the changes you needed to make in order to get the home sold.

How Does This Property Compare to Other Properties You Looked At?

By getting an idea of what other homes have to offer, you might get good ideas for improvements that you can make in order to make your home more desirable. You can also determine which characteristics and features your home has to offer that help it stand out from other homes. Again, this will give you an idea of which characteristics you should emphasize and make certain to point out to potential buyers.

What Do You Think About the Price of This Home?

Don’t be afraid to ask the potential buyer what he or she thinks of the price you are asking for y our home. If the buyer says the price is too high, find out what the buyer thinks would be a fair price and why. You should also ask the buyer how the price compares to the prices of other homes that he or she has been looking at. Although you certainly won’t want to immediately reduce the price based on what one buyer has to say, you might want to consider a price change if many buyers have made the same observation.

Can You See Yourself Living in This Home?

Your number one goal when selling a home is to make the potential buyer “see” himself living in your home. Therefore, if the people you are showing your home to cannot see themselves living in the house, you might need to make some changes. For example, you may need to remove some of your personal items or you may need to point out how one of the bedrooms could easily be made into a home office. By asking potential buyers whether or not they can see themselves living in the home and finding out why they can’t, you can make the changes necessary to entice future buyers.


About the Author:
Shannon Kietzman is a well known author and trusted resource. Shannon regularly writes for http://www.byownermls.com/, a For Sale By Owner MLS service, the leading real estate search engine of homes for sale by owner (FSBO). For more information, please visit http://www.byownermls.com/.

February 2009 - For Sale By Owner Real Estate Trends

For Sale By Owner Real Estate Trends

Most Popular*

Top Cities 1. Brooklyn, NY 2. Lexington, KY 3. Louisville, KY 4. San Antonio, TX 5. Philadelphia, PA 6. Houston, TX 7. Knoxville, TN 8. Huntsville, AL 9. Naples, FL 10. Staten Island, NY Top States 1. Texas 2. Florida 3. North Carolina 4. Georgia 5. Virginia 6. New York 7. Ohio 8. Kentucky 9. Missouri 10. Illinois Most Viewed Properties 1. Duplex/Triplex - $329,900- PHILADELPHIA, PA 2. Duplex/Triplex- $220,000 - LOUISVILLE,KY 3. Log Cabin/Home- $194,900 - WALLINGFORD, KY 4. Single Family - $750,000 - SEATTLE, WA 5. Single Family - $459,900 - CHICAGO, IL 6. Duplex/Triplex - $28,000 - DENTON, TX 7. Log Cabin - $45,000- McVeytown, PA 8. Duplex/Triplex - $131,500 - PLANO, TX 9. Log Cabin< - $79,000 - DAWSON SPRINGS, KY 10. Log Cabin/Home - $215,000 - Wallingford, KY *Based on property views on ByOwnerMLS.com in February 2009.

About the Author:

Greg Sullivan is the President of www.ByOwnerMLS.com, a For Sale By Owner MLS service, the leading real estate search engine of homes for sale by owner (FSBO). For more information, please visit www.byownermls.com.