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Kentucky Real Estate
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FSBO - Marketing and showing your property.
 
You can save yourself thousands of dollars by selling your home yourself. All throughout Kentucky, people choose to utilize the "For Sale By Owner" (FSBO) option. Use these suggestions to help you sell your house.

The first thing involved in marketing your property is exposure. If you don't have exposure you limit your prospects. Be sure to utilize all areas, tell everyone and advertise often!

  1. Get the sign on your lawn (right in the middle of your patch of Kentucky bluegrass) and be ready to get an offer the same day!
  2. Advertise in the local paper as well as the next city or town.
  3. Get on the internet, with as many FSBO sites as possible that cater to Kentucky in general or your city. 
  4. Print up feature sheets with pictures of each room to have available to give to prospects and to give to your friends and family. 
  5. Let all your neighbors know!, many properties sell by word of mouth from the neighbors to there relatives. 
  6. Post signs at your work, organizations and gym. 
  7. Have a feature sheet laminated and place it on your property for people walking by. 
  8. bDo an open house every second weekend between 1-4 and advertise it, put out direction arrows and balloons. 
  9. Have fun with it!

How to start!

  1. Clean your home from top to bottom and hire a cleaning service if needed. Keep the lawn cut at least once a week during the growing seasons.
  2. Take care of those little problems you have been putting off, like the leaky faucet. Change burnt out light bulbs, change the burner trays on your stove, tidy up the closets, and have the carpets professionally cleaned.
  3. Find out the dates and note when you last had your home serviced or had repairs done. The age of your roof, house and annual taxes. Map out the local parks, schools and transit in relation to your property. Have all of this available to anyone viewing your home.
  4. Measure your home or have it professionally measured if it is large or unique in room sizes
  5. Have a professional sign made with your street address and telephone number on both side so traffic going both ways can see it. Be sure you always have the answering machine with full detail of the property on when you are not available to take the call. Be very pleasant and thank the caller for taking the time and interest to inquire.
  6. Always pre-qualify anyone who is going to enter your home. Make an appointment, at that time get a name address and telephone number. Find out if they are able to purchase at this time, have they been pre-approved by the bank if a mortgage is required. Do they have the required down payment? If you feel uncomfortable be sure more than one person is home for the viewing or decline the viewing and call them back to reschedule. ( you will know at that point if the telephone number is valid) Be sure all valuables are out of sight and make a point of locking doors and windows during the process of selling.
  7. When showing your home be sure all interior doors are open, all lights are on and all odors of cooking have gone. (coffee, bread and apple pie are ok!) Open windows if the weather is warm enough or slightly to air out the rooms. All laundry should be out of sight, shoes in the closet, all dishes in the dishwasher or out of sight, beds made, bathroom is clean, the dog is outside or gone for a walk, the T.V. is off, low classical or relaxation music is perfect for creating atmosphere. Ask your prospects to remove their shoes, this shows that you respect your property.
  8. When showing be sure to tell what it was that sold you on the house, things that they can benefit by or enjoy. The workshop, garden, storage, extra large rooms, built in vacuum, neighborhood, schools near by!!
  9. Tell them all about the features they can not see! special wiring, insulation, heating system, age of the water tank, condition of appliances included and be ready to tell them why you are selling...... they will ask!
  10. After the showing, thank them for viewing your home and ask for honest feedback. Use the information to your advantage and correct any deficiency they have discovered that you did not!
 The little extras

 Here is a list of the little extras that will make people remember your home.
  1. The smell of fresh bread, coffee or the smell of simmering water on the stove with cinnamon, orange peel and cloves.
  2. Towels folded neatly on the edge of the tub, lit candles in the fireplace if summer and a fire burning in the winter.
  3. Fresh cut flowers
  4. A breeze through an open window
  5. Have a glass jug of iced water on the kitchen table with glasses.
  6. Offer them a glass of water, coffee or tea ( be sure it is ready when you offer) The idea is to try to keep them in the house for a few extra minutes to make them feel at home and encourage questions.
  7. Shake hands as they leave and watch them at the door when they get into the car, you would do this for a friend. Most of all, thank them, tell them to call anytime should they have any questions and ask them to let other know of the property.
  8. Call them within three days to follow up on the viewing, they may be just waiting on the bank!

 
Kentucky Real Estate Resource Center
Recommended Sites:
Broker-1 Realty - Pittsburgh Real Estate