Saturday, September 6, 2008

Business Portal

Business Portal

Tips and Advice for Showing Your Home Tips

Posted: 05 Sep 2008 12:53 PM CDT


You probably know that you will need to show your home to numerous buyers before you sell your house. But, did you know that there are some ways to show your home more effectively?

If you are not sure where to begin, a wonderful idea is to visit a model home in your neighborhood, and take note of the way in which the salesperson shows you around. The people that show off model homes are highly trained, and they are also great salespeople, so you can easily learn a lot from simple observation. Next, make sure you have the right equipment in place in order to show your house.

You will need to have a small spiral notebook; a pile of blank contracts (you can buy these at nearly any office supply store); and a pile of 8 ½ x 11 inch fact sheets that list all of the important details about your home (price and description). Keep all of these things laid out upon a coffee table or counter, and encourage guests to sign the guest book (spiral book); take a fact sheet, and look over a contract should they show immediate interest. Next, you will want to take timing into careful consideration.

Believe it or not, the best time to show your home is at the same exact time that other homeowners in your neighborhood are showing. If a buyer heads out to a particular neighborhood in search of one listing, they will most likely stop by your home as well. Buyers do not want to go to the same neighborhood more than twice to visit homes, but if you can catch their eye while they are already in the neighborhood, you will have a great advantage. That brings us to the final piece of advice, how to attract buyers from the outside.

So many homeowners hold open houses that nobody notices. Why? Well, if you place a small advertisement in the local newspaper, you will only attract a handful of buyers. Likewise, if you place a small sign in front of your home, many people will not see the sign at all. Instead, place large, colorful, balloons in front of your house, and put some signs throughout your neighborhood. Make sure that your home address (and showing hours) are on the signs that you place, and try and arrange the signs to attract those potential buyers sitting in traffic.

Showing your home can be a great deal of fun, and it is a sure way to tell the world that your house is for sale, but there are some tricks that make showing a home easier. Make sure to heed the aforementioned advice, and remember that selling your home is really all about how you show it off in the first place.
Posted by at No comments:

Friday, September 5, 2008

Business Portal

Business Portal

Why You Might Need A Real Estate Lawyer

Posted: 04 Sep 2008 12:53 PM CDT


Do you know all about contracts, fees, and terms? If you have no idea what you are about to sign, you may just have to hire a lawyer - and save yourself a lot of grief.

While most people that wander into an open house are average people simply looking for a home, some of these people are really looking for a lot more. There are plenty of people out there with a great deal of home buying knowledge, and these people will be looking to catch you in a nasty loop if you are not careful. If you are in the midst of a casual open house, and some person saunters in asking you a zillion confusing questions, you may have just confronted a rather sneaky character.

You see, some people are simply out there to play the house flipping game. Usually, these people are highly versed in all things home, and they will spin circles around you without any real cause. If you happen to be faced with a person offering you a confusing contract, never sign this sort of deal. Instead, simply tell the prospective buyer that you need time to look a contract over, and contact a specialized lawyer right away.

Even though most people do not like the thought of hiring a lawyer, the fee that you will pay to a professional will most likely save you a lot of heartache and despair in the end. Sometimes, a knowledgeable buyer will hand a homeowner a contract that is many pages long, utterly confusing, and full of catchy terms and conditions that are unfavorable to a homeowner. It will really only take a lawyer a few hours to go over this sort of contract and explain it to you.

While a lawyer will not tell you what to do regarding a contract, they can certainly unravel a vast amount of legal jargon, and place all terms on the table quite simply. You may also decide to ask a lawyer’s advice when it comes to signing a contract, and usually this advice will be within your best interest. However, if a buyer has attempted to “pull the wool over your eyes” once, they will likely not be the sort of person that you want to further associate with.

Even though there are some devious people out there, most people looking at homes are not out to get you. Still, you will want a lawyer to look over every contract before you sign it, and you will find that a lawyer’s advice is invaluable. When it comes to selling your own home, a lawyer is the one professional that you will want to have on your side.
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)