If you decide to sell your home yourself, instead of working with a real estate agency, then there are some very important things you should know before placing your first “For Sale by Owner” (FSBO) advertisement. First, you would have to do your own marketing analysis and develop a reasonable asking price for your house. Then you will also have to work on the home’s interior and curb appeal and repair any minor problems.

Some states’ haves laws that require the seller to give the potential buyers at least one property disclosure when you sell the home. These disclosures basically pertain to the condition of the property or location. Some of these disclosures may be as simple as how old the house is and whether there are problems existing within the house that the potential buyer needs to be made aware of. But these disclosures can also extend to property disputes and whether the house is located in a flood zone, on an earthquake fault or near an airport. There may be other issues depending on your location.

Most houses built before 1978 may have lead-based paint. Federal law requires the sellers of FSBO houses to disclose this information and provide details to the potential owners about past lead tests or offer the opportunity for the buyers to do their own testing. Many buyers and sellers won’t perform the lead tests, but the seller should at least provide the buyers with a lead paint pamphlet, that is available for free of charge from the Environmental Protection Agency.

When selling your home, the property’s exterior, or ‘curb appeal’ can greatly affect the buyer’s decision on looking at the inside of your house. If buyers see a cluttered, unkept yard, they are most likely to assume that the inside of the house has nothing better to offer. Therefore, you will be losing a potential buyer. You want to get the best possible offer on your house, which may require you to take a look around and clean up your house’s general appearance.

Curb Appeal not only includes your front yard, but also applies to your back yard as well. Buyers will eventually want to view the back yard as they are shown the rest of your house. In order to have an attractive curb appeal, you can:

1. Mow the lawn and pull all the weeds by hand or by the use of a weed eater.

2. Rake leaves and dispose properly of the leaves, so there aren’t any unsightly leaf piles in the yard.

3. Pick up any debris and properly dispose of.

4. Trim bushes, shrubs or tree’s that are overgrown. Trees’ with branches extending toward your roof should be trimmed back to avoid damage to the house.

5. Store your lawn mower or other unnecessary lawn maintenance tools or garden implements out of sight to avoid a cluttered lawn.

6. Clean all windows, siding and decks with a pressure washer to brighten the appearance of the house.

7. Clean all gutters and make sure they are all attached and working properly.

8. Clean up any animal waste on a regular basis.

9. For those with children, keep the yard free of toy clutter and wash away any chalk marks or other art mad by children on the sidewalk or concrete.

Now that your home has curb appeal that is attractive enough to entice potential buyers, you must apply the same care and attention to the inside of your home to make it just as appealing. Making the inside of your home appealing to buyers can be done by simply maintaining a clean and clutter free appearance, killing any odors and possibly making a few minor repairs.

Now you are ready to open your home to all those frisky real estate agents and their potential buyers. Although showing your home isn’t very difficult, it can be very time consuming because as the seller, you will have to flexible. You will have to be prepared for same day requests to show your home and for those last minute requests, when the real estate agent or buyer is calling you from your front porch. Granting these requests can make a huge difference between the buying and selling of your home.

If you are showing the house yourself, be prepared to answer all questions as politely, truthfully and accurately as possible. What is most important, never get too personal or let your emotions take over when showing your house. The buyers are there to look at your house as a possible purchase and not to discuss your love of collecting clown figurines or how great your nifty little sports car runs.

A new twist exists to selling your home as a FSBO (For Sale by Owner), and it’s no surprise either – the internet. Just as intriguing is your option of the plethora of websites that are now popping up all over the internet, the “we list site”. Devilishly enterprising individuals have created internet websites that offer a FSBO the opportunity to look totally professional when selling their home. The popularity of such sites is in response to the rising costs of housing, and the associated realtors fees and commissions incurred when selling a home. It’s the new wave of home selling without the benefit of a realtor, and there are unexpected costs, and associated risks when attempting to sell your home as a FSBO.

Because of the advent of the internet people that are wanting to sell their homes no longer have to settle for sticking a homemade sign in their front yard, and just running a local ad in a newspaper. For a fee mass marketing gurus provide internet instructions to FSBOs a semi instructional guide for the steps necessary to sell their homes. There are many services that you can garner from using an online website to sell your home, but remember that you as the seller must be aware of the risk of taking advice from any internet website. Often times there are other issues that you might not be aware of when ordering their services too, such as unexpected costs associated with the listing of your home, or even different levels of membership packages. Here is a typical outline that many websites promote for their online services but sellers beware.

Payment For Services – Different types of packages are available, and cost varies. Remember to read the fine print. Payment is usually accepted via a credit card.

Picture Submittal Service – Limitations exist on the amount of pictures that you will be able to submit. Additional fees are required if you feel that more are required to show off your home to its best potential. Also, if your not to handy with a camera, or don’t have the requested type of camera for the picture, a submittal fee is charged if you need them to take the pictures for you.

Yard Sign Service – In many packages a professional looking yard sign is available, but for an extra rental fee. Understand too that any unintentional damage to the sign will cost you for replacement. If ordering more than one sign to place at other areas to advertise your home there is extra cost associated with it too. Sites that advertise their service also state that they are not responsible for any damage to any buried services, such as electrical, gas or telephone lines due to the placement of their signs. It’s your responsibility to find the existing lines and finical liability.

Paper Advertisements of Flyers/Brochures Service – Basic print advertisements in a pre – designed format is an additional cost. You will need to be able to print quality advertisements from home on high grad stock or glossy paper, or incur the cost of having them professionally printed.

Print Purchase and Counter Offer Form Service – These forms are available for you to print with an additional fee.

Disclosure Property Forms – Usually there are no additional fees, but the standard disclosure form, and the federally mandated lead disclosure form are released only when services are paid for in advance. This does not include other attorney’s fees for the review of the forms to ensure complicity to the federal, state and local requirements.

Curb Box Advertisement Holder Service – For an additional fee a separate informational wooden sign may be rented, or a tube attached to your rented for sale sign. Again, any damage to the individual sign or tube will be your finical responsibility.

As you can see a careful evaluation is needed when considering using an internet website as a FSBO. Hidden cost can quickly eat up profits, and expose you to extensive law suits by unhappy buyers. Without the use of a realtor that is a trained professional you loose out on their insight and experience when trying to sell your home. Remember to read the fine print and carefully weigh your options.

Buying a house for whatever reason should be a fun and exciting time.  Open houses are an enjoyable event.  You may even visit three or four different homes in one day.  There are special things to look for when going to see these houses.  An open house is used to check the market and let potential buyers window-shop.  There are certain criteria you have in mind when searching for the perfect home.  Jot those ideas down and compare them to the homes you view.

Take a notepad with you to each house and make a note of the address of the homes you visit. Jot down things you like and dislike about each house. This will help you keep track of which house is which.  Make note of nearby schools, the general neighborhood, how close is freeway access, where are the shopping malls, and any other information that will help you decide on your choice of home. The commute to work is a vital piece of information.  Many forget to consider how far away the job is.  The last thing a person wants to do is spend too much time on the road instead of with the family.  When attending an open house, remember that the neighborhood surroundings are an important aspect to purchasing a house.

Check the condition of the house, the road and the yard.  Is it suitable of children or pets?  Who will take care of the yard or can you hire a gardener?  Whatever you desire, be sure to think of everything and take plenty of notes.  A poloroid camera is well worth taking. Clip instant snapshots to your notebook to help you remember specific houses. Buying a house is an important step, so make sure you know what to look for.  Check everything.   Notice cabinets, appliances, doors and even views out of the windows.  Listen to noises that could be bothersome, such as a train that passes near by or a freeway. Make sure there is plenty of living space or room to add more if you desire.  Most people forget to ensure there is enough closet and storage room.  Write down vital pieces of information which should include anything that will help you with your decision.

At the open house, an owner or broker is likely to be present. If there is one in attendance, ask questions.  Find out all the little secrets about the house.  Granted they will not always be straightforward.  Have a memo of each inquiry.  Put in writing all the answers.  When you make the choice on a house you can add these questions into the sales contact and re-ask the query.  If these replies differ in the writing stage you may not want to do business with these people after all.  All homes have concealed facts.  Some are not real terrible but others can be horrendous.  Interrogating the owner or broker is an ideal way to find out things that are not visible.  Do not be shy about wanting to know how your dream home is really shaped.

Many times, several brokers, lenders or agents frequent open houses.  They want your business as soon as you step foot onto the property.  Do not sign anything.  Even if this were the house you would like to purchase.  On sight people have one agenda, to sell you something.  Usually the brokers who visit many different open houses will try and get you to view other properties.  Which is fine, however they do not know anything about your wishes of the home you want.  The mortgage lenders may try to sell you a different house at a better rate.  However, in the end it is more likely you will end up paying more.  At the stage of an open house it is most probable you are playing the field.

Going to an open house is a time-honored tradition.  Open houses are for looking and sometimes even buying.  With an important and expensive decision to make, it is better to research and look at all of your options.  When venturing upon an open house, understand all the choices offered.  Try not to be persuaded in making rash decisions.  You have the option of looking, taking those important notes, returning to look some more, and even moving on if this house is not for you.

It has been said that moving and divorce are the two of the most stressful events a person or family can experience. Divorce is a subject for another time. Let’s consider the event of moving and look at some ways to make your house hunting trip less stressful and more effective.

Location is the first factor to consider when planning a move. If you have children, or are planning a family, you will want to know about the schools in the area. How about shopping centers, medical facilities, recreational opportunities and of course how far will you be from your place of employment. If you require public transportation, is there any within walking distance of your prospective new home. What about the crime rate? A check with the local law enforcement agency can either put your mind at ease or give you reason to look elsewhere. And finally, try to assess the quality and character of the people who live in the area. This is obviously difficult to do without interviewing them, but you can get a rough impression from the condition of their homes and properties and from the activities you might observe. As an example, if your prospective neighbor has discarded appliances all over the front yard and their son is roaring around the neighborhood on a mini-bike with no muffler, you might want to take all that into consideration. And remember, a poor location will definitely be a negative factor when and if you attempt to resell the home at some later date.

Once you’ve zeroed in on your preferred location, you can start to think seriously about searching for your dream home. Rather than spin your wheels by looking at houses randomly, you should determine what you really want in a house and let those things help you focus your search. Make a list and start with the obvious: how many bedrooms do you need; do you want a garage; must you have a single story home due to your inability to climb stairs; is a fenced yard an absolute necessity? After listing the absolute “must haves”, think about the things you like and dislike about your current residence and factor those things into your wish list. Making a list will not only save you time, it will be a big help to your realtor in planning your viewings.

Most people don’t really know how much house they can afford. Affordability is based upon income, credit status, interest rates, down payment, closing costs and the type of loan selected. By getting pre-qualified by a lending institution, you will know what you can afford to spend. Often, that figure is quite a surprise to prospective home buyers. In any case, pre-qualification will save you time and trouble by establishing your price range.

Typically, house hunting involves seeing as many homes as possible in a short period of time. Both the house hunter and the assisting realtor have busy schedules and want to tour fast and furious. However, after the first two or three houses, they all start to run together. You need to make notes after each viewing. One effective means of qualifying each home is to make multiple copies of your list of priorities and use it as a checklist to grade each home visited. This little tip will eliminate confusion when trying to make mental comparisons at the end of the day.

Regard your hunt as an excursion. If you were going to the zoo for the day and contemplated a lot of walking, you would dress comfortably and wear comfortable shoes. House hunting is no different; you’ll be walking, climbing stairs, quite possibly going into basements and attics and constantly getting in and out of cars. Dressing to impress homeowners or your realtor should not be your top priority. Dress clean and neat of course, but comfortable is the name of the hunting game.

And last but not least, use your own realtor. When you call the realtor on a “house for sale” sign you’re speaking to the seller’s agent. Keep in mind that he or she represents the seller and will be looking after the seller’s interests. You need your own realtor; someone who is working for you and is looking out for your interests.

House hunting can actually be an enjoyable experience if you take your time and do your homework.

Just as there are many things you can do to improve your chances of selling your house at a great price, there is an equal number of things that will drive away potential buyers and leave you scratching your head.

If you are working with a realtor, he or she will be able to make suggestions on how to make your particular home more saleable, but addressing the following problem areas is always a great place to start.

A smelly house is not an attractive house to potential buyers. The problem with odors such as cigarette smoke and pet smells is that you live with them day in and day out and may not notice them. To an outsider, however, the smell will be pungent and noticeable. You can get rid of these odors by smoking outside, keeping litter boxes fresh and in a contained area, repainting walls, shampooing and steam-cleaning carpets and opening your windows to let in fresh air. Don’t try to cover odors with an air freshener without taking steps to eliminate the problem; it won’t work and your house will still be smelly and unwelcoming to potential buyers. Removing odors from mold and mildew can be a little tougher and may require professional intervention if the affected area is not easily accessible (between walls for example).

Pets: you love them and think of them as part of the family. Your potential buyer may not share your sentiment, so like other members of the family, your furry companions should not be on site while someone is inspecting your house. Pile everyone in the family vehicle, or crate your pets in the yard so potential buyers can look around without being barked at, snarled at or pounced on.

Bathrooms are associated with hygiene, so unclean bathrooms are a major turn-off for most buyers. Make sure your toilet, tub, and sink are sparkling clean and that the drains are clear and free of wet hair and other odor-trapping debris. Shine your faucets and mirrors, de-clutter the medicine chest, empty the trash pail and launder your towels, shower curtain and floor mats.

Dark rooms look dingy and uninviting. Increase the brightness factor of your rooms by adding brighter bulbs (if appropriate), installing extra fixtures, or by placing accent lamps or cabinet lighting throughout the room. An even simpler fix is to pull back heavy curtains and lift your blinds. Trimming low-hanging branches from nearby trees can also help.

Busy wallpaper is a no-no. Too many patterns can be distracting and can date your décor. Consider removing busy wallpaper, but don’t paint over it because that will look even worse.

Wet basements are a cause for concern as they can indicate foundation leaks. More often however, damp basements are a sign of poor ventilation, plugged drains, or improperly positioned downspouts. Remove any mold or mildew that may have appeared as a result of dampness.

Bugs; they’re usually harmless, but still an obstacle to home sales. Squash what you can, clear cobwebs, and enlist professional help if you have an infestation.

Low curb appeal can discourage potential buyers from taking a closer look at your home. Spruce up your yard, entry and façade. Make sure your paint isn’t peeling, and that gardens look their best, even if out of season. Bicycles, lawn mowers and tools should be neatly stored in a shed or in the garage if necessary.

Plugged Gutters. Potential buyers may not notice blocked gutters during an initial showing, but they will turn up during a professional building or home inspection, which could be the difference between a conditional sale going ahead or not.

Clear out when someone is looking at your house. Potential buyers may feel awkward looking around your house if you are hovering over their shoulder. Working with a realtor to sell your house eliminates this problem, as they act as chaperone during the showing without intimidating your buyer.

Most of these fixes are simple and inexpensive to implement, yet can have a major impact on the saleability of your house. If possible, address any of the issues that are present in your home before you list it for sale.