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FSBOHotSpot is an information website
by NCA Home

Northern California Home
NCA Home DRE #01144375
Full Service Broker - Discount Commission
www.NCAHome.com
Tel: (707) 693-0100
Fax: (707) 693-0200
info@NCAHome.com

FSBO Advice

1. Staging Your Home
2. Pricing Your Home

Staging Your Home:

Staging your home improves its chance of selling quickly for a strong price. Staging is intened to create appeal, and help the buyers envision themselves as homeowners in that environment.

When you correctly stage a home, you are decorating in a way designed to showcase the home's best assets. Because not all sellers stage their homes, especially FSBO sellers, you might have an advantage if you do. Relative to the amount of time and money involved, staging may be one of the best returns for your investment. Potential buyers are looking to improve their lifestyle. Staging helps to sell lifestyle and image; buyers will emotionally commit to purchase an eye-pleasing home.

Unless your buyers want a fixer (an a corresponding discount in price) home staging is also beneficial because buyers don't want to be confronted with repairs. For every repair they see, buyers will deduct its cost from the offering price. And, If there are too many problems, they might pass altogether.

Staging doesn't have to be expensive--it can be done on a limited budget. Try to make changes that will add the biggest difference in your home's selling price.

Clean
Outdoors, remove debris and dead tress/bushes. Trim, clean and mow. Inside the home, wash the windows, and launder curtains/drapes. Sweep all floors; vacuum (or steam-clean) all carpets. In the kitchen, clean all appliances. Likewise, clean the bathrooms (especially the tile/grout lines). Your goal should be to make everything look spotless and fresh.

Remove Clutter
Clutter distracts and depresses buyers. Clutter also makes the home seem smaller, and difficult to maintain. Clutter sends a signal that the sellers don't care enough to keep the home looking bright and cheerful. Clutter makes it seem like the home doesn't have enough storage space.

Clean and organize closets. Store extra furniture and knick-knacks. Remove excess pictures and wall-hangings. Don't just throw stuff in the closets -- buyers and Realtors look in closets!

Freshen
Pets, smoking, cooking, and mold are the chief causes of home odors. Freshen your home and deal with odors. Grind an orange or lemon in the garbage disposal to remove sink odors.

Do not use scented candles or aerosol sprays---they are a dead give-away that the home might have odor problems.

Open your windows to air the home before a showing--but close the before the buyers and/or Realtor arrive. Leave the crtains/drapes open during a showing--bright rooms are associated more with cleanliness.

Remove Personal Items
Buyers need to be able to see themselves in your home, so remove family photos, etc. Store toys and hobbies.

Paint
Paint rooms to restore them to neutral colors, Lighter colors are preferred; and, uniformity of colors is preferred. Off-whites and cream tones are pleasing and neutral color shades.

Applying wall-paper is time-consuming and ineffective as a staging technique. Tear down wallpaper and paint instead.

Each Room Should Have Its Correct "Identity"
While it's okay to use that spare bedroom as an office, other rooms in the house should have their proper identity. For example, don't use the living room or kichen as an exercise room. Don't use a spare bedroom as a storage locker. Don't use an officeor den as an extra bedroom.

Make sure each room is used for its correct, defined purpose. Also make sure that the furniture and appearance of the room fit its identity and purpose. Doing this will also help buyers see how to maximize the home's square footage.

On the other hand, don't leave rooms empty, either. An empty room suggests no purpose. If you have a finished basement or attic, use the space as a office, family room, entertainment room, etc. Buyers wantto see that each room of the home represents usable space.

Flooring
Replace soiled, dirty, stained carpet. Replace linoleum with tile or hardwood. Hardwood floors add elegance and warmth to a home. Buyers generally prefer hardwood floors, and hardwood floors can be a big part of an emotional purchase.

Lighting
Use your home's natural light to its best advantage. Open curtains/drapes when showing your home. Remove heavy drapes/cutains/liners.

Older or broken light fixtures should be replaced. New lighting fixtures are a relatively inexpensive way to dress up the appearance of an older home.

Walls and Ceilings
Patch holes/cracks in walls and ceilings. Replace missing baseboards and trim. Replace missing/broken wall receptacle plate covers (outlets, light switchs, etc.). Make sure that the covers all match.

Furniture
Furniture should "fit" the room, and be the right size. Remove excess furniture; don't create a cluttered look with too much furniture. Large furniture pieces will make a room look small; likewise, undesized furniture also creates the impression that the room is too small; Use standard-size furniture, and coordinate the pieces and the look.

Exterior
Consider painting the exterior -- the home's exterior is the first impression buyers get. Replace broken windows. Paint/repair decks and landings.

Conclusion
Put yourself in the buyers' shoes:
Would you buy this home?
Have you accented and emphasized the home's best features?
Is the house bright, cheerful, and inviting?
The more buyers are pleased by the home, the higher the selling price will be.

Pricing Your Home:

As a FSBO Seller, correctly pricing your property is the most critical step in listing: (1) price too high and you'll sit on the market; (2) price too low and you lessen your net return. One way to price is to ask Realtor(s) to perform a Comparable Market Analysis (CMA) showing active, pending and sold listings for the last 6 months. Most Realtors will provide a CMA analysis free as part of their listing presentation. Always shop around - get CMAs from several Realtors, before you make any pricing decision.

Even if you ultimately decide to use the services of a Realtor, you should always carefully price your own property first. An unscrupulous Realtor might try to price your property lower in order to effect a quick sale (and a quick commission payday); an incompetent Realtor may not do effective pricing research.

Try to get some idea of value independent of the Realtor that you sign with. Use the following tools to help price your property:

1. eAppraisal

2. HomeGain

3. Zillow