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Trying to sell a house quickly

S

Steve S

Jul 26, 2000
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#1
I met with a real estate agent in April about the possibility of putting my house on sale at the end of summer. She advised my wife and I that it'd be better to move out when selling our house so that it's empty when it's being shown.

Last week, she asked if she could bring a possible buyer to our house to see if she would like to purchase it "as is." The buyer wants to move into a house in six months. We live in a neighborhood where people literally rebuild their newly purchased houses before moving in. Unreal..

The buyer was impressed enough on her initial visit that she's returning with a contracter and wants to spend one hour checking it out.

What are some of the things that we should do to help with the sale besides the usual cleaning and mowing? Our house has been valued at $500,000.
 
#3
Offer a one year home warranty with the sale. Usually $1,000 or less and gives buyers the warm and fuzzies of security if something breaks it will get fixed (heat pumps, appliances, etc).

Touch up paint works wonders on anything out of the ordinary.

If you have pets and they have made the carpet dull, offer some sort of carpet allowance (this also works for anything in the house such as windows as well).

Show you are willing to work with a buyer by listing this in an ad or brochure at the house to hand out before they even walk in the door.

Just by offering a few perks that only cost maybe a couple thousand dollars off the purchase price, you are giving the people the impression they are getting a good deal due to features and allowances. It is all human behavior, and people eat that stuff up.
 
#4
Make sure cabinets are not spilling over with stuff. Often remodelers want to reface instead of replace cabinets, and it will look better when not crowded. If they are over-full it might give the impression that there aren't enough of them, so the potential buyer is going to over-estimate the cost of remodeling thinking they will need to be replaced instead of merely refaced.

Kitchens are where people focus the most on remodeling so whatever you can do to make it look good in current form might help convince the buyer it won't turn into a total tear out and replace job.
 
#5
From the Perry thread.......bake some cookies, and an apple pie. Or even some bacon. But you might get a PETA freak and that would blow your shot. Be careful. :D

Also, curb appeal needs to be top notch. They'll do plenty of looking around outside and driving by before they knock on the door. Maybe even ask your closest neighbors to have their yards trimmed and mowed proper.

-Mike
 
#6
Steve S said:
I met with a real estate agent in April about the possibility of putting my house on sale at the end of summer. She advised my wife and I that it'd be better to move out when selling our house so that it's empty when it's being shown.

Last week, she asked if she could bring a possible buyer to our house to see if she would like to purchase it "as is." The buyer wants to move into a house in six months. We live in a neighborhood where people literally rebuild their newly purchased houses before moving in. Unreal..

The buyer was impressed enough on her initial visit that she's returning with a contracter and wants to spend one hour checking it out.

What are some of the things that we should do to help with the sale besides the usual cleaning and mowing? Our house has been valued at $500,000.
Click to expand...

Remove clutter, furniture that doesn't really need to be there and anything else that takes up space, but isn't necessary. This stuff takes up space that makes it look smaller and hides details they'll want to see. Other than that and cleaning, it's really just a matter of them seeing the potential.

Oh, and see if you can get the neighbors to take a hike for a few hours.
 
#7
fenderhutz said:
Offer a one year home warranty with the sale. Usually $1,000 or less and gives buyers the warm and fuzzies of security if something breaks it will get fixed (heat pumps, appliances, etc).

Touch up paint works wonders on anything out of the ordinary.

If you have pets and they have made the carpet dull, offer some sort of carpet allowance (this also works for anything in the house such as windows as well).

Show you are willing to work with a buyer by listing this in an ad or brochure at the house to hand out before they even walk in the door.

Just by offering a few perks that only cost maybe a couple thousand dollars off the purchase price, you are giving the people the impression they are getting a good deal due to features and allowances. It is all human behavior, and people eat that stuff up.
Click to expand...

If the bones of the house and the appliances/mechanicals/electrical are in order, the warranty is wasted money, especially since the new owner wants it "as is" and will be remodeling. If a warranty is given, it will be abused. I would leave an out if they keep the appliances in the house during remodeling- they can and are damaged in this period and you know the new owner will try to claim that it "just stopped working".
 
#8
1958Bassman said:
If the bones of the house and the appliances/mechanicals/electrical are in order, the warranty is wasted money, especially since the new owner wants it "as is" and will be remodeling. If a warranty is given, it will be abused. I would leave an out if they keep the appliances in the house during remodeling- they can and are damaged in this period and you know the new owner will try to claim that it "just stopped working".
Click to expand...

Not anything the person selling the house has to deal with. It goes up to the warranty company.
 
#9
I wouldn't do much at all. She's already seen it and is interested enough to bring a contractor to either checkout the structure, systems, and integrity of the house or develop some remodeling plans. There's nothing you can do in a short amount of time that will change her interest unless it's related to fixing structure, systems, integrity, or remodeling potential.

If the contractor doesn't find problems, you're down to price and terms. Don't accept the first offer unless it meets or exceeds your expectations. (This is easy for me to say since I'm not involved. I am wrong on occasion -- just ask my wife.)
 
#11
fenderhutz said:
Offer a one year home warranty with the sale. Usually $1,000 or less and gives buyers the warm and fuzzies of security if something breaks it will get fixed (heat pumps, appliances, etc).

Touch up paint works wonders on anything out of the ordinary.

If you have pets and they have made the carpet dull, offer some sort of carpet allowance (this also works for anything in the house such as windows as well).

Show you are willing to work with a buyer by listing this in an ad or brochure at the house to hand out before they even walk in the door.

Just by offering a few perks that only cost maybe a couple thousand dollars off the purchase price, you are giving the people the impression they are getting a good deal due to features and allowances. It is all human behavior, and people eat that stuff up.
Click to expand...

Warranty? New home builders offer warranties. A homeowner that is not a builder should never offer a warranty. What qualifications do they have if something needs repair?

Carpet allowance? Rent a shampooer for $50 and clean the carpets before showing the house.

If someone is already inside the house looking at it, you don't need a brochure. Brochures are for agents.
 
#13
Baer said:
I wouldn't do much at all. She's already seen it and is interested enough to bring a contractor to either checkout the structure, systems, and integrity of the house or develop some remodeling plans. There's nothing you can do in a short amount of time that will change her interest unless it's related to fixing structure, systems, integrity, or remodeling potential.

If the contractor doesn't find problems, you're down to price and terms. Don't accept the first offer unless it meets or exceeds your expectations. (This is easy for me to say since I'm not involved. I am wrong on occasion -- just ask my wife.)
Click to expand...

I tend to agree.

We only had two days notice so cleaned the house as well as we could the first time she came over. The carpet, after 20 years, is well used. The linoleum needs replacing but most of the house is in good shape. We live in a nice neighborhood with professional people and it's a very safe place. We hardly ever locked our doors and raised two children here. All the people who lived here when we moved in have passed away. My wife and I are the oldest people living here so we need to move before we die too.
 
#15
Mow the lawn, weed the flowers - small stuff, but details hit on the subconscious. (Don't forget to rake and sweep too)
Bake cookies or a pie. Make the house smell like a place you want to be.
Open all the curtains and drapes. Makes things more pleasant and seem roomier.
Pick up clutter - even in closets and storage areas. Consider a storage unit for stuff you don't use daily. Anything you can remove from the property will make it seem more open.

Leave staged clutter so it looks like you actually live there - but are super interesting. (Just not bizarre)

Consider the cost of not selling too. Would the lower offer make up for not paying bills for months?

We sold our last house in 12 hours. Closed on our new home (different state) after lunch - sold old house before lunch on same day.
 
#16
duff beer said:
Warranty? New home builders offer warranties. A homeowner that is not a builder should never offer a warranty. What qualifications do they have if something needs repair?

Carpet allowance? Rent a shampooer for $50 and clean the carpets before showing the house.

If someone is already inside the house looking at it, you don't need a brochure. Brochures are for agents.
Click to expand...

No, there are companies that offer warranties for homeowners when they sell their homes. If gives the homebuyer peace of mind. The home seller doesn't do the work, or have any future obligation.

20 year old carpets can't be cleaned enough to make them appealing. If this buyer falls through, a carpet allowance is a good idea.
 
#17
As mentioned, doing a home warrantee for them is a nice bonus, especially if you aren't caving on the price. I got a place in March, and got $4k knocked off, got to keep the 'fridge, and SPLIT the home warrantee. Maybe offer to split it before you commit to paying the whole thing? Just a thought; save you a couple hundred you could use to find a new place. Good luck.
 
#18
Regarding home warranties, I had to contact mine earlier today. I had to shut off the water because a leak started under the sink. They're supposed to get a plumber out here, pay for it, all that. I don't think I have to do anything at all, or pay anyone. First time I've done this.
 
#19
Probably the biggest thing is to sell at or below market value. I've had a few family friends try to sell their places recently. The ones who headed the advice are long gone now. The others who tried to get it for what it's worth or more have been sitting around for awhile now. If you're in a good area, it'll be snapped up quick if you price competitively.
 
#20
^ just yesterday I put a offer on a house that was being sold for a pretty good price.
Not a steal, but a good deal.
I offered 2K less than their asking price.

Got a call from the real estate lady this morning - didn't get it, somebody offered more.
 

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