Some Tips For Selling Your Home with Flat Fee MLS

Posted by Manager on February 28th, 2008

When you’re getting ready to sell your home, flat fee MLS is a great option. Still there are some basic home selling tips that can help you to know that the process of selling will go as smoothly as possible.

The first thing that you’re going to need to know is what the market is like in your area: real estate markets can vary from state to state, city to city and even from one part of town to another. The stronger the market is in your area - and the more aware you are of your housing market - the better the position you will be in to sell your home.

The next tip that you need to be sure that you follow when you sell with flat fee MLS is to make sure that your home looks and is ready for sale. You may not think it’s a huge deal to have a single dirty glass in the sink or for the kids’ rooms to not be cleaned up the morning of the showing, but these "lived in" looks can be a turn off for buyers.

Keep in mind that marketing - beyond your flat fee listing in the multiple listing service - is also going to be essential. Selling a home means that people need to know that the home is available: marketing online, in print and in other ways will help you to attract buyers - it really is as simple as that.

Focus on preparation; consider more than just your desire to sell. When you are ready and your home is ready, selling your home will be far simpler.

Flat Fee MLS: 3 Things That You Should Know

Posted by Manager on February 26th, 2008

When you’re getting ready to sell your home and are looking at flat fee MLS, you’re going to discover that there’s a whole world out there that you haven’t really been exposed to: the world of real estate.

Those things that you most need to know about selling a home with flat fee MLS are simple:

  1. Selling with flat fee MLS isn’t selling with a real estate agent: you are going to be the one who puts the effort into getting your home ready to be shown, the one who schedules open houses and follows up on the information that you read about selling your home.
  2. Selling with flat fee MLS is designed to give your property the exposure that it needs to sell. One of the primary reasons why many FSBO sellers give up comes down to marketing; without a listing the multiple listing service database, it’s a lot harder to sell your home.
  3. When you sell with flat fee MLS, you will have access to support and tools that will simplify the process. In addition to marketing exposure you’ll find when you sell with MLS, you’ll find that you have access to appraisers, inspection services and even contract help that will enable the process.

Knowing these three simple things about flat fee MLS will ensure that you know more about selling your home and are able to feel confident about doing it yourself.

Flat Fee MLS: How Important Is the Right Price?

Posted by Manager on February 24th, 2008

When you’re going to be selling your home with flat fee MLS, you’ll find that some of the best advice that you get involves pricing your home to sell. No matter how you plan to sell your home, no matter which resources you look to in order to help you to sell, you’ll find that the right price is key:

(source)With doom and gloom stories about home sales dominating the front pages, it’s easy to believe that nobody is buying these days. Turns out, though, that just isn’t so.

But what is selling? "Homes priced correctly" is the answer you’ll typically hear from agents.

In other words, when asked the question, "How important is it to set the right price," the answer is clear: the right price is essential.

When you’re getting ready to sell with flat fee MLS, therefore, you’re going to want to make an effort to know the right price for your home. You’re going to want to be sure that you’re getting the right advice - whether it comes from a CMA or a certified appraiser.

Without setting the right price for your home, selling is going to be far more difficult - even if you’re taking the right steps to get the word out - including using flat fee MLS so that others know that your home is available.

Flat Fee MLS: for Home Sellers That Want Control

Posted by Manager on February 22nd, 2008

Many home sellers like the idea of handing over the reigns to a pro and stepping out of the real estate selling process. For them, the extent of the control that they want is to know when the home is going to be shown so that they will be able to skip out for a while.

Other sellers want to be in charge: they want to do the research for pricing, they want to show their homes and take steps to get the word out that your property is on the market. Flat fee MLS allows those sellers to take advantage of the primary benefit of selling with an agent - a listing in the multiple listing service.

Without the MLS, fewer prospective buyers are going to be aware of your home. Without the MLS, the real estate agents that buyers are working with are not necessarily going to be aware that your home is available.

With Flat fee MLS, however, you can be sure that your home will be seen by far more prospective buyers. Not only will agents be aware that it’s on the market, but also you will quickly discover that your home shows up online and you’ll have the tools that you need to market your home with printed materials too - giving you even more control over the selling process.

Selling with Flat Fee MLS? Don’t Forget Your Home’s Exterior

Posted by Manager on February 20th, 2008

When you’re selling your home on your own with flat fee MLS, it’s important to make sure that your home is ready. Many people think that means making an effort to get the inside of their home ready for prospective buyers to see; while the interior is important, it’s essential to look at the exterior of your home before you sell as well.

First, there’s the landscaping. Your front yard has to look great - landscaping can make that happen. For example, if there are large shrubs that cover the front windows, you may want to have them removed. If the flower beds or the edges of the sidewalk are ragged or a great deal of the lawn is burnt out, bringing in a landscaper (or talking with someone at a home and garden center who can give you pointers) can help you to make a far better impression on buyers.

But then, the landscaping isn’t just about the front yard - even though prospective buyers probably won’t see the backyard until after they’ve been inside, if they see that there’s a great deal of work to be done out back, they may wonder if others may wonder what’s being covered up. While a fresh coat of paint may be called for (on the exterior as well as the interior), simply masking problems is never a good idea.

Finally, the last thing to look at when you’re taking a look at the exterior of your house, you’re going to want to take the time to focus on the entryway - that transition from the exterior to the interior of the home is important, and should be as smooth as possible. These are all things that a real estate agent would tell you; when you’re selling with flat fee MLS, they are things that you’re going to need to learn for yourself - and things that you should pay close attention to.

Flat Fee MLS: How Will Others See Your Home?

Posted by Manager on February 18th, 2008

When you are selling your home with flat fee MLS, there are a few things that you’re going to want to be aware of. Among the most significant of these is how your home is going to be seen by prospective buyers.

That always lead to the question: what attracted you to the home before you bought it?

Was there particular lighting that caught your eye? Was it the way that the bedrooms looked or the way that the kitchen was arranged? Was it that the rooms looked particularly large because of the way the furniture was arranged?

When you’re going to sell your home with flat fee MLS, you’re going to be the one who is in charge of making your home buyer friendly. All those little things that made you fall in love with it? Keep them in mind, because chances are good that recreating them - at least to some extent - will help you to attract buyers.

When you’re able to look at your home like a buyer rather than a seller, when you’re able to take those elements that make your home yours and turn it into a home where others can see themselves living, selling will be easier than you thought it would be.