By: Edward McCarthy
President: Sell By Owner Listings, Inc.
Should You Cut Your Asking Price?
When your for sale by owner home has been sitting
on the market for months without a satisfactory one of the first things
you wonder is if your price is too high. This is a question that will
take some research and analyzing to answer.
Think about how many qualified buyers you have
shown your house to. How many of them have made offers on your for sale
by owner home? If buyers have been coming to showings but have not been
making any offers on the home, the problem could very well be that your
home is overpriced.
Before you slash the price on your for sale by
owner home, first consider some critical factors. How long has it taken
to sell homes, both for sale by owner and real estate agent assisted,
in your areas that are in a similar price range? It might be time to
cut your price if your home has been on the market for at least half
that time. The longer your for sale by owner house stays on the market,
the less attractive it will be to buyers. Suspicion arises when a home
has been on the market for more than a couple of months, even if the
price is the only thing wrong.
Pay attention to what's going on in the real
estate market around you. Are there more listings in your area than
there was last year? If there are more houses on the market, buyers
have more to choose from. This means you will have to be a little more
competitive with the price on your for sale by owner home.
Take some time to visit open houses of similar
homes that are for sale in your area. Look at these homes in comparison
to yours. Take note of the good and the bad of these houses and use
that to gauge your home price.
Look at your for sale by owner home and selling
price objectively. If you were on the market to purchase a new home
would you pay that price? Don't let your sentiments for the for sale by
owner home cloud your judgment. Instead, consider your home from the
point of view of someone that has never lived in it before. By asking
yourself this question, you might easily come up with an answer about
cutting your asking price.
Instead of cutting your price, you might want to
offer other incentives to get buyers' attention. Offer to pay part of
the closing costs. Some states have a maximum amount that the seller is
allowed to contribute. If your budget allows, max out your contribution
to the closing costs. This will decrease the amount of cash the buyer
has to spend and make the deal look more attractive.
Should you decide to reduce the price on your for
sale by owner home, make sure that you advertise this new price. Call
the buyers that previously expressed interest in your for sale by owner
home and let them know about the lower price. You might find that
buyers are a little more eager to jump on the deal.
Compliment your home for sale by owner
listing with an effective
media ad
Save time and money... buy
a home online!.
Have you ever wondered...could I sell my
home by owner and not pay a cent in commissions?
Easily search by State to find house
listings near you.
Have questions? Read more about our online home
selling service. Need more information? contact
us anytime.
|