Many people try to sell a Fort Myers house with their own listing. While selling without an agent can save you money, trying to market and sell on your own can be a lengthy and costly process. In our latest post, learn more about the costs of an FSBO listing before you try to do it all on your own.
Preparation
Increasing your home’s appeal involves creating an inviting atmosphere that sparks a buyer’s imagination and highlights its potential. This pre-selling prep work can range from simple DIY tasks to professional touches. Decluttering, deep cleaning, and minor repairs like fixing leaky faucets or chipped paint are great places to start. For a more polished look, consider staging furniture to enhance flow and functionality, or enlist a professional cleaning service for a sparkling first impression.
Cleaning
For a truly top-to-bottom clean, start by tackling the highest reaches of each room. Dust cobwebs from ceilings, light fixtures, and the tops of cabinets. Work your way down, methodically cleaning shelves, windows, and mirrors. Don’t forget the walls – a quick wipe-down can remove dust and grime that accumulates over time. For trickier surfaces like floors, cabinets, and appliances, choose the cleaning method that best suits the material. Deep cleaning carpets might be a job best left to a professional service, while your patio may benefit from a good power washing to remove built-up dirt and stains. By giving every surface in your home this kind of attention, you’ll be left with a sparkling clean space.
Staging
Home staging is a strategic technique used to transform your house into a model home that appeals to a wide range of potential buyers. The goal is to create a warm, inviting, and neutral space that allows buyers to envision themselves living there. There are a few different approaches to staging. You can tackle it yourself by decluttering, rearranging furniture to promote flow, and adding decorative touches like throw pillows and fresh flowers. For a more polished look, you can hire a professional stager who will bring in furniture and accessories specifically curated to enhance each room’s functionality and appeal. Alternatively, some sellers choose to focus their staging efforts on key areas like the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom, as these spaces tend to make the strongest first impression. No matter which route you choose, even a little bit of staging can go a long way in attracting more buyers and potentially increasing your offers.
Storage
Deciding to stage your home with borrowed or rental furniture to create a more inviting atmosphere often goes hand-in-hand with decluttering. This means facing the reality of your belongings and making space for the new additions. Be ruthless when it comes to clutter! Go through each room systematically and sort items into three piles: keep, donate/sell, and store. Donate or sell items you no longer need or use. For those sentimental pieces or off-season items you can’t part with, renting a storage unit can be a lifesaver. This temporary storage solution will keep your belongings safe and out of the way while potential buyers tour your sparkling clean and staged home.
Repairs
Before listing the property, you’ll want to make any necessary repairs. Seeing even one or two things broken can leave a bad impression with your potential buyers. They might wonder what else is wrong with the house. You may face more repair costs once the inspection has been done in order to satisfy the buyer and their lender.
Marketing
There are all kinds of things that go into successfully marketing your Fort Myers home for sale. You’ll need to take a look at the many marketing avenues available to you, then choose which methods will be the most cost effective for you. You don’t want to find that you spend so much on marketing, that you completely negate your savings of avoiding commission.
Signage
To get the attention of people driving by and to let potential buyers know they have found the right house, you’ll need to add some signage out front. You’ll want to choose something eye-catching, yet not obnoxious.
Printed Materials
You’ll use printed materials during open houses, for people who come to see the home and to be left out front so people passing by can quickly access the property’s information. You can also choose to leave some flyers with local businesses or to put up on school or community billboards. This kind of advertising still works!
Photography
We’ve all seen those listing where the photos were taken with a cell phone, maybe out of a car window. These aren’t going to cut it if you want your home to stand out. The use of a professional photographer can help you sell your house faster!
Open House Supplies
Throwing an open house is like throwing a party for your house. You’ll want to have some snacks and some beverages available for your guests. You’ll also have to deal with the clean-up after, although your average open house is a bit tamer than those parties you remember from college.
Online Advertisements & Premium Listings
There are a number of sites out there you will want to list your home on. Many of the sites require a fee to place your ad. Some are free, however, your listing will drop to the bottom of the list as others are added. To keep your property at the top of the list, you’ll need to shell out for those premium listings.
Your Time
Your time has incredible value. When selling your home on your own, you’ll be spending a good amount of time advertising the property, answering questions about the property and neighborhood, showing the house when people want to see it, and managing the escrow process once a buyer has been found.
Holding Costs
In addition to the costs of your time mentioned above, you’ll have even more costs that are dependant on how long the process ends up taking. Utility costs, homeowners insurance, tax liability, a mortgage, landscaping, and other regular maintenance will all add up faster than you may think. If the property takes several months to sell, you could be looking at thousands of dollars in costs related to the property you are trying to sell.
The Risks
When selling your property on your own, there are some risks to be aware of. Not having things done legally, not selling for what the home is worth, and not having any guarantees can be huge risks when you take matters into your own hands.
Your Options
Aside from selling on your own, you could choose to hire an agent to help. However, just like an FSBO listing, there are no guarantees with an agent either. Your other option is to avoid all the costs altogether, and sell your property to [compnay]! We always pay fair prices, while handling all of the details! Learn more about how we can help!