HowToDoThings.com Recent Selling Articles

How To Sell Your Home Faster By Staging It

coffeebuzz — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:29:14 -0500

How To Prepare Your House to Sell

jasonkeeley — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:17:40 -0500

How To Have an Open House

jasonkeeley — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:03:54 -0500

How To Photograph Your Home for Sale

jasonkeeley — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:04:53 -0500

How To Sell Your Home Without a Realtor

jasonkeeley — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:12:48 -0500

How To Sell Your Home in This Tough Market

Billcherry — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:46:56 -0500

Often times, trying to sell a house today has become as difficult as trying to dump a gas guzzling Chevy Suburban in a four bucks a gallon gas market. And it doesn't have to be.

As I have for most mornings for the past forty-three years, I check our multiple listing service (MLS) to see which houses have sold and which ones have seen their Realtor listing expire without a sale. Some that sold were on the market for just a few days. Some that didn't sat there untouched for six months, a year, and sometimes even longer.

I look at the expired listings and often feel my head shaking in sorrow for the owner and disbelief for the agent. It doesn't seem to occur to either of them that no one has the magic power to get a prospect to buy what doesn't appeal to him. And when you've had, say, twenty people look at your house without a sale, or you have no people looking at all, more often than not it's a direct result of the marketing.

How To Sell a Home Quickly

ronwexler — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:44:02 -0500

Of course you can give your home away... but is that what you want to do? Selling quickly while protecting your equity is the goal. Here are the steps to get your home sold quickly in a buyer's market.

How To Make Money on Your Home in a Down Market: Interiors

margnorton — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:44:04 -0600

What do you feel as you walk into a model home? Everything looks new and clean. Furniture is well arranged with adequate space to walk. Each room is tastefully decorated with a minimum amount of accessories. You don't smell fish left over from last night, but the aroma of home-baked cookies is in the air. It is well lit and the temperature is comfortable. In winter, there is a roaring fire, and in spring, the windows are open with a light breeze. The bathrooms have accessories that call out to you. The bedrooms invite you to nap. Come in and stay awhile. You are at home. This is part 3 of a 3-part series; parts 1 and 2 explore landscaping and exterior preparations to sell. Here are my recommendtions on how to make your home look like a model:

How To Make Money on Your Home Even in a Down Market: Exteriors

margnorton — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:42:38 -0600

"First impressions are everything" -- it's a phrase we hear frequently. This can apply to many situations but it is absolutely true when it comes to selling your home. A buyer today has unlimited choices of inventory when shopping for a home. A serious seller must do all they can to make their home stand out from the competition. One good way to do this is by making sure their home is visibly appealing from the street. This will take a little time and perhaps some money, but the efforts should pay off. This is part 2 of a 3-part series; part one explores landscaping, while part 3 explains the importance of preparing the interior of the house. My recommendations on how to make sure your home has the proper curb appeal are:

How To Make Money on Your Home in a Down Market: Landscaping

margnorton — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:41:22 -0600

Prior to becoming a life coach, I was in the mortgage business for 15 years. We've never seen a market like the one today. Some of us in the business were not surprised with the downturn. For years I thought we were selling products that were too risky, collateralized by property, in some areas, that was overpriced. With declining values, a seller in today's market wants to make as much profit as possible.

Before you list your house for sale, there are certain things you need to do to make it more presentable to prospective buyers. The three areas you need to look at are landscaping, the exterior and the interior. This article highlights landscaping issues, though there is some overlap in the three. The next two articles will focus on the exterior and interior.

How To Prepare Your House for Sale

afriedl — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:56:09 -0600

The thought of moving into a new house can be exciting. New rooms, new colors, new options all waiting for your creative and "homey" touch. But your current home is more than "lived in," isn't it? What can you do to make your current home ready for sale while still remaining livable for you and your family?

How To Make Moving with Children Easier

afriedl — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:01:54 -0600

The house is chosen, the paperwork is started and the bank visit is scheduled. In theory, your move from one house to another is going smoothly. However, the packing is taking longer than expected and now the children are upset about a new house. Where do you start? How can this possibly go smoothly? And will it be better once we're in the new place? Some simple things to consider can make moving much easier for children to handle. Older children can be easier to reason with and coerce into involvement. But what about younger kids?

How To Find a Real Estate Agent

murry — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:41:34 -0600

In our current real estate market, arguably the best market for buyers and worst for sellers in several decades in most regions, agents who have stayed the course and remain active have to be a very resilient group. And you want one of them to help you buy or sell a home, right? Here are some of the best ways to find the perfect agent.

How To Use a Blog to Promote a Real Estate Business

RobP — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:26:31 -0500

This article assumes that a Realtor already has a website to promote their business. If not, getting involved with a blog (web log) is really putting the cart before the horse. For Realtors with their own website, having a blog can be an invaluable tool to promoting their site and themselves.

For those not familiar with blogs, a blog is a web-based method for an individual to provide commentary or news on a particular subject. They typically can combine text, images, and links to provide information that will be of interest to their audience. Blogs allow readers to leave comments and thus promote an interactive exchange of ideas and information.

Why Should a Realtor Have a Blog?

There are two reasons for a Realtor to include a blog in their on-line web presence:

How To Use Electronic Newsletters to Promote a Real Estate Business

RobP — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:20:28 -0500

It is not necessary to already have a website or a blog to get involved with electronic newsletters. However, having a website and/or blog will help to support your electronic newsletter marketing. In addition. using an electronic newsletter will support your website and blog. Think of them as three legs to an online promotional stool. The stool works much better with all three... Each of the tools complements each other and provides a well rounded electronic approach to marketing.

Why Should a Realtor Use Electronic Newsletters?

There are many reasons that a Realtor may wish to include electronic newsletters in their marketing mix:

How To Use a Website to Promote a Real Estate Business

RobP — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:08:27 -0500

With the advent of the Internet, selling real estate has changed dramatically. It is now very important for a Realtor to have a web presence - their own website. It is also important that they follow a few simple steps to set up and promote that site properly. Doing so can make the difference between a website that languishes and a website that stands out above the rest and helps to generate prospects and business.

Obtaining a Real Estate Website

The first step to obtaining a website is obtaining a domain name. The domain name is the URL by which the site will be known (e.g., www.my-real-state-web-site.com). The second step is to find a vendor who will host a website for you.

How To Stop Foreclosure

laphillips — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 19:25:58 -0500

Anyone can find himself in a foreclosure situation, whether because of a divorce, the loss of a job, or a higher monthly payment due to a reset on your adjustable mortgage. If you have received a Notice of Default (the first step in the official foreclosure process) there's no need to feel powerless. There is still time, but usually only 90 to 120 days.

How To Avoid Foreclosure

skiernanc21 — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 12:43:50 -0500

Foreclosure is a procedure whereby a bank, or other secured creditor, takes back real property that had secured a loan. Usually, the procedure is prompted by the borrower defaulting on the promissory note.

How To Choose the Right Style Home

Youshouldown — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:38:40 -0500

Homebuyers often confuse one style of home for another. When searching for your next home or trying to determine the style that matches your needs, it's important to know the different styles of homes available and on the market. Below is a breakdown of the many styles and their descriptions.

Bi-Level: A bi-level style home is typically a one-story floor plan that has been raised above ground level, where another level of living such as a basement or additional rooms resides. They are often considered ranches or split-level homes. In fact, when you enter the front door and have to climb stairs to get to the kitchen or main living space, you're typically in a bi-level style home.
Bungalow: A bungalow style home is a compact 1-1/2 story house that contains smaller rooms. There will typically be 2 or more bedrooms on the main floor, along with a bathroom and living space.

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How To Wholesale Single Family Houses for Profit

toby6s — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:14:40 -0500

You, too, can start living the life of financial freedom by starting your real estate investing career the quick and easy way: Wholesaling single family houses. It was said to me many years ago by one of my many real estate investing coaches that, "Any brain-dead moron can wholesale single family houses and make a boatload of money doing it." You know what? He was exactly right. I'll admit it; I was the brain-dead moron that he was referring to, and yes, I make a boatload of money doing it. Here's how:

How To Negotiate a Good Deal on a House

Roselind — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:36:21 -0500

Some people imagine that getting a "good deal" on a house involves stumbling onto an unsuspecting and desperate seller who is willing to give the house to the first willing taker. Dream on.

Home sales are normally negotiated between two informed parties who are going to act in their own best interests. In balanced markets, the seller will have other interested buyers to choose from. Here are some strategies to help you negotiate a good deal on a house in the real world.

How To Make Your Home a Resort

Youshouldown — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 23:53:38 -0500

In today’s world of home channel popularity and all things fashionable, making your home magazine-perfect and envied by all isn’t such a hard or expensive thing to do. Even the smallest changes and additions can make a huge difference for less than a weekend getaway. After all, you live in your home before and after the getaway.

How To Successfully Sell Your Home in a Soft Housing Market

Grace170 — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 09:29:00 -0500

You've been hearing it every day. It's a buyer's market. The market is soft. Interest rates are up. In other words, if you are trying to sell your house, it will be tough. While a soft market can be a hassle for a home seller, it does not mean getting an offer on your home is an impossibility. Here are some tips on how to sell your house in a soft market.

How To Find a Real Estate Newsletter

Grace170 — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 03:45:00 -0500

If you are looking to get into the real estate market, or simply to increase your knowledge about this industry it is wise to invest, or search out a real estate newsletter. Newsletters can come in a variety of ways (electronic, flyer, etc.) and have varying degrees of quality. Here are some tips on real estate newsletters.

How To Short Sell Real Estate

Grace170 — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 10:16:00 -0500

In real estate, a short sale is a sale that happens when the outstanding loan against a property is greater than the market value of the property itself. A short sale represents a solution for a homeowner who cannot pay his mortgage and wants to walk away from the property without blemishing his credit and financial profile through a foreclosure or bankruptcy declaration. Not all banks will consider the short sale, but many will. You will need a willing lender/bank and buyer to complete a short sale. Here is how you do it.

Value. Confirm the value of the property by having a real estate agent perform a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA).

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How To Sell Your Own Home

Ashtyn198 — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 15:32:00 -0500

If you are planning to sell your home you may have been debating whether or not to try selling it yourself. There are thousands of people every year who choose to sell their own homes. Some people do it because they have real estate experience and can handle the job, and others do it because it is much cheaper. If you sell your own home, then you do not have to pay a realtor to do it for you.

Of course, you'll find that selling your home requires more work than just putting up a sign. You need to know fair market value, the importance of curb appeal, advertising methods, and much more in order to succeed. However, with the right information you could easily sell your home in no time. If you are considering selling your home on your own, the following information can help you.

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