Is FSBO (For Sale By Owner) a good idea? Right now with sellers hearing about the shortage of homes on the market I have noticed a lot of FSBO signs going up but is this really the best way to sell your home? FSBO sales account for less than 10% of all home sales.  About 40% of all FSBO sales are to friends or family members. Small towns have the most success with FSBO sales, while suburban areas have only about a 7% rate of success.

What are the advantages of FBSO? The main reason people try it is to save on the Realtor commission which is typically 6% of the sale price. The other reason is that you, the seller are in charge of showings, advertising and all marketing.  These advantages sound nice but are they really advantages?

What are the disadvantages to selling your home FSBO?  Most homes that actually sell do sell for about 16% less than homes sold through a real estate agent. People that typically by a FSBO are deal hunters looking for a really low price. Here you saved the 6% commission but you still lost 10% and that is not including your costs for marketing, etc.  Over 80% of FSBO homes end up being listed with a Realtor eventually, but when the seller makes the switch they have lost months of valuable sale time. The majority of buyers are working with a Realtor and the majority of Realtors do not show FSBO homes because they end up doing the work for both parties for half the commission. You also need to know your contracts and selling a home is a legal process which means you may need to hire an attorney to help you out which costs you more money.

Selling a home on your own is always an option but before you decide to go that route make sure you do your research and make sure it will really be the best option for you in the long run. By listing with a Realtor you save yourself all the work of marketing, paperwork, negotiations, the closing, it makes everything much easier for the seller and in the end is well worth the commission.

*Statistics are from the National Association of Realtors

There may be many reasons as to why your home is on the market and not selling, but some of the more common issues are listed below. Remember when you are selling your home, you need to take a step back and look at your home from a buyer’s point of view, not from what you think is acceptable. You have an emotional attachment to your home that will need to be put aside in order to make correct decisions when it comes to actually getting your home sold.

1. Where is your home located? Are you on a busy corner? Is there an industrial park across the street? These locations may not be what most buyers are interested in purchasing.
2. A poor floor plan. Especially if your home is older there may have been multiple renovations made which over time have made the floor plan less than desirable.  Examples of this would be having to walk through a bedroom to get to the other bedroom, the only access to the backyard is through a bedroom, a bathroom right off the dining room.
3. What condition is your home in?  Are lots of repairs needed? Many buyers are looking for a move-in ready home.
4. Is your home dated? Do you have wallpaper all over, shag carpeting, moss green Formica? These types of things tell buyers that the home is old and not updated.
5. Are you the largest, fanciest and most expensive home in your neighborhood? This will look to buyers as a home that doesn’t really fit in.

These 5 items can all be easily resolved with proper pricing.  Even though you love living on a busy corner with shag carpeting and you don’t mind the bathroom right off the dining room, most people will not pay top dollar for your home with these issues.  Any home priced correctly will sell, that is a fact, so please check with your listing agent to price your home accordingly.

As we all know, the real estate market has started its turnaround but mainly we hear about homes under $200,000. What about high end homes, what is happening in that market?

Nationally, according to the National Association of Realtors, homes worth $1,000,000 and more were up 51% in the first 11 months of 2012. What about the Twin Cities specifically?

In 2012 in the 11 county metro area, 307 homes over $1,000,000 sold compared to 13,000 homes for $120,000 or less.  Home sales in all price ranges did increase in 2012, properties priced $350,000 to $500,000 increased about 50% and properties of $500,000 to $1,000,000 increased only slightly less than that. The high end homes are starting to sell once again for a couple reasons.  The buyers realize that prices are starting to rise and they want to buy while the buying is good and there are the low interest rates and greater availability of jumbo mortgages making these high end homes very attractive. The market for high end homes is starting to move once again, not as fast as lower priced homes but it is starting its comeback!