FSBO BLOG

I was caught off guard the other day when one of my new friends from Costa Rica asked me what Memorial Day was, and why we celebrate it.  My answer was close, but not entirely accurate.  So I decided to survey the few FSBO employees that made it to the office today, and was pleased that their answers were also about 85% correct.  Either way, I have posted the technical definition from Wikipedia below.  Have a great and safe weekend.  FSBO.com offices will be closed on Monday, May 26th in observance of Memorial Day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day
Memorial Day is a United States Federal Holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May (observed in 2008 on May 26). It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their country. It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I, it was expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. One of the longest standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500, which has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911. It is also traditionally viewed as the beginning of summer by many, since many schools are dismissed around Memorial Day.

“US home prices fall 3.1 percent in first quarter in largest drop on record” was the headline today on finance.yahoo.com.

Please let us know what your thoughts are on home prices in your area.  Are they affected by the current state or the market, or perhaps some other causes that are affecting home prices in your area?

I am happy to say that Video Number 4 is now ready. In this video I show you the steps I took to prepare the outside of the home. They say that curb appeal is the most important part to preparing your home for sale. If the buyers do not like what they see from the outside, they will most likely not waste their time looking at the inside. Below the Video Player are details on each project that I completed, as well as an update on the new idea I had that is mentioned in the last part of the video. Enjoy…

Projects:
Pressure Wash House and Vinyl Siding: Due to current water restrictions in Georgia, I was not allowed by law to do this myself. I was forced to hire a professional. Total cost was $120.00 to clean and pressure wash the entire outside of the house, driveway, and back patio. Had these water restrictions not been in place I could have done this myself for free, since I have access to a pressure washer, and it would have taken me about 3 hours.

Mulch Front Yard and Tree Bed: I bought 8 bags of red mulch at Home Depot for $3.33 each. Even though the mulch that was there was fine, new mulch just has a richer color to it, and looks much better.

Trim Bushes: Most experts will tell you that your bushes and trees should never touch the house. This was a simple and free job that did not take very long, but make a huge difference in the curb appeal of the home.

Pine Straw and Lawn Mowing: For this I did hire a professional. This did two things for me, saved me a lot of time, and allows me to advertise that the house is professionally landscaped. Before they laid the pine straw, they sprayed special chemicals that I would not have any access to that will prevent weeds from growing back up through the straw in a week or two. Second, they got a much better price on the 25 bales of pine straw that they used for the job. The cost, and time it would have taken me to lay 25 bales would have been a much bigger burden than paying the $250.00 it cost me.

Window Washing Pretty straight forward and free, but must be done.

So, that is all for my landscaping and curb appeal tips. It’s now time to get to the marketing. My home has been on the market for 11 days now, and as promised in the video, I have not shaved / trimmed my beard since then.
(Disclaimer: Mike reserves the right to shave his beard at anytime he deems necessary, but will try his best to get the home sold before that happens)

MIKE’S BEARD DAY 11

Hopefully better than I did…

I only had one family come through during my Open House this past weekend.  They seemed interested, and stayed in the house for at least 20 minutes. I gave them a blank Purchase Agreement that I purchased from the FSBO.com Real Estate Contracts section, a business card, and contact info for a mortgage broker in the area.  They thanked me for my time, and for all of the information I provided. I reminded them that the asking price was negotiable, and that I can give them the code to the combination lockbox at any time if they needed to get a second look.  I plan to follow up with them later this week just to remind them about the house, and to invite them back for a second look.  (Please note I did not post my Open House Info online until late Tuesday night.)

So, I am curious how the rest of you did.  I know we had over 225 people participate in the Open House day last weekend.  What are your thoughts?

I just wanted to wish everyone who is participating in the FSBO.com National Open House Day good luck. Please feel free to post on this blog about your experiences over the weekend. I will be sure to report on how I have done.

Also, for any buyers reading this, it is not too late to go to FSBO.com, and search for open Houses in your area this weekend. You are encouraged to go meet with these owners face to face, instead of just calling or emailing.

FSBO.COM OPEN HOUSE INFO AND SEARCH

I am happy to say that my listing is finally live and posted on the website. I added 21 photos of my property, and will be working on getting a video posted this weekend. I purchased the FSBO.com Gold Package for $99.95 which means I have a professional Yard Sign with my phone number and Listing ID#, a Brochure Holder, and 50 color brochures. Don’t forget that I also got the FREE directional arrow for the front of the subdivision that is included in that package to drive traffic into the sub from the main road. I am about to leave a comment on the Open House Blog to receive my 2 FREE Open House arrows since I am participating in the National Open House Day both Sat and Sun this weekend.

I have also posted my Open House on Craigslist as well. I hope to have another video posted for you this week, to show you the work I have done outside of the house, and then will quickly follow that with my “Marketing” video, to show you how I plan to maximize my exposure online and off.

I will not be giving out my listing ID#, as that would give me an unfair advantage over other FSBO.com customers.

This is a reminder to anyone participating in our National Open House Day next weekend that time is running out to receive a FREE Open House Sign. All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog, or my previous blog about National Open House day with your FSBO.com ID# and the time and date of your Open House, and we will send you a free open house sign/arrow to help you drive traffic to your home.

As a bonus, we will now be sending TWO FREE Open House signs to anyone who comments from now until Monday night at Midnight!!!

I just wanted to thank Ed from OH for being the first FSBO.com customer to have our new Professional Photo Tour added to his listing. 

CLICK HERE TO SEE HIS FULL FSBO LISTING IN OHIO

FSBO.com Photo Tour Details:

Our professional photo affiliate will compile a professional slide show using YOUR photos (up to 20) that includes nice graphics and music.  The unique FSBO.com player allows you to share this as a link, or as an embedded code (like I have done above) on any other website or webpage you might have access to.  The player will include Contact and Property details.  Once you order the Gold Plus Package from FSBO.com, our affiliate will contact you with further instructions on how to submit your photos.  FSBO.com will automatically add this tour to your listing once it is complete.

I am happy to announce that we have added the Most Recent listings (with photos) back on the homepage.  We received plenty of feedback after it was removed, and due to popular demand have given it back to you.  Please note that these listings will now be from all around the world, and not just from the United States.

Just so you know, each “state” has its own set of Most Recently Added listings.  Simply search only the state to see these listings.  As always, please let me know if you have any comments or questions regarding the new site.