“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.
Hola! I write to you today from the beautiful land of Costa Rica. I am currently on a week long adventure exploring real estate in Central America in support of FSBO.com´s new launch of International Listings around the world.
Thanks to my new friends at Good Life Properties (www.goodlifetourscr.com) I was able to take an all day tour of the Pacific Coast looking at real estate, local markets, and even a private tour of a new agricultural theme park. Once I return, I will organize my notes, and give you all a full report of my adventure. Of the many things I learned, the most important is that you do not need to be a millionaire to own property in Costa Rica.
If you have ever been to Costa Rica, or own property there, please leave a comment on your experience or a link to your local website showcasing your property here.
In preparation of the FSBO.com National Open House Day coming up on May 17th and 18th, I wanted to ask YOU a few questions to get your feedback on holding Open Houses based on your past experiences.
What are the best times to hold and Open House?
Which is the better day: Sat or Sun?
How do you handle multiple prospects in your house at one time?
Should you be worried about your safety?
What did you do right, what did you do wrong?
As for me, I plan to hold as many open houses as my schedule will allow for. My house will be open on both May 17th and 18th, starting around 9:00AM. I plan to have some light Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments to keep people in the home for as long as possible, a large stack of brochures, and all of the paperwork necessary for those buyers to make an offer which I purchased from FSBO.com’s Real Estate Contracts page. Since the house is vacant, I will bring a comfortable chair and a book to occupy myself while there is no one at the house.
I’ll post pictures for everyone of my National Open House Day experience after the event. For now, I’d like to hear your stories, or plans regarding open Houses you have had recently.
NOTE: If you want FSBO.com to send you a FREE Open House Rider for your property, simply post a comment on my first blog on the National Open House Day.
May Day, May Day, it’s time for National Open House Day!
Spring has sprung, spring cleaning is done-it’s the perfect time to sell your home! In recognition of May as “National Prepare to Buy a Home Month,” FSBO.com has set two dates (May 17 and 18, 2008) for “National Open House Day” to give our customers increased flexibility to participate in this event. I encourage all of our current customers to add either date to their online “Open House Calendar”. We now give buyers the opportunity to search strictly by Open houses in their area, so it is important to post this info ASAP.
FSBO.com National Open House Day Info!
As part of the promotion for this event, I want to give each and every one of you a FREE “Open House” sign for your yard or subdivision. Due to the large number of listings we have online, it won’t be possible for me to do that. So, in order to receive your FREE Open House Sign/Arrow, you must first post the May 17th or 18th Date on your Open House Calendar, and then leave a comment on this blog with a link to your listing or with your listing ID#. Once I see that you have the open house dates set, I will ship you a Free Open House sign/arrow.
P.S. I will be holding an Open House on both days for my home that I have been making the videos for. Good Luck!