Are you prepared to sell on your own?
For most people, selling a home is probably one of the biggest financial transactions they will ever experience. Unfortunately, the process of selling a home is now more complex and time consuming than ever before. In order to be successful, you will need extensive marketing, financial, and of course, legal experience. In essence, unless you are an expert home seller, going the for sale by owner route can be a frustrating and potentially costly experience. If you choose to sell your home yourself, be prepared to stay close to home for days, weeks or (most likely in today's market) months, to show your home/host Open Houses on the weekends. The average days on market for Single Family, Condominiums and Multi Family dwellings in and around Pepperell, is 130 days. You will also need to be accessible during regular working hours, when most showings occur. Now, you may be thinking that you can simply set the appointments when YOU are available. The answer is yes, of course, you can set showing appointments to your liking, however if you are not available to show your home when a buyer is ready to view it, you are limiting the chance to make that sale. The more showings, the better chance you have to sell quickly.
Have you taken all of this into consideration?
Leave your worries behind when you list with me.
You already live a busy life. Why not let me and the Century 21 System work for you and save you time, frustration and yes, believe it or not.....money. The Century 21 system will give you access to an array of services designed specifically to market your home. You will also have a team of 22 agents/brokers from our Pepperell and Groton offices working as dilligently as I will to reach our goal, which is to sell your home. We realize that you want to sell your home quickly, at the right price and with as few worries as possible. I along with a skilled Century 21 team of agents will help alleviate any anxiety you may have about selling your home and I will personally be there to help/guide you through this process.
Would you like to experience a worry-free transaction?
Top 10 reasons for Real Estate Representation
1. To optimize sales price - A study through the National Association of Realtors (NAR) showed that sellers receive on average, a 16% higher sales price when they list with a Realtor. Paying a 5-6% commission still leaves you with a 10-11% profit. Depending on how much money you have to spend on advertising, you could spend from as little as $399 and advertise on one single site, or you could be agressive and list on several sites, maybe a newspaper advertisement or 2...or 3 or more depending on how many days the house is on the market. You can incur thousands of dollars of advertising costs. Advertising costs, along with the standard 16% average profit from listing with a Realtor could increase up to another 2 to 3%.
Would you like a higher profit margin and no advertising costs when all is said and done?
2. To get your home ready to show - First impressions are extremely important. My experience has told me that within the first minute of showing up at a house, a buyer will decide whether or not it will be on their list of consideration. I can help you to see through a "typical buyer's eyes" and suggest simple improvements to attract offers to purchase. Some people may not like what they hear, however, at this point, if you want to sell your home, you will need to accept some constructive advise.
Do you agree that if you were the potential buyer, that you would want to purchase a home that is appealing to you?
3. To maximize your property's exposure in the marketplace - Century 21 will advertise your home on our global and local web sites. We will also list it in MLS and Realtor.com and also on my web site. We will put a for sale sign (with our nationally and internationally branded name) in your yard and also include print advertisement in local and Boston newspapers. I offer free virtual tours of the homes I list. Another study from NAR showed that 82% of real estate sales are the result of agent contacts through current and previous clients, referrals, friends, family and personal contacts.
Does it make sense to you that we, as realtors would have more contacts, who are interested in purchasing a home?
4. Buyers are more comfortable contacting agents rather than home owners - Many buyers are leery contacting home owners. Potential buyers may also become intimidated looking through a home if the owner is present. They may also be uncomfortable making an offer knowing they will have to negotiate with a home owner directly, therefore, a sale will be lost due to the apprehension.
Would you feel comfortable looking through a stranger's home with them right next to you?
5. To pre-screen prospective buyers - Preparing your home for a showing is alot of hard work. When a buyer is working with an agent, we pre-qualify our buyers to ensure they are financially prepared to purchase the homes I show them. I would not waste neither your, nor my time with those who are not qualified, serious buyers. There are "professional" home shoppers out there who will do nothing but look at several houses, for months, sometimes even years before they finally purchase a home. My goal is to save you time, inconvenience and unnecessary traffic parading through your home. FSBO's also need to beware of the safety hazards that go along with showing your home, all appointments are recorded in our office for safety purposes.
Do you feel confident with pre-screening potential buyers with your family's best interest at heart?
6. Liability - To help guard against misrepresentation and claims - In today's society, it is imperative that all matters relating to the sale of the property, i.e. physical condition, history, zoning, etc. be accurately and comprehensively disclosed. Overlooking one form or required disclosure may lead to an expensive claim. Century 21 will take that liability on for you, again, alleviating stress and saving you money.
Do you have the experience and money to burden yourself with such a risk?
7. To provide buyers with information in regard to the community - Buyers want to know about the community, activities, school system, local government, etc. I have the knowledge and access to this information typically more than many FSBO's.
How informed are you? Do you have information in print to give to prospective buyers?
8. To ensure privacy, confidentiality and safety for both sellers and buyers - In this crazy world we live in today, do you want some stranger knocking on your door expecting to walk right into your home? Do you have that much trust in the general population? I don't. The best way to keep your family safe during a time such as this, is to have agents accompany buyers while in your home.
Wouldn't you feel safer?
9. Negotiate for top dollar - Working with a skilled negotiator such as myself, where my fiduciary responsibility is to you and working with your best interests at heart will improve your chances of selling at the price you want. Reaching an agreement between buyer and seller and closing the sale requires complete objectivity. First of all, buyers of FSBO homes automatically deduct 5% from the sales price thinking that you are saving this amount from not paying a Realtor, nevermind, the other little quirks buyers will come up to use as leverage, trying to shave more dollars off of the asking price. Ultimately, it comes down to this: Home owners are not objective, no matter how much you think you can be, you will not be able to be objective about your own home. It would be completely normal to be offended if a buyer comments that he/she wants to take $1,000 off due to the fact that they they absolutely hate the wallpaper in your bedroom and replace it with paint. The wallpaper that you spent 2 months researching to suit your taste and you put your blood, sweat and possibly tears into hanging it yourself. These people have the nerve to dislike it, and they plan to rip it down after all of your hard work? It can feel downright insulting in this particular case. In most instances, I believe buyer/homeowner negotiations can lead to undue ill feelings, and negotiations may stop as quickly as they were started. The best way to negotiate a transaction is through a professional, experienced agent, such as myself.
Are you prepared to receive "low-ball" offers and listen to criticism about a structure that you call............ HOME?
10. Access to the Century 21 Customized Marketing System - It is not worth dealing with the risks and frustrations when you can work under the Century 21 umbrela - a well known brand name, a global network of home selling professionals and state of the art technology tools to help handle the details and ensure a smooth transaction.
My point: Please make a responsible, informed decision before you take on this type of liability.
e-HomeNews for October, 2006
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Surfing For A Home? Why The Internet Is Not Enough A Good Starting Place Making A Virtual Impression Get Your Fresh Listings Here |
I am also great source for referral services such as mortgage lenders, movers, inspectors, remediation, contractors, etc. I will even purchase a Century 21 Home Warranty for you ($399 cost) with a 6 month listing contract. Just mention when we meet, that you read this on my site and it's yours at no cost - this is also a great marketing tool.
So go ahead and surf, but be sure to give ME a call when you're really ready to buy or sell a home.
Are you ready to work with a true professional?
Contact me:
Stumpf02@verizon.net Email
978-502-6782 Cell
978-925-0203 Office
Don't ever argue with an idiot....
>they'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."
>~ anonymous
