Having decided to put your house for sale, you would have decided on the price and on which method to sell it. You may sell it privately without agents, or using the services of real estate agents, or through an auction. The recent trend that popular in Australia is ‘For sale by owner’ (FSBO). This process completely replaces real estate agents as you get all the information, tools and support for selling your home as today technology has made everything easy. When you have a house for sale, you would most probably think about how to advertise or get the word out. Statistics have shown that most houses are bought by people in the neighbourhood. So you should let the local area people know about the sale of your house. You can do it in different ways – through newspapers, magazines, sign boards, flyers, internet, etc.
The ‘For Sale’ sign board with details of the house for sale should be kept at strategic corners in the area around the house. The people who pass by notice it and even if they are not interested in buying the house they the word will get around and reach those who are interested. This is the most effective form of advertising the house for sale. You can get the word out about the house for sale is by printing and distributing flyers with photographs of the house with other details such as when and how to contact you for fixing up the time for inspection. These flyers can be distributed in the local clubs and displayed in department stores and parking lots. They will attract the attention of the people who are looking to buy a house in your area. The conventional way is to advertise the house for sale in the newspapers on Saturdays and Sundays on the classified columns when people usually look for properties on sale. The latest trend is advertising online to reach a wider audience such as national and international buyers.
Your next step is many things to do for preparing the house for sale. Emotionally dissociate yourself from the house and depersonalize the house by removing your family photographs and heirlooms. Make the necessary repairs such as fixing the creaky doors and windows, fixing the leaky taps and faucets, patching the holes on the wall and cracks in the floor and counter tiles, replace the burned out light bulbs, paint the walls in neutral colours etc. Remove clutter and make the house spacious. Rearrange the kitchen cabinets and the wardrobes to make them look organized. A neatly organized house gives the impression that the house is well maintained. Change the worn out curtains, carpet and rugs. Wash windows, clean cob-webs and polish the faucets and mirrors. Vacuum the house and de-odorize the whole house. Remove the stains on the floors and bathroom floors. Draw the curtains and allow natural light in the house. Clean the side walks and garage with pressure washer mow the lawns and remove bushes. Make sure to create a good curb appeal. Put fresh towels in the kitchen and bathrooms. Plant some yellow flowers as they evoke the buying decision. The above steps and the amount and effort you put in when you put your house for sale will be really rewarding.