Selling a home may be a difficult and time consuming process, which is enough reason to seek out a good real estate agent or qualified salesperson. But if you have the time, are up for the challenge and have the ability to polish your social media skills, it is possible to save a tidy sum, considering that agents often command a 3% to 7% sales commission for a sale. On a $400,000 house that could run between $12,000 to $28,000, which is a significant amount savings!
There are a few things to consider before you place a 'For Sale' sign on the lawn. You should consult a real estate lawyer to understand your rights, responsibilities and requirements to conduct a legal sale and make arrangements to get a proper contract in place once an offer is accepted. Also, you should seek out an appraiser to put an accurate value on your home. The appraisal process, which can cost about $300, can be avoided if you are familiar with sales of comparable homes in your area or have access to other property listings, which are often posted online by real estate agents and companies. Another option worthy of consideration is a property/home inspector to ensure that all plumbing and household fixtures are in top shape and suitable for scrutiny from potential buyers.
Once you know your legal obligations, have the right price and are comfortable with the condition of your home, you should consider using a FSBO (For Sale By Owner) website, which provides several options and online locations to list your home for a reasonable cost, typically in the $200 range. This is valuable also in making you keenly aware of your home's chief selling points and amenities in your area.
And if you've completed that leg work but still need to boost your ability to sell for the best price, many sellers and shoppers alike are flocking to social media sites to connect with others in the same boat. The big benefit offered by the use of social media is reaching a wider audience while also keeping a specific target in mind.
One appealing way is to put together a home-tour type video and then uploading it to YouTube. It follows that you can also use this link to add to your Facebook page while you let your friends know your home is for sale and provide the important details about the property. If you have several good quality photos you may even opt to set up a special Facebook page on its own or use the best ones to post to your Instagram account.
There may be certain appealing details about your home or activities in your neighbourhood worth tweeting about. As long as you are not over-hyping or repeating the same messages over and over, your Twitter followers will help put the word out if you keep it simple and interesting. If you are a LinkedIn member, a quick and pointed message to connections you have a rapport with may also prove to be worthwhile. You might even try asking others about what the best social media avenues are in selling a home, and get even more ideas.
Social media, if properly used, is an excellent tool for marketing and selling a property with a personal touch and may just prove to be the ideal way to save loads of money in the process. If you're fortunate enough to make that happen, be sure to reach out and thank your connections.