Selling Your House For Sale By Owner In Hendersonville, North Carolina

     First and foremost, if you are selling your own home without a Realtor in Hendersonville, North Carolina or anywhere, you need a written contract, a blank contract.  You need a contract form for the buyer and you to sign.  I spend a lot of time chatting with people that are selling their own house without a Realtor.  Exactly half of those people do NOT have a contract ready to be signed.  This seems to me like going fishing with no fishhooks.  " We will get some fishhooks after we find some fish.", they tell me.  If you are selling your own house, get yourself a contract.  When the buyer says," I love it I want it.", get them to sign the contract and get a deposit.  That how it starts.  Here is a good idea.  Read the contract.  If the contract says," Seller to pay North Carolina excise tax", find out how much that tax is .  Get a contract.  You will never get to the closing table without one.  You can't catch fish without fishhooks. 

     If a person has decided to sell their own  house without the aid of a Realtor, a little preparation will help a lot.  Get prepared to give potential buyers directions to your home.  Every one does not have GPS.  Get prepared to get the transaction closed.  Call an attorney or title insurance company.  Ask them what they need from you when you get a buyer.  Learn a little about buyer closing costs so you can tell the potential buyer.  Mr. Buyer will not buy your house until he knows how much cash he is going to need to get to closing.  You could contact a mortgage company to get this information for your potential buyer or you can hope you will find a buyer that already understands how financing works and what it costs.

     Another thing you need to know about is marketing.  If all you have is a little paper sign in the yard with your phone number, that is probably not enough marketing.  You do need a sign, a nice sign.  A sign down at the main road  with an arrow is a big help also.  Here is a tip.  Put your area code on the sign.  Many people that are looking to buy a house in Hendersonville are not from Hendersonville.  They don't know that the area code is 828 for  Hendersonville, North Carolina.

     If you go to Lowes to buy your sign, for a few shekels more, you can also get a little information tube to put flyers in.  It bolts to the sign.  You fill it up with flyers that tell potential customers about the property.  These are especially beneficial to for sale by owners because if your price is five hundred thousand and they can only afford  a three hundred thousand dollar house, they won't waste their time or yours calling you.  When you make your information flyers, put lots of pictures and all the information that you can think of.  Tell them the taxes, schools, grocery store, HOA dues. Put the price on the flyer.  If you advertise on Craigslist or any other internet sites, put lots of pictures.  Potential buyers love pictures. 

     The more knowledge you have, the easier your transaction will go.  Even though North Carolina is a caveat emptor state, most Realtors encourage their seller clients to use a written disclosure form as an addendum to the contract.  This is not required but it diminishes the likelihood of some aggravating  legal action after closing.  Maybe, as a for sale by owner, it would be a good idea to use a "latent defect" disclosure form letting Mr. Buyer know about any problems that you know about.  If your house was built before 1978, a lead base paint disclosure is required by federal law.  If you fail to disclose the existence of lead base paint, Mr. Buyer can come back after closing and bring a lawsuit when his kids can't memorize the times tables.  http://www2.epa.gov/lead/real-estate-disclosure   Pardon my sense of humor.  Here is a link to give you the real details. 

     Knowledge of financing will help you get a buyer.  You don't have to be a financial expert.  It would certainly help if you can tell Mr. Buyer how much he needs down and how much are his monthly payments if he buys your house. He will need this information before he makes a final decision.  Maaaaaaaybe you will find a buyer that already knows about financing.  You only need to know for your price.  Call any mortgage company .  Tell them your price and ask them how much down and how much per month.  They will tell you.  Call me Ron Climer.  I will tell you. (828 290 1000) . 

     Knowledge of things about your property like where kids go to school, how much are your taxes and HOA dues and electric bill etc. is something that most buyers want to know.  Have this information available.  Most buyers want to know this information before they make a final decision.

     Another thing you need to get your house sold is patience.  You need patience and forgiveness with people.   Often buyers are slightly inconsiderate of your time .  Don't get mad if a buyer makes an appointment to look at your house at 2 o'clock Saturday afternoon, then NOT show up.  Here is a tip from an old experienced Realtor.  Call that potential buyer at 9 AM on Saturday and confirm that appointment.  Save yourself some aggravation.  You need patience and forgiveness when buyers say things that that you may find offensive.  Don't get mad when they tell you your kitchen is "dated".  What does that mean anyway?  Don't get mad if it becomes obvious that Mr. Buyer is wasting his time and your time by looking at your house.  That is just the way things are in the world of selling real estate.  I don't know why people spend their time looking at houses that they can not or will not buy.  But, they do.  Realtors spend a lot of time learning how to adios the ones that can not buy.  http://ronclimer.blogspot.com/2011/04/when-in-doubt-blow-em-out.html   As a for sale by owner, just smile, be patient  and say good bye.  It seems to me to be almost impossible for a for sale by owner to pre qualify buyers.  It would be OK to just bluntly ask them. "Can you folks afford a $$$$$$$ ( your price) house?"  They might lie to you but they might fess up and tell you no and leave.  Feel free to give them my name and number as they go. They can afford something, just not your house.  Patience and tolerance is necessary for your mental health.

     One last thing that I must address is your personal safety.  The North Carolina Real Estate Commission has added a personal safety session to the North Carolina real estate license course that  real estate brokers have to take to get their real estate license.  Be safe.  Put away any valuables and weapons when you are showing the house.  Be extremely aware that you have a total stranger walking through your home.  Please recognize that this is a dangerous situation.  Treat it as such.  I can and I will write an entire article about this subject.  For now, just be aware and be careful.  Be safe. 

     If you try for sale by owner for what seems to be an appropriate time and it doesn't work as well as you hoped, consider listing your house with a Realtor.  I would welcome an opportunity to talk with you and show you what we at Keller Williams Realty Mountain Partners do www.hendersonvillekw.com  to get houses sold faster and usually for more money and always with less hassle.  Call me, Ron Climer at 828 290 1245   or www.ronclimer.com if I can help you get your house sold.  Also, after it is sold, call me if you want to buy another house in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

Rookie Realtor, What If Your Friend Is A For Sale By Owner?

     Do sales trainers ever tell you things that you do not believe?  Maybe you believe that could happen where the trainer lives but it could never happen here.  Here is a story about my personal experience.

     Before I start the story, let me ask you a question, Mr. Rookie Realtor.  In your city where you live and prospect for listings, if I put my house for sale by owner for thirty days, how many Realtors would call me and solicit my listing?  Would a hundred Realtors call me?  Would fifty call?  Would the number be closer to ten?  If I had a sign in the yard, a sign down at the intersection, a ad on Craigslist and a 3x5 card on the bulletin board at the laundromat where all the people that can not afford a washer and dryer are, how many Realtors would call me?  Do you know the answer?  How do you know? Are you just guessing?  Have you read a research report?  I think the answer is none.  Why do I think that?  I had my house for sale by owner for thirty days between September and October 17th.  Not one Realtor called me to solicit my listing. Zero.  None of your competitors are calling for sale by owners.  Call a few.  How did I choose the  Realtor that I listed with?  Go back and read my article about prospect traps that I wrote a few days ago. http://rondclimer.blogspot.com/2014/10/new-realtors-set-some-prospect-traps.html  This Realtor had a very effective prospect trap.  My wife called him. Once Kathy contacted him, he did a great job of following up.

     I know a bunch of Realtors in Orlando, why didn't I list with one of them?  None of them ask me.

     As a training exercise, get together with several of your peers and ask them how should you handle it if one of your friends or acquaintances is a for sale by owner.  Ask your co workers how to handle this. How would you handle this situation?

     While I was a for sale by owner, I received a call from the Realtor that listed my house four years ago when I bought it.  She told me that if when I got tired of being a for sale by owner, call her.  If I had not ran into the person that I did list my home with, I probably would have called her.  I am certain she would have done a good job.

     Here is how I think you should handle your friend, your fellow club member, your acquaintance your previous customer that is a for sale by owner.  Treat them like any other for sale by owner prospect.  That is what they are. They are a prospect.  If you don't ask them to list with you, don't be surprised when they don't.  Watch my video about calling for sale by owners.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhzCdscDqxc    This video is about calling strangers that are for sale by owners.  If you use this approach with strangers, you will get listings.  We are not talking about strangers.  We are talking about your friend that is in the Rotary club with you.  He mentions that he has his house for sale by owner and he will be moving in forty five days.  He is going to try it on his own for forty five days and then he will call you and list with you just before he leaves town.  WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO HANDLE THIS SITUATION?

      The best way to handle this situation is just like you would handle a for sale by owner stranger.  Agree that that sounds like a good plan.  Ask you friend if you had a customer , could we work out a one time commission.  This is exactly the way I would handle a stranger.  Ask your friend if you can stop by and look at the house.  Proceed with your friend just like you would with a stranger.  Here is a little hot tip they don't teach in real estate school.  You still have to meet and impress the spouse.  What better way than to go look at the house and treat this acquaintance like what he is , A PROSPECT.   If you don't know what to say to a for sale by owner stranger, here is the video .  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BYAiA7ayLw 

     if you read my previous article, you know that I think for sale by owners are super prospects.  A friend that is a for sale by owner is a super duper prospect.  Prospects don't buy what you are selling if you don't ask them to.  Don't wait for your friend to call you.  Call your friend, prospect.

     Get together with your sales manager and several of your peers.  See if you can find a better plan.  This is a perfect plan.  If you come up with a better idea, leave me a comment here.

     www.ronclimer.com      www.ronclimer.com

For Sale By Owner, A Prospect For Realtors In Disguise

     We need to talk to a prospect every day.  Do you remember the definition of a prospect?  A prospect is someone that needs or wants your product or service, can afford it and will likely buy it from you or your competitor in the near future.  Does that describe someone trying to sell their own house?  They have their house for sale.  They need the services of a Realtor. They will likely list with some Realtor within a few weeks.  It is unlikely that the forsalebyowner will be successful selling his house on his own.

     The odds are against him.  Most forsalebyowners have a hard time being objective.  When the buyer tells them that there drapes are ugly, they get offended.  Most forsalebyowners have a severe lack of knowledge.  They don't understand financing.  Most forsalebyowners believe that a buyer is going to show up with a suitcase full of cash or a A plus credit rating.  If you have been selling real estate long, you know it rarely happens that way.  I could go on and on about the perils of being a forsalebyowner.  The bottom line is it is tough. A forsalebyowner's likelihood of success is very low.   Most people (80%) give up and list with a Realtor. 

     If that is true and it is true, what would you have to lose by going to see Mr. and Mrs. Forsalebyowner?  You could admire their house.  You could get to know them.  You could get them to like you.   You could bring them a gift like a refrigerator magnet.   What would you have to lose?  You would have nothing to lose unless you are so busy because your phone is ringing too much.

     Forsalebyowners are prospects.  Go back to the definition of a prospect.  Does the definition mention that thet KNOW they need or want your product.  No, that is not in the definition.  I like to use this analogy in my live classes.  If you were a life insurance salesperson, would this person be a prospect?  Would a thirty year old man with two kids and a pregnant wife that is living payday to payday be a prospect for life insurance?  What if he is so broke that he can hardly make his car payments and pay his cable bill?  Would he be a prospect for life insurance?  Does he need the product.  He needs life insurance like a drowning man needs a life raft.  Does he know that he needs life insurance?  No, he needs a good salesperson to point out to him that he needs life insurance.  He is a prospect for life insurance by any definition.  

     Forsalebyowners are the same way.  They meet the criteria of a prospect by any definition.  They need a Realtor.  They have to afford it. What they are doing isn't working.  They (80%) will list with a Realtor soon.  It will probably be you if they know you.  Call them.  Go meet them.  The only reason to NOT call aforsalebyowner is fear.  Let's take the fear out of it.

     Working forsalebyowner prospects requires a patient salesperson.  It is like fishing.  There is no hurry.  Relax and enjoy the process.  I have two videos for this.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhzCdscDqxc    If you need to know what to say on the phone, watch this video.  If you need to know what to say when you go see them, watch the other video.

    If there is a secret, the secret is just go see Mr. and Mrs. Forsalebyowner.  Get them to like you.  Do not over complicate this.  You need to talk to prospects.  Forsalebyowners are prospects.  I don't know what else you are doing with your time.  If it is not seeing prospects, call a forsalebyowner.  Make an appointment.  Go look at their house.  Make them fall in love with you.  There is no magic to this.  Just dial the phone.  That  is the only magic.  You need to talk to prospects .  You need to talk to prospects.  You need to talk to prospects.  Do not let the sun come up and go down without you talking to a prospect.

     Call a few forsalebyowner prospects.  Just go visit with them.  Look at their house.  Admire their house.  I told you what to say in the video.  What else are you doing with your time?  If nothing else, you will get practice talking to people.  Learn to ask questions and learn to let them do most of the talking.  Just visit with like you would visit with an old friend.  There is no opportunity for rejection if you do this the way I told you in the video.  After you look at their house, send them a "Thank You" card thanking them for showing you the house and assuring them if you   find a prospect, you will be in touch.  Add them to your "who you know" list.  They are going to list with someone, it may as well be  you. 

     www.RonClimer.com