Finding the buyer.... making the sale

Taking an objective view about selling your house is sometimes difficult. Most home sellers feel that their house is better than any other house in the neighborhood. While at times this may be true, you must realize that each potential buyer and buyer's agent may view it differently.

It is very important to understand that there are many factors that form a buyer's decision to purchase. Trends, market conditions, location, size, amenities and the number of properties available in your neighborhood all have a significant effect. While you can't control those factors, there are two that you can control; your home's condition and the asking price. Both are very relative to each other and can make the difference in making the sale..

The most important facts to remember are that if your house is in desirable condition and priced appropriately, there will be a buyer.

Statistics (National)

• Well over 70% of home buyers use the Internet to search for homes.
• 71% of buyers used a yard sign for information.
• 9 out of 10 Buyers use a real estate agent in the search process.
• The median home price for sellers that used a Realtor was 16% higher than a home sold directly by owner.
• Over 40% of buyers come from a salesperson contact.
• Over 20% of Buyers come from a yard sign.
• Roughly 18% responded to an advertisement, but purchased a different house.
• 8% responded to an open house, but purchased a different house.
• 7% of buyers came from a relocation service.
• 3% bought an advertised property.
• 3% bought for a combination of reasons.
• Roughly 1% bought an open house they saw.

Your best chance of selling your property is to list it with a Realtor that is a member of the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

The Open House - A weekend diversion?

An honest answer about the "Open House".

Most buyers who attend open houses are not serious buyers. They are often window browsing for a variety of reasons. Many may be just curious neighbors or people looking for remodeling ideas. Even worse, they may be undesirables looking for a quick score or a later heist. This is not to say that open houses are not worth it, but more than often it is done for the benefit of your agent.

Open houses are often not for the benefit of the home seller. You see, open houses are a good way to meet prospective buyers and home sellers that the agent may never get the opportunity to otherwise meet..

Additionally, if you consider when open houses are held, usually on a Sunday afternoon, more times than not, you are competing with sporting events or leisure activities.

While open houses can be a part of the overall effort in marketing a home, you must weigh the likelihood of a sale coming from it against the efforts to prepare for it . You must also weigh the risk of opening your home to the general public.