selling a home
Truthfully, it’s best not to think of your primary home as an investment, but as a necessary expense that may pay for itself and then some if all goes well. Selling by owner can significantly improve your odds of coming out ahead.
Pay attention to home sales in your area. Try to find similar homes in your neighborhood or those like yours that have sold recently.
If you’re looking to get top dollar, take what you think would be fair, and add 5% to 10%. If you’re impatient and just want a quick sale, price it on the low side.
Declutter, take down family photos, and box up anything that makes the home feel less spacious. This might mean taking out some furniture.
Take Photos
If you don’t have access to a decent camera or don’t have an eye for photography, you may want to hire this step out to a professional. It may cost you a few hundred dollars, but that’s nothing to the tens of thousands you can save in realtor fees.
Facebook Marketplace
The listing is free, and you can use the same description and photos that you’ve used elsewhere. Just be prepared for a deluge of questions from non-serious buyers like the Facebook default “Is this still available?” to “will you rent to own (contract for deed)?” and other questions that wouldn’t have to be asked if the asker had read your full listing.
There are situations where it makes sense to work directly with a realtor when selling your home, but if you’ve got some time and a willingness to do some legwork, you can save tens of thousands of dollars in fees when you sell your home yourself.