Selling my home; advice

[Donaz1]

I am considering selling my home (FSBO). I would like to hear from others and their experiences. I know I need photos and maybe should hire a professional photographer for this. I would need to have contract forms ready. Thanks in advance for advice in this matter

[dadspet]

Did it ourself about 5 years ago. Got a Villages Estimate then placed our Ranch on the Market a few $1000 more than the estimate with the idea of putting it on with the Villages if it didn't sell, at their estimate. We had about a week window to sell it and held an open house every day for a few hrs with a few signs placed around on the street. Also put a notice in Talkofthevillages, local paper and one other place (can't remember where ). Had a good traffic location and several lookers and a few very interested prospects. Less than a week after the putting on we received an offer very close to the price we were asking and sold it that day. Almost all the lookers were from the open house. The photos we used on Talkfothevillages were taken by me with a 35mm point and shoot camera. Today I think you could use a cell phone camera. We really lucked out because the buyer used their own buyer's agent and we didn't have to do anything except sign papers. It went very smooth and we would clearly try it again. Our daughter just sold her house outside the Villages, but very close, by herself word of mouth without even advertising. Several agents have "for sale by ower packages" with all the necessary paperwork that you can use and will charge about $500 (Check for today's prices but I think it's in the ballpark) to close the deal. I would guess it depends on the house, location, price, finding the right person at the right time and good luck but saving 5 or 6% or even selling it is clearly worth a try.

Good Luck!

[Donaz1]

Thank you for your great reply. It seems like a little to save $18000 commission of a $300k home. It seems that I need to get some signs and get ready to have open houses.

[rjm1cc]

Your big problem is knowing if the buyer can complete the sale.
You will need some paper work at the time of the offer that states that the deposit is non refundable and settlement has to be made by x date. You probably do not want a contingency that they have to sell current home or get approved for a mortgage. You want to make sure if the deal falls through you can move on to another buyer. They may want to hire a home inspector. If they do you can probably say 1 week to get inspection done and if cost of repairs exceed 5% (or what ever) of the sales price they can cancel. You could also say if exceed 5% sales goes through and you will pay cost of repairs at your option. If the A/C is toward the end of its life keep that in mind. You might shop for a home warranty policy that you would buy and it protects the buyer. Get your pricing now so you know what you can do if you run into a problem. Might help with the old A/C and heater.

[retiredguy123]

My advice would be to hire a realtor. I won't even look at FSBOs because they are almost always overpriced. A good realtor should be able to get 6 percent more than you can. Just my opinion.

[queasy27]

Get the listing on FSBO sites. I agree that any bright, clear photos should be fine, and plenty of them. A good number of buyers here pay cash, which is a also a boon for sellers. If you're not in a big hurry there's no harm in trying. It should move quickly if priced fairly and in good condition.

[CFrance]

We bought our CYV FSBO while out of the country. We had both a realtor and a couple of friends looking for us, plus we were searching online. We knew exactly what we wanted and where we wanted, and what position in the neighborhood we preferred (street on the other side of the wall; no roofs to look at, only sky and trees). Our friend in the neighborhood got wind of an upcoming villa in that neighborhood, the exact model and positioning we wanted. She knew the owners (turned out we did too, slightly) and could go in and take pictures. We communicated by Skype and email. My husband was a little hesitant to buy sight unseen, but we wouldn't be back very soon, so we had to act. We trusted our friend and the pictures and the house inspection, and we couldn't be happier. The exact same model is now up for sale down the street from us, also FSBO, at asking price $15K more than we paid for ours two months ago. As we look at sale prices for our model online, we know we got a terrific deal.

Last March our designer sold in half a day for 10% over the asking price, with our trusted TV sales agent. I have wondered if we shouldn't have tried a FSBO. It was the right time of year, with snowbirds looking at having to return home soon, and there was nothing new on the market except for Fenney area with no golf cart access to facilities up here. So that was fortunate for us.

[Bay Kid]

Hire a Realtor to sell your home. Same reason you don't repair your car, cart, washing machine, etc.

[graciegirl]

I used to recommend McLin and Burnsed for closing, but I am not sure they do it anymore. We sold our first home FSBO with their help. Easy peasy.

[CFrance]

I used to recommend McLin and Burnsed for closing, but I am not sure they do it anymore. We sold our first home FSBO with their help. Easy peasy.
Our seller used Tri County up on 441, and it was a piece of cake.

[Bill32]

FSBO....3 times...simple...put the $20,000.00 in your pocket. Get all of the information and forms from the title company you use. we just used our camera phone pictures. Title company usually has an attorney available if needed. Pre Approval letter for buyer or proof of funds to close etc...maybe a friend or acquaintance of yours can walk you through it...

[Brawnwy123]

I am considering selling my home (FSBO). I would like to hear from others and their experiences. I know I need photos and maybe should hire a professional photographer for this. I would need to have contract forms ready. Thanks in advance for advice in this matter

RESPONSE Hi, well we are also going to move soon. Will get an outside sales firm. they do lower the fees and they are more likely to work with you,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Outside of the villages.
Talked to a good agent at Grizzard Realty, Dan Foster, seems honest and very good. Can also put an ad in the paper with photo etc.
GOOD LUCK :bigbow:

[toeser]

Fizber.com is a great resource. You can get a six-month listing on MLS for around $500. They will get your listing on several other websites (like Zillow.com, Realtor.com, Facebook, etc.) automatically. We sold our home fairly quickly using that service. We did agree to pay a commission to a buyer's broker.

[jammaiora]

You and the buyer agree to general terms verbally. Then contact a Title Company and they do the paperwork. Very easy.

[OhioBuckeye]

We're selling our house right now too. I agree, hire a realtor. I wouldn't try & sell it yourself because you'll just have a lot of non buyers walking through your home with no intentions of buying, just my suggestion. But then again we've had our home up for sell since the first of Dec. Right now it seems like people aren't ready to buy until their rental time is about up. Lots of homes to pick from out their so that's why I say hire a realtor. I have my pro & Con's about who to hire or to get a Village realtor or a realtor outside the bubble. Good luck!

[OhioBuckeye]

Thank you for your great reply. It seems like a little to save $18000 commission of a $300k home. It seems that I need to get some signs and get ready to have open houses.

Selling it yourself might be the best way to put $18,000. in your pocket instead of a realtors. But the problem selling it yourself is you get a lot of snoopers with no intentions of buying & you better be ready to be spending a lot of time at home. I have a realtor & I'm starting to think they aren't screening some of these people very well. We live in the middle of the Villages, so we thought it would sell pretty quick, but with all the homes for sell here it's not going to be easy to sell your home unless it's priced right. Check out all the pro's & cons. We decided to go with a realtor. But then again it's been up for sell for 2 months now. Good luck!

[Ben Franklin]

Many people come from out of state to buy a home in TV and they like to prepare before they come visit. What service do you use on-line to display your home for sale?

[VillaSantoDomingo]

We are planning to offer our 2 bedroom/2 bath courtyard villa for sale by owner in May 2019. We contacted a local title company who provided us with all the necessary paperwork to handle this sale on our own (it will also help that I was a licensed Florida Realtor a few years ago). I plan to have a daily open house and advertise in the FSBO section of daily paper plus list it on Zillow. If a Realtor brings a "qualified" buyer I would agree to a finders fee paid after the closing. I could be wrong, but I think the key to offering your house FSBO is not to handle any monies - let the title company deal with that as that is part of what you are paying them for.

[BowlTurner]

Hi,
I've sold two homes by myself (FSBO). You need to do all the things a real estate agent would do (photos, detailed sell sheet, open house, some local paper ads, etc.) which will take some time and effort and a small amount of money, but that's part of doing it yourself. The first home was easy since the person who purchased it knew me. No commission paid for the sale! Our attorneys took care of all the details. The second home was a bit more difficult since real estate agents don't like to show their clients FSBO homes so they didn't drive any traffic to the open houses (when they did, they bad mouthed the home). The purchaser saw my ad and came to the open house and then insisted that their real estate agent provide a sales offer. I wound up paying a 3% commission to the selling agent and $250 for the FSBO website. Saved about $13,000. A bit of work, a bit of stress, but well worth it.

[Tredsaw12]

Try it. You have nothing to lose, and quite a bit of money to save. I've sold my house without a realtor many times when I lived up north. It's even easier in Florida because you don't need to hire a lawyer. Find a reputable title company, (PM me for my recommendation), then list it on Zillow, (owns Trulia and arguably the most popular real estate site on the web). After 3 or 4 weeks you can step it up by adding a 2 1/2%, (typical), commission to the buyers agent. If you don't have the patience you can pay a few hundred $$$ to get it listed on the MLS with an online FSBO company. If you list it on the MLS you will most likely have to pay a commission to the buyer's agent.

It's easier than you'd think. All you really have to do is answer the phone and show the house. PM me for more details and any questions.

[pattishap]

I sent you a private message in reference to this. I hope you received it.

[OhioBuckeye]

I sent you a private message in reference to this. I hope you received it.

PATTISHAP, if you're trying to get in touch with someone call the the Villages head or Talk of the Villages. Someone wanted to get in touch with me & I got an email from the head office, giving me a contact #. No one else saw the contact #. Try that! Good Luck

[eweissenbach]

In a hot market like TV I would recommend anyone should try the FSBO route. I have sold five homes FSBO and bought our Villages villa FSBO. I have read all the replies on this thread and I think the positive ones have covered all the bases pretty well. Contact the title company before you begin advertising and they will walk you through the process. Follow the advice of those who recommend you list the home in the event you have an extra $15K or so to spend on convenience. BTW, I'm a former Realtor.

[Brawnwy123]

I am considering selling my home (FSBO). I would like to hear from others and their experiences. I know I need photos and maybe should hire a professional photographer for this. I would need to have contract forms ready. Thanks in advance for advice in this matter


We really recommend Dan Foster with Grizzard Realty.
Be careful, very careful:bigbow::bigbow:. Good luck.

[HIgolfers]

eweissenbach- Nice honest post. Good job!

[spring_chicken]

My advice would be to hire a realtor. I won't even look at FSBOs because they are almost always overpriced. A good realtor should be able to get 6 percent more than you can. Just my opinion.

This makes no sense. You first say that FSBOs are almost always overpriced, then you say a realtor can get 6% more than the overpriced FSBO price? Two totally contradictory statements.

[retiredguy123]

This makes no sense. You first say that FSBOs are almost always overpriced, then you say a realtor can get 6% more than the overpriced FSBO price? Two totally contradictory statements.
I don't see a contradiction. If you price a fsbo too high, you probably won't get your price, but you will waste a lot of people's time. I believe that a good realtor can usually get a higher price than the owner can. It is called marketing and sales. I looked at a lot of fsbos before I decided that most people have an unrealistic view of the actual value for their house, and some tend to be greedy. They also seem to think that the buyer should share the commission that they think they are saving. When, in fact, the sales commission is not something the buyer pays. It is always a charge to the seller, and it should be.

[Brawnwy123]

I am considering selling my home (FSBO). I would like to hear from others and their experiences. I know I need photos and maybe should hire a professional photographer for this. I would need to have contract forms ready. Thanks in advance for advice in this matter

Response to selling.
We plan to sell in the near future. Will do by owner and yes, photos do help, so it seems. If we go to a realtor, it will be OUTSIDE, like Dan Foster at Grizzard Realty or others. Good luck.

:bigbow:

[graciegirl]

In a hot market like TV I would recommend anyone should try the FSBO route. I have sold five homes FSBO and bought our Villages villa FSBO. I have read all the replies on this thread and I think the positive ones have covered all the bases pretty well. Contact the title company before you begin advertising and they will walk you through the process. Follow the advice of those who recommend you list the home in the event you have an extra $15K or so to spend on convenience. BTW, I'm a former Realtor.

Well said.

[eweissenbach]

Well said.

Thank You Grace! BTW - LOVE your new profile picture!

[graciegirl]

Thank You Grace! BTW - LOVE your new profile picture!

I needed to remind myself I wasn't always old and that I have played golf for a long time.

Thank you Coach.