selling your house without a broker in 2011 or use a broker to sell?

selling your house without a broker in 2011 or should you use a house broker to sell your house?.

YOU CAN SELL YOUR HOUSE without a broker -- and save yourself a ton of money in the process. But there are times when going it alone just doesn't make sense. You may need to sell fast, or simply not have the time to devote to selling your house yourself. In that case, a real estate broker is your only option. But don't just pick the first one who walks in your door and tells you selling your place will be a cinch. Here's how to find the best one.

First of all, you want someone who has a strong track record selling your kind of home in your neighborhood. Some brokers specialize in starter homes while others sell more trade-up homes. Put together a list of brokers by asking friends and neighbors for referrals. If you've lived in the area for a while you probably have a sense of which firm has the most market share. If you have time, attend a few open houses one weekend to see some brokers in action. You may be tempted to give your listing to a friend, but that can easily backfire since disputes with brokers are common.

Interview brokers over the phone. A top broker will know your particular market, as well as the schools, taxes and local transportation. At least four to five years of experience is ideal, but someone new at the game may devote more energy to your sale and be more negotiable on the commission. They should have access to and use your area’s Multiple Listing Service (a database of all available properties that brokers use to find homes to show to buyers), and be willing to split their commission with another broker who brings a buyer to the table.



We don't put much stock in titles, but here's what they stand for: All real estate "agents" must be licensed by the state (requirements vary). They can take an additional test to become a real estate "broker," which means they can run their own office. A "realtor" is an agent or broker who is a member of the National Association of Realtors. That only means they promise to adhere to a code of ethics.

Of course you want someone who will give you a break on the commission. If yours is a seller's market, just tell brokers that if they want your listing, they’ll have to shave a point or two off their rate (that may not sound like much, but one percentage point amounts to a 33% cut in pay for the broker, assuming they will split a 6% fee with another agent). If it is a buyer’s market, you may have to be more creative to get a break. Many agents will give you a discount if you give them an "exclusive" -- that is, let them show the home for a couple of weeks without putting it on the MLS. That way the agent won't have to split the commission with another agent. If it is a very high-priced home, or if you are moving up to purchase another home through this same agent, you can usually get a break.

In some areas it's worthwhile checking in with a discount broker. An expanding field, these agents will take a flat fee or reduced commission to provide a lower level of service. Some will list your house on the MLS and handle negotiations with the buyer, leaving showing the home up to you. The problem is that other agents don't like to work with discounters so you may not get much traffic through your home.

If you go with a cut-rate broker, make sure they have a good track record.

When you've narrowed down your list, ask the top three contenders to come by your home. At the first visit they should interview you about your goals and expectations for the sale, present their qualifications and explain their typical approach. Ask for a copy of their typical listing agreement (usually boilerplate), to give you an idea of the terms you would be agreeing to. But if they ask you to sign right away, don't. Get the phone numbers of the last three sellers they've worked for so you can interview previous clients about their experience. Be sure to ask them if they would work with that broker again.

On a second visit, top brokers will usually make a formal presentation, giving you a detailed marketing strategy that describes their plans for advertising, open houses and marketing to other brokers. You should also get a suggested list price for your home (based on comparable sales in the neighborhood) and an estimate for the amount of time it will take to sell. Don’t be fooled into choosing the broker who gives you the highest price. Some brokers will set an unrealistic price just to get a listing.

You can't be sure you've found your sales agent until you actually sign the listing agreement. Some brokers will balk at the guidelines we recommend and you may need to alter the agreement a little. You want the right to take the property off the market for any reason, to switch brokers or cancel the agreement without penalty if you are unsatisfied with the broker's efforts. The agreement should be in effect 90 days and should only have a six-month period where you would owe this broker a commission if someone they showed the home returns to buy it later. The listing agreement also puts in writing the agreed upon commission, parameters for marketing your home and receiving offers. Your agent should agree to continue to show the property as a "pending sale property" on the MLS until closing.

All this may seem like a lot of work before you've even put your house on the market. But if you choose your broker wisely, the selling process should be fairly hassle-free. After the sale you may even feel like the agent actually deserves the fee.

the video below is from 2008 and might not apply now, where there was special offers in various us states like Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana.

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how to sell your house in 2011 best ways to make most money from house selling in this property market 2011???

how to sell your house in 2011 best ways to make most money from house selling in this property market 2011???.

You may be ready to move on to your next home, but is your home ready to appeal to its next owner? Have you gotten so comfortable in your home that potential buyers won’t be able to imagine themselves living there? Does that cozy reading lamp make the room look smaller, darker, and less inviting? Can you even remember what it was about your home that made you want to buy it?

As a homeowner preparing to sell your house, you’ve probably given a lot of thought to how much money you’d like to make on the sale, but not much on how to present (stage) your house for maximum appeal.

"A buyer knows in the first minute whether they’re interested enough to stay and look at a house," says Susan Bowman, a realtor in Marin County, California. "Staging can be a big help because most buyers can’t see through the clutter. I have a person who comes in and rearranges the furniture and creates focal points. Most sellers are overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin. If the seller invests a little in having someone come in and help them, they can probably add 10% - 25% to the closing price."

Bowman is a realtor in one of the hottest, dot.com-millionaire real estate markets in the country. This is a market where even a 2,700 square foot house, in need of a new roof and garage, can sell for over a million dollars. Stagers (also called designers and house organizers) can charge upward of $2,500 for their services in Marin County.

"I think that this kind of service pays for itself," says Bowman. "My stager, has lists of appraisers, charities and antique dealers who will take pieces on consignment. Naturally you get a write off for the charitable contributions. She also knows handymen who can help with small repairs."

It’s not unusual for a stager or a realtor to recommend that you put up to half of your furniture in storage. "When people live in a house they put pieces in places for fun or convenience," says Bowman. "It’s very hard for a buyer to imagine themselves in a place that is inundated with someone else’s history. A piano covered with family photos doesn’t present a very neutral canvas."

"The house may not look the way you would live in it, but it sets the stage for a much more attractive sale, " says Bowman.

If you’re interested in doing your own staging, Bowman makes the following suggestions:


Make the front doorway as attractive as possible.
Invest in a gardener to put redwood chips in flowerbeds. It gives them a finished look.

Ask yourself what attracted you to the house in the first place: ambiance, views, lighting? Make sure that aspect is highlighted so that it can appeal to the next buyer.

Replace all bulbs with higher wattage bulbs and leave the lights on. A bright house is more inviting.
Eliminate clutter. Take everything off the kitchen table and counters.
Remove Oriental and area rugs. While cozy, they tend to define usable space, which can inhibit a buyer from imagining their own furniture there.
Stay in a hotel for a weekend and let your realtor show the house.

To fix or not to fix
When preparing to sell your house, you may or may not be aware of conditions in your home that can affect your negotiating power. Having a pre-inspection done by a certified home inspector can give you the information you need to decide what you want to fix and what you don’t.



"Preparing to sell your house is all about being proactive," says Kathleen Kuhn, Vice President of HouseMaster Headquarters (www.housemaster.com), a home inspection franchising company in Bound Brook, NJ. "It’s not uncommon for a seller to be unaware of some of the defects of their house. They’ve been living with them for so long, they may not notice the problems. A buyer is going to try to negotiate two dollars off the asking price for every dollar of repair needed. If the seller has pre-inspected, they have more control and peace of mind."

It’s easy to imagine that a seller might not want to invest a lot of money in a house they don’t intend to live in anymore.

"If that’s the case, I think the seller might consider disregarding systems that are aging, but functioning as intended, and elect to fix things that are causing deterioration in the home," says Kuhn. "A leaky roof is going to continue to cause problems with underlying roof materials and increase the cost of roof replacement later. An aging furnace will just eventually die. It’s easier for a buyer to accept an aging system than a possible repair."

The home inspector doesn’t deal with the cosmetics unless they are potential repair issues. "A tree overhanging the roof may seem like a low priority or cosmetic issue, but it can create the likelihood of a roofing problem or carpenter ants," says Kuhn. "The inspector is not likely to get into the subject of whether you need a paint job. He’s really there to detect what you wouldn’t notice on your own."

"We recommend that the seller promote the house as pre-inspected," says Kuhn. "Sellers sometimes have the misconception that the inspection is just for them and they don’t want to share it with the buyer. When the seller makes repairs, and shows the pre-inspection and repair documentation to the buyer, the buyer can see the value of the repairs. This can affect the negotiation positively for the seller."

Remember, even if the buyer accepts the pre-inspection report, they still have the right to have their own independent inspection done.

Signing on the dotted line
You may not be required to have an attorney to complete the sale of your house. In some states a licensed realtor can fulfill that function. Your realtor can advise you of the law in your state. However, considering the speed and complexity of real estate transactions, especially in the hotter markets, you might be well advised to have an attorney review any legal paperwork you’re going to sign.

"I think it’s a good idea to have an attorney evaluate the purchase agreement before closing," advises Carol Cooper, attorney and Publisher of Lawyers.com (www.lawyers.com), a web site devoted to consumer and business legal needs. "Closing can become a complex process. Inspection report issues may need to be negotiated, and other legal matters may require a lawyer’s advice. Strange things can happen. I once bought a house and when I went to the closing the prior owner hadn’t finished moving out. She said she would finish the following week. My attorney asked me ‘what if she slips and falls, or sets the house on fire. You own the house. You would be liable. You need to set up an escrow account to cover that liability.’ I wouldn’t have known that and I am a lawyer. It was a real lesson in why you shouldn’t represent yourself."

No matter who represents you at any given point in this process, it’s a good idea to take a few minutes in the beginning, to look at your house with buyer’s eyes.

Housing Market Forecast Projection 2011

"That's the question that every wants to know the answer to. If you turn on the TV or read the newspapers you will likely see stories about the slow market, high unemployment, low consumer confidence and lack in demand for housing. The question is: What factors will affect you? And what should you pay attention to?

So the projection for 2011 is for foreclosures to increase and possibly peak which will likely result in housing values dropping another 7-10% before the end of the year. But we have record low interest rates this has been driven by the federal reserve and will likely continue until the job market improves.

Affordability is becoming very good and in some places it's less expensive to own than to rent. The market may bottom out in 2011 although values will likely stay down for the next 3-5 years before we start to see appreciation. It's going to be a slow process.

So what as home owners should you do? You have 2 options: stay or sell. If you do decide to stay in your house it would make sense to look at refinancing as interest rates are very low. If you are going to sell it would be better sell sooner rather than later as values are likely not to increase for the next 5 years.

Now for buyers, this is an excellent opportunity. You can purchase a property below market and get a low interest rate. Be sure to keep your mortgage affordable."



2012 - The Crash of the U.S. Housing Market? (could things get worse in 2012/)

"From Glenn Beck's Fox News Channel program on June 16, 2009 - a graph showing the upcoming crash of the United States housing market thanks to incompetent buffoons like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barney Frank and Chris Dodd who were told many times this was coming and chose to look the other way as hundreds of thousands of people were outright handed mortgage loans they had no possible way of repaying and had no business owning a home.

According to the forecast we've only seen the worst offenders hit the foreclosure mark so far. The next stage comes in 2010 - just prior to the midterm elections - when people who actually tried to pay on their homes will begin to fall into foreclosure -- with another group set to arrive there in 2011 just prior to the total collapse in time for 2012.

There's that date again folks -- 2012! Coincidence? Not likely!"