For Sale By Owner – Tip 7

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Encourage Feedback

In one of our earlier tips we advised you agains following prospective purchasers around your home or giving them a guided tour.  Give that you have done that, you should do this . . .

Talk to them before you let them leave the home.  Thank them for coming and ask them if they are willing to share any comments about your home that would help you get the home sold.  Sometimes they do not want to insult you and they will be reluctant to give any feedback.  Accept that this may happen and don’t be too “pushy” to get feedback.

Be polite and thank them again and ask them if they would like you to contact them if anyone else shows interest in your home.  If they are interested they will probably answer with a “Yes.”

Good luck!

By the way, if you are considering having a Fredericksburg Virgina real estate agent assist you in selling your home, please contact us at (540) 368-3900 or by email at
FBurgRealty@gmail.com

JUNE 2010 IN REVIEW

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Has the worm turned?

In the month of June 2010 there were 458 homes sold in Fredericksburg Virginia, Stafford County Virginia, Spotsylvania County Virginia, King George County Virginia, and Caroline County Virginia.

Of those 458 104 were foreclosures and 76 were short sales.

Foreclosures and short sales accounted for 39.3% of the total sales.

One could interpret this to mean that the foreclosure and short sale market is declining and the “normal” sales are increasing and, therefore, the market is getting healthy again.

Hopefully, this is the case since I have many former clients who would like to sell their current home and move on to another.  Personally, I think it may be a bit soon to conclude that the market has improved; this is one month of decrease in the number of foreclosures and short sales sold in our area.  Improvement yes, a positive indicator for the months ahead?  Not yet.

We will continue to monitor this in the months to come; keep returning to see the reports.

FOR SALE BY OWNER TIPS – Tip 1

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First impressions do count!

Truthfully speaking, if you have the time to spend waiting for someone to come knocking at your door when they want to and not when you want them to; and, you can live with people coming to see your home that may not be qualified to buy it; and, you understand, fully, the laws that deal with real estate contracts and sales, you might be better of selling your home without a real estate agent’s guidance and assistance.  You might want to add an additional part to this equation; you are going to price your home competitively with the current market.

Let’s look at the later sentence in detail.  The majority of homes sold in our area (City of Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania County, Stafford County, King George County, and Caroline County) are sold through the assistance of a real estate agent/brokerage.  The prices the homes sold for probably include payment of a real estate commission.  Therefore, when you want to sell your home without assistance from a local real estate agent/broker, go ahead and subtract whatever you think that commission was from the price you are going to ask for your home.  Buyers are very savvy with this and will see through the price if you don’t.

Back to first impressions.  In all probability, the buyer for your home will drive to it.  They will park their car either in the street, in a parking space, or in your driveway.  No matter where they park you have to make the path from wherever they park to your front door impeccable.  No candy wrappers, no unkempt plants or flower beds, no trim that needs painting; in other words, PERFECTION.

It is a good idea to have a seasonal wreath on your front door too.  That adds that special touch that may separate your home from another they will surely be looking at.

Just some free suggestions to you if you are thinking about being a Fizbo (For Sale By Owner acronym).

Fredericksburg Real Estate; Great Homes For Sale

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Fredericksburg Virginia has many wonderful homes for sale.  Considering that homes in beautiful and historic Fredericksburg VA date back to the 1700′s, there is a wide variety of styles to choose from.  Many of the historic homes have a history that precedes the Civil War.  However, there are many newer homes found in communities like Idlewild.  There are older and modern townhomes, older and modern duplexes, and older and modern detached homes.  There are homes in planned communities and homes in the downtown Historic District.  The selection is great and the styles of homes are broad.

If you are contemplating a move to Fredericksburg Virginia merely contact us and we will endeavor to provide you with all the information you need to make a learned decision about relocating to our area.  We would be happy to welcome you to our city.  It was good enough for George Washington, James Monroe, and Hugh Mercer so let us show you that it may be good enough for you too.