I’m going back to good ole Bloodhound Blog because once again I think one of Gregs posts says it all:

What should you do as a seller? Whatever it takes.

Here are a couple of ideas:

First, have the house appraised, price the home below that appraisal and leave the appraisal report out where buyers can see it.

Second, have the home professionally inspected. Do all of the repairs in the inspection report, then have the inspector back to confirm your work. When everything is ship-shape, leave that report out where buyers can see it.

You can’t control lenders or interest rates. You can’t control the price of homes into the future. What you can do is take away every buyer objection over which you have control.

Nothing matters more than price, so if you won’t price your home to the current market, you needn’t bother with anything else. Your house will not sell. But if you’re committed to doing whatever it takes, these ideas could swing the balance.

Well said.

My KarenRhodes.com site has a "Your Home’s Value" button.  This is a request for a market analysis on your home to give you an idea of what your home might bring on the open market. 

I have been getting a rash of people requesting this information who already have their home listed with another REALTOR®.   Unfortunately I have not been able to provide a market analysis to any of these people.  I have responded by explaining since they are represented I am unable to assist them at this point.  Article 16 of the Code of Ethics addresses interaction with represented parties.  Basically, I can’t do it. 

I take that back, there is a loop hole in article 16.  It’s Standard of Practice 16-6 which says if you contact me I "may discuss the terms upon which they might enter into a future agreement or, alternatively, may enter into an agreement which becomes effective upon expiration of any existing exclusive agreement." 

If you are nearing the end of your listing agreement and wish to speak to me about your home please, wait till your current contract expires.  I’m sorry but my reputation is very important to me and I hope you understand.

It’s worth the couple of minutes it would take to read if you are in or going to be entering the real estate market as a seller.

It’s the list price, Mr. Seller. The market rejects your price.

No matter how much marketing he does, this home will not bring his asking price. He could buy advertising on billboards around town… it will not matter.

It won’t matter which agent or firm he selects… it won’t matter how much staging he does… it won’t matter if he gives away a trip to Disneyland or plasma TV’s in every room.

Taking the couple of minutes it would take to read the entire post could well save most sellers quite a bit of money.

No other comments from me.  He says it all.

Sometimes I’m not in the best frame of mind to be answering this type of question and will reply with something along the lines of:  Have you lost your mind?  If you are asking this question you obviously have no idea what you are doing.  Mind you, I usually try to be helpful but sometimes…Funny though, I never see anyone complaining that their appendix need to be removed and since they plan on doing it themselves will someone tell them how to do it.  But I’m not going to go there with this post.

Since I’m feeling generous tonight I thought I would post one of my helpful answers here:

Determine your price. Take into account that the sales in your area most likely have a commission built into the sales price and adjust yours accordingly.  Be prepared to receive low offers. Have your title company or attorney lined up. Line up a couple of lenders to qualify buyers. Get the proper disclosures and have offers to purchase available. Make sure you have plats or surveys available. You might want to have an inspection done. Go ahead and take care of any issues the inspector finds. Make the inspection report available. Declutter. Get rid of all the personal stuff like all the kids photos. Rent a storage building if you have too. Take care of any work to the house that needs to be done. Make sure landscaping is in good shape and house has best curb appeal possible. Advertise it everywhere you can think of. Know the law on advertising, what you can and can’t say in your ads.  Keep it in showing condition at all times. Do not make viewings difficult. You will need to be readily accessible and available to show.

Risks: You shoulder all of the liability. If you check lawsuits involving real estate, most are FSBO (can’t remember the actual stat). If you have a buyer and a seller who don’t know what they are doing, someone is going to get mad and feel they have been wronged.

Be very very careful when showing the house. It’s sad to say but the criminal element is targeting homes for sale. REALTORS® are being lured to homes to show to people they have never met and are being killed, raped and robbed. Criminals will see the house then come back later, break in and clean it out. A couple will come to the house. Then they split up. While you are showing to one of them the other cleans out jewelry boxes and medicine cabinets. So be sure you know who you are showing it too. If you get a bad feeling, trust it. REALTORS® can have the potential buyers meet at their office where the staff or others will see them. Some offices make it a policy to get a copy of the buyers drivers license prior to showing homes to them. If they have ulterior motives they will normally not agree to meeting in public. You don’t have that option.

Be prepared to list it with a REALTOR®. 3 out of 4 FSBO’s list their home after 3 months of trying to do it themselves.

Of course, this is very simplified but it answers the question.  It’s not rocket science but it’s not as easy as the above makes it sound.  It’s about marketing, education, experience and resources.  If you are one of the three out of four who eventually list with a REALTOR®, make sure you hire someone who has all of these qualities in order to get the job done!  

In order to assist home owners obtain needed information, the Division of Ground Water Protection (GWP), with the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, has developed the “Application for Information Regarding Subsurface Sewage Disposal (SSD) System Permit and Certificate of Completion” form for use across the state.  The data requested on the form will allow the GWP to search their records and provide information they have on file concerning a specific property. 

An application may be obtained at and GWP office or on the GWP website.  The completed application may be delivered or faxed to the local GWP office in the county where the property is located.

This document is required on all homes in Tennessee with a septic tank prior to listing the property.

I ran across a good blog post on Ardell DellaLoggia’s blog listing, in David Letterman style, her top ten things that will make a buyer say "lets get out of here!!" when viewing a home.

I agree with her on most of it especially the number one item, odor.  Every home has a smell.  But what smells nice to some is offensive to others.  Keep this in mind as you light those scented candles when you leave the house for it to be shown. 

Which brings me to one thing not on Ardell’s list that I believe should be in the top 10, sellers who stay at the home during showings.  This can be the kiss of death for a viewing.  Buyers rarely feel comfortable with the seller following along during the showing or sitting out on the porch waiting on them to leave.  If the seller is not at the house when the agent arrives with the potential buyers then the buyer is much more comfortable.  They will spend more time looking and will not feel rushed.  They will look more closely rather than just glancing at the home.  They will ask more questions and notice much more which just might be what helps them make the decision to make the seller an offer.

So if you are selling or thinking about selling remember these points.  Put yourself in the buyers position and look at your home with new eyes.