Maybe you already know this. But I bet many of you have not thought about it in this way.

As a seller of a Carlsbad home (or anywhere, for that matter), your FIRST open house is on-line...don't forget it, OR underestimate the power of what I just told you.

In this day and age of Internet marketing, unless your agent is in a cave, you should have plenty of exposure to the buying public on-line. It's the first place buyers generally look for homes, and so it is where they will gain a FIRST IMPRESSION of your home.

Is your Carlsbad home really ready for that open house?

I wrote an article directed more toward agents, but the same information applies to sellers. You and your agent have to work as a team to prepare for that FIRST OPEN HOUSE (as an example, some of the photos I have seen on-line for homes are pretty scary - who would want to go see THAT house?!).

Read more here

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Are you a first time home buyer. Check out First Time Buyer Central.

Now that you are going to be a First Time Seller, there are some important questions to ask at the beginning of the process, perhaps before you make the final decision on who to hire.

If the agent you are talking to does not bring these up, I recommend YOU do. This is NOT an all-inlcusive listm but some important issues to discuss and understand.

• How will showings be handled? There are a number of options, depending on your preferences, the agent, and local protocol.
  • There may be a lockbox with a key, allowing acess to any agent with a buyer (easiest)
  • Appointments may be required with a call to you and/or the agent (even if there is a lockbox), or at least some sort of advanced notice (1 hour for example)
  • The listing agent may accompany all showings
  • Agents who want to show the property must pick up a key at the brokerage first (most restrictive)
  • Should I leave the house for showings?
• Should hours for showings be restricted and if so, to what and when? 
  • Being too restrictive in the availability of your home for showings, no matter what the reason, may frustrate agents and buyers and you might lose them.
  • This is especially true if buyers are relocating and are not from the area, and thus have limited time to look at homes.
  • In a buyer's market, and with lots of competition, you cannot aford to make this difficult. Remember what it was like when YOU were a buyer?
• What type of signage will there be? Will there be a brochure box on the sign?
• How will my home be marketed, in print AND on the Internet?
• Will you hold Open Houses, for the public AND for the local agents? When will these be? How often? What hours?
• How long a listing agreement do you want (be reasonable on this, especially given the average marketing time, but don't allow one that lasts for an extended period - you can always renew if needed)
  • What happens if I want or need to cancel my listng contract?
• What is your expected commission? Know that COMMISSIONS ARE NEGOTIABLE. Undertsand what you are getting for the fee you willl be paying - the knowledge, training, experience, and the services you will be receiving. A good agent is well worth the money, but a bad agent is not.

FIRST TIME HOME SELLER SERIES:

Article 2 First Time Home Sellers – The Agent Interview

Article 1 First Time Home Sellers – Getting Started

Here are some more issues to ponder if you are seriously considering trying to sell your home by yourself:

Read Part 1 and Part 2 here.

 Marketing - are you a marketing expert? Do you have a digital camera so you can take lots of high-quality photos? Having lots of photos is important, as buyers always want to see photos of homes in listings and property flyers. Do you know how to do a virtual tour (again, buyers like to see this sort of technology and it will provide a competitive edge) and how much are you willing to spend on this? Do you know how to format a quality property flyer that will showcase the features of your home and include photos? You will also need to think about advertising, both in print as well as the Internet. What publications are you going to use and why? How much money do you have to spend on advertising (a small ad with a photo can cost several hundred dollars, or more)? What websites are you planning to use to advertise your property? If you are going to be offering a commission to a licensed buyer agent who brings in a qualified buyer, how are you going to get the word out to the real estate community? In summary, with the competition in this market, how are you going to maximize your exposure in order to capture the interest of buyers in the target market?

 Open Houses - are you going to run an open house? Do you know how to set up and advertise an effective open house? Do you have the time (at least 2-3 hours on the weekend or during the week) you can set aside to sit the open house (not counting prep time)? If the house does not sell you may want to hold multiple open houses - do you have this kind of time? When buyers arrive, how are you going to manage the open houses? What questions can you safely ask? How do you avoid turning a buyer off to your home? How will you qualify prospective buyers that come by? What about the lookers? How re you going to follow-up with all the attendees and do you have the time to do this?

Stay tuned for my my last 2 posts on this topic in the next day or so. Enjoy the rest of your Holiday Weekend!