Authorify - FSBO Book v1 Preview

SECRETS FOR SELLING YOUR HOME ALONE

YOUR NAME

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. DISCLAIMER AND/OR LEGAL NOTICES: While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, neither the Author nor the Publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, or omissions. Any slights of people or organizations are unintentional. This publication is not intended for use as a source of legal or accounting advice. The Publisher wants to stress that the information contained herein may be subject to varying state and/ or local laws or regulations. The reader of this publication assumes responsibility for the use of these materials and information. Adherence to all applicable laws and regulations, including advertising and all other aspects of doing business in the United States or any other jurisdiction is the sole responsibility of the reader. The Author and publisher assume no responsibility or liability whatsoever on behalf of any reader of these materials. If your property is currently listed with a Realtor, please disregard this notice. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other brokers. Printed in the United States of America

Table Of Contents

1. How To Sell Your Home Faster ... And For More Money 2. Why Some FSBOs Sell And Others Don’t

3. Violate This Home-Selling Rule And Lose Money 10 4. High-End Tactics To Sell Your Home For Top Dollar 18 5. Does Clutter Matter? 22 6. Get Buyers Off The Fence In 8 Seconds 26 7. Details To Remember 34 8. Tactics For More Showings And More Money 40 9. If A Billionaire Sold ‘For Sale By Owner’ 48

10. Why Most FSBOs Screw Up Negotiations

11. Advanced Negotiating Tactics

12. The Crucial Point Sellers Can’t Afford To Miss 13. The Easiest Way To Lose $36,000 On Your Home Sale

14. 5 Reasons Homes Don’t Sell

15. Preparing To Market

16. All You Need To Know To Show Your Home

17. How To Close Effectively

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18. Once You’ve Sold Your Home

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19. What Has To Be Disclosed When Selling A Home

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20. Hire A Real Estate Agent Or Not?

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Foreword

When I first ventured into the real estate industry years ago, I did so with the hopes of helping sellers like you avoid the headaches often associated with the home-selling process. In my years of experience, not only have I helped alleviate the stress of selling for numerous clients, but I’ve also accumulated years of knowledge to help them get more money for their homes in the least amount of time. I decided to share all of my expertise in one place with potential clients. And that’s why you’re receiving this book. I want to help you have the best possible home-selling experience. And by that, I mean I want you to 1. Get the most money possible for your home, 2. Sell in the least amount of time, and 3. Avoid the headaches most commonly associated with the home-selling process. Think of this book as my gift to you. It contains insider advice on the home-selling process to help you achieve your ultimate real estate goals, including: • Secret strategies to sell your home for more money • Marketing techniques employed by top agents • Advice on how to appeal to today’s buyers • And much, much more If, after reading through it, you want to hire me to help you sell your home, I’d be more than happy to meet with you to discuss a specific plan to sell your home. Happy reading!

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About AGENT

AGENT was raised in CITY with X siblings. As a child, AGENT had aspirations of being a OCCUPATION. Never in a million years did he think he’d stumble into the real estate industry, but you can’t always predict where or when you’ll discover what you’re meant to do in life. AGENT was taught at a young age that if you want something in life, you have to work for it. So that’s what he did. And he worked hard. As the years went by, AGENT worked his way from FIRST JOB to LATER JOB, never wavering in his resolve to become the best version of himself with each career move. AGENT got into the real estate industry X years ago when STORY ABOUT HOW YOU GOT INTO REAL ESTATE/WHY. He set out to LIST ASPIRATIONS FROM WHEN YOU STARTED OUT IN REAL ESTATE. As his career advanced, AGENT found his stride working with NICHE MARKET/SPECIFIC MARKET AREA/TYPE. He’s an expert in LIST AREAS OF EXPERTISE/SKILLS THAT SET YOU APART FROM OTHER AGENTS.

Throughout his career, AGENT has earned numerous accolades, including:

• LIST ACCOMPLISHMENTS • LIST SALES STATS ix

• ANY OTHER IMPRESSIVE INFO YOU’D LIKE TO INCLUDE

AGENT aims to provide the highest level of service to his clients and takes deep pride in helping them achieve their real estate goals. AGENT aims to provide the highest level of service to his clients and takes deep pride in helping them achieve their real estate goals.

Testimonials & Reviews for Agent Name

Here’s a list of people whom I have helped buy or sell a home, and what they said about working with me:

Agent-Name had a tough job, but she did it!

We were tough clients! We were moving to City and didn’t have a lot of time to look at houses, having to deal with our employer’s relocation, and all of the other challenges that came along. But, Agent-Name went above and beyond to help us. Even now, one year after the sale closed, I can still call her for business and service recommendations in the area — she knows just about everyone, and is very happy to help.

Agent-Name is the best agent in City!

I’ve used Agent-Name twice so far, and I was impressed both times. I bought my dream home with AGENT a year ago. She worked long and hard to find me the perfect home. And she just recently sold another property of mine. Everything went quickly and smoothly. Both of my real estate deals were done very quickly and professionally. Agent is honestly the BEST in her business. I would highly recommend her.

Agent-Name perseverance got me the house

My experience with Agent-Name during the entire home- buying process, from start to finish, has been nothing short of exceptional. I have a unique work structure, and because of this, it was very difficult to find mortgage lenders that would approve me for a home. I was very frustrated and on the verge of giving up, but Agent-Name insisted that we continue searching. Not only did we find a mortgage lender but also a mortgage that I felt great about. His perseverance is the reason I am now a homeowner. He is professional, punctual, knowledgeable, and very easy to work with. With the highest regard, I will recommend Agent-Name to all my friends and family.

Very attentive to concerns, details, and negotiations

Agent-Name helped me find a house by literally picking it out for me. Every house I wanted to go to, I got there and didn’t love it. Agent-Name was busy taking note of the likes and dislikes I was stating and said “I have a house that you’re going to love”.... AND I DID! I went back 4 or 5 times to show other members of my family, and she accommodated me without complaint. I was a first-time homebuyer, and she walked me through the steps of everything, gave me advice, and constantly followed up to make sure I was doing OK. With her help, I was able to close on the house early, right before I started my new job. I would recommend Agent-Name to EVERYONE, buying or selling. Agent-Name made it so so easy. She guided us through the entire process. She recommended great people to work with

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every step of the way. She was available 24/7 to answer any questions we may have had. With her high standards, expertise in the industry, and patience, we would recommend her as a Realtor to anyone looking! She was amazing!

Agent-Name even advised me on how to prepare my house

Agent-Name was a gem. In addition to being highly knowledgeable about the real estate market, with many years of experience, he is a consummate professional. He was extremely easy to work with, gave me very good advice about preparing my house for sale and was very responsive during the entire process of receiving offers, selling and closing. I would work with him again in a heartbeat. He’s that good.

Agent-Name is the first agent I would call

Agent-Name and his team were able to rapidly list, show and sell my property. Being an expert in real estate, he was spot on in his pricing of my property and getting this deal completed. Overall, I highly recommend him and his team. If I want to buy real estate, AGENT would be the first person I’d call.

Agent-Name got us an offer in three days!

Agent-Name was the consummate professional during our stressful and difficult process. In the midst of juggling a ‘failed’ marketing effort with another agent, she presented a

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well thought out plan and strategy to sell our home in short order. We needed to move quickly due to a growing family and another baby on the way. She helped alleviate that pressure by securing an acceptable offer with 3 days of listing. We put pressure on her, and she delivered. We couldn’t thank her enough.

Agent-Name kept us calm throughout the process!

Agent-Name always made herself available to answer questions. She worked hard to sell our home and find the best fit for our new home. She and her team worked with us through the entire process and kept us calm when we got anxious.

I am 100 percent satisfied!!

Agent-Name is professional and knowledgeable about everything. She is also always available. I would definitely recommend her to anyone. Very smooth transaction from start to finish. I felt confident with her experience.

Agent-Name found us our dream home

Agent-Name was very efficient and helped us find our dream home within a few short months. She was able to negotiate the price that we wanted for the house. Overall, I would look for her again to help us look for a house if need be in the future. Thank you so much!

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Efficient communication and service

Agent-Name and his staff were very helpful in selling our condo. They kept me informed frequently with email, sending reports on showings, offers, and feedback from potential buyers. We are very satisfied.

Agent-Name will get your house sold fast!

Agent-Name is great and has the expertise to get your house sold. The communications throughout our sale (from beginning to end) has been outstanding. Agent-Name understands the stress involved in selling your house, and she updated our family consistently! This made us feel we were in good hands. I have worked with numerous agents, and I highly recommend her to represent you when it comes time to sell your home.

Excellent experience topped with a personal touch

Excellent experience all around, not only knowledgeable but Agent-Name and team have a very personal touch I felt like family throughout the entire process. He always took his time; we never felt rushed or like “just a number.” I sold my home and bought with him. We had lots of questions he gladly answered them with no problem and guided us through the entire process, eliminating lots of stress. I truly appreciate that and would recommend him and his team to family and friends.

CHAPTER 1 How to Sell Your Home Faster ... and for More Money In the process of selling, you will spend an incredible amount of time holding shows for potential buyers. Unfortunately, many are not interested in buying your home. This wastes a lot of your time. The average home showing process takes three–four hours. Most owners show their home at least 8–10 times before making a sale. The average owner spends 24–40 hours of his or her life showing their home. It can easily take 80–120 hours to complete the process. Many homeowners will jump at the chance to show their home to anyone and everyone. When a buyer calls, they drop everything. This reactive approach is a big reason why it takes them anywhere from 8–30 showings to find the right buyer! The process will consume your life. Over time, stress begins to build. Not just on you. Repeated showings are stressful on your entire family. It gets worse as casual buyers continue strolling through and walking away undecided. Do you have children? Pets? Showings cause chaos in their 2

lives! Kids are rushed off to a friend’s house or whisked away to the park. Toddlers are parked in a playpen so you can begin the hurried cleaning process. Maybe your pet gets locked in a crate, sent to the basement, or tied up in the yard. Your dog can’t run around during the showing or even while you clean house. The poor pooch is cooped up for hours every time a buyer wants to stop by.

Children and pets do not like chaos. They might start misbehaving or need extra attention to counter the stress.

At the same time, the house needs to be spotless from top to bottom. Someone has to rush around frantically cleaning and organizing every time a buyer calls. Chances are you are going through all this stress to prepare for someone who was never serious about buying in the first place. Most people who look at a home are not going to purchase that particular house. Many “buyers” come only out of curiosity. Many real estate agents show buyers multiple houses in order to increase their odds of making a sale. According to the National Association of Realtors®, an average agent sells 11 houses a year. Therefore, each transaction represents approximately one month’s worth of income.

The agent wants to close a deal quickly and receive his or her commission.

Here’s the problem you are facing. Most real estate agents go about it the wrong way. They believe they will increase the odds of making a sale by showing as many houses as possible to their potential buyer. They flood the buyer with options, hoping something will catch his or her attention. At the same time, they do not have a clear picture of exactly what the buyer is looking for, so they are unable to deliver. Let’s look at how the typical process usually works. An agent has a potential buyer who would like to buy a three- bedroom/two-bath house in a specific area. First, this agent prints out every listing that matches the buyer’s criteria, including a few close matches. These houses might not have three bedrooms, or they might be slightly over budget. She then takes the client from one house to the next. The buyer will see many houses, but in most cases, won’t be interested in any of them. Nothing has that special something they want in a home. This leads to wasted time, both for the buyer and the sellers they visit. Most buyers end up touring 20–50 houses before making a purchase. If the buyer visits 30 houses, and each seller takes three to four hours per showing, that buyer wastes 90–120 hours of his and the sellers’ time.

Many hours could be saved if real estate agents and sellers

learned how to qualify buyers ahead of time. Buyers could then look at the listings and know immediately whether they want a particular property. What if you could find serious buyers and get them interested in buying your home? In an ideal world, buyers would not go out to see a property they didn’t want. If you were the seller, you would not have to prepare your house for a buyer who wasn’t likely to make a purchase. You would only show it to people interested in buying. That would help you sell your house faster while reducing stress on you and your family. It would cut down on the number of showings, but each visit would be a potential sale. This book will help you turn that ideal world into reality. First, though, you need to have a clear understanding of exactly how much your house is truly worth in today’s market.

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

• The average owner spends 24–40 hours on the 8–30 showings needed to sell their home. • With preparation, the process can take 80–120 hours, causing stress for adults, children and pets. • Most real estate agents show potential buyers many homes, hoping one will catch the buyers’ attention. • A better method is to show your home only to serious

buyers, by qualifying them in advance.

CHAPTER 2 Why Some FSBOs Sell and Others Don’t

The key to this successful home selling approach is a revolutionary finding discovered by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. His greatest contribution, the Pareto Principle, is better known informally as the 80/20 rule. In 1906, Pareto noticed that 20% of the pea pods in his garden held 80% of the seeds. Taking a closer look at this ratio, he found that 80% of land in his area was owned by 20% of the people. After detailed study, he observed this ratio held true in many aspects of life. For example: • 80% of your income is derived from 20% of your work. • 80% of a business’s income is derived from 20% of their customers. • 80% of your value to an employer is derived from 20% of your work. In a nutshell, approximately 20% of what you do matters. The other 80% is insignificant. It is important to understand this is not always split at 80/ 20. It can be 70/30 or another percentage. The key is that the 8

two numbers are not equal and they are usually close to 80/ 20. Applying the 80/20 rule can save you time selling your home. Unfortunately, many real estate agents and sellers buy into the false idea that more is more. They completely ignore the Pareto Principle. Stop trying to sell people on the entire home. Based on the rule, only 20% of your home’s features are important. The remaining 80% are trivial. That’s because they are the same features many other homes in your neighborhood have. Instead of focusing on those trivial features, focus on the unique features to grab the attention of buyers. These features make your home different from others. They’ll make it easier to sell your home for the full asking price. Let’s look at a few real-life applications and examples of how the 80/20 rule can have an impact on selling your home.

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

• According to the 80/20 rule, only 20% of your home’s features are important to buyers. • To sell your home, focus on the 20% of its features that make it unique.

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