Always enjoy doing The CBS Early Show. This morning, we're talking Real Estate. Log on or Lose Out. Houses don't usually sell themselves & in this market, playing your online cards right isn't just a smart move, it's make or break. Here are some of your best MOVES if you're considering a MOVE ...
Home Staging -- "Living in a home and marketing & selling it are two different things, " claims www.STAGEDHOMES.com Good point. Before or in conjunction with calling a Realtor, you may want to hire a "home stager." Type in your zip code & view their work. To see it, is to get it. The whole goal is to help sell your home quickly, especially since time on the market usually means one thing: lowering the price.
Real Estate Hub -- Here's a brand new overall site with a wide range of resources. An excellent starting point, www.realestate.aol.com aggregates everything from graphs of the market in your area & links to listings, foreclosures, mortgage calculators, some of the best related articles, etc.
Pictures & 3-D Tours -- Don't let any agent or agency tell you photos & video tours aren't important or aren't offered unless your home is of a certain value. They're just too important to ignore at any/all price points, including starter-homes with potential buyers who skew younger. Find examples you like on www.realtor.com & show them to your listing agent &/or ask to work directly with whomever handles the web site. Ask to review & approve all material before it gets printed or "goes live" online.
For Sale By Owner -- You can go it alone, but make sure you know what you're taking on. There's lots of background & tools on sites like www.FSBO.com. They even sell the signs you can hang out front. Find the most cyber-savvy person you know to help with the website piece or use the provided templates. For $70-$100 you can upload 8 photos + property video. For an extra $100, they'll send a professional to do a virtual tour and add it to your website listing within 72 hrs.
eBay it Away -- A lot of people don't realize cars are one of the most popular categories on eBay these days & here comes real estate as people are more receptive to trying new & different models to unload properties. State laws preclude online bidding from being legally binding, so you don't actually transact the sale on eBay. You strike the deal with a fixed fee (approx $150) going to eBay. A whole lot less than you'd pay a Realtor on a percentage basis. Then, you go sign contracts in person with a title company (same drill, different means to same end).
Zillowing is the new Googling -- You can type in almost any address & get a "zestimate" on www.zillow.com They have a fun, new "Make Me Move" feature. You can throw a price out there & see if someone bites. Maybe there's someone who dreams about your home, secretly hopes it will come on the market & will pay top dollar if it does.
Heat Maps & Alerts -- www.Trulia.com has really neat price & popularity "heat maps" so you can see where the market is hot & where it's not. You can also be alerted if your dream home comes on the market, is sold or if there's a price change.
Mobile -- When you're out & about and you run into a neighborhood you like or spot a home for sale and can't help but wonder about the specifics or what's on the market in the area, you can check out the listing on your cellphone. It's the virtual equivalent of grabbing one of the pieces of paper out of the little clear box in the front yard:) Download the free application here: http://mobile.realtor.com/
Foreclosures -- www.bargainnetwork.com lists over 600,000 foreclosures, bank owned, distressed & various other properties. The search feature is amazing. They've also got information of foreclosure laws by state, etc. I can't tear myself away from the listings ... Looks like there are some real deals out there, but I'd have to sell first. Back to the top of this list ... ;)
Hope helpful. Lots more to come on real estate in coming weeks ....
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