Periodic tips and reminders to help focus your by-owner marketing and win your commission-free sale - from Canada’s by-owner web-site, www.privatelist.com.

THIS ISSUE:       Help Buyers BUY! / Weekly Checklist

ARCHIVES:     www.privatelist.com/newsletter.htm

HELP BUYERS BUY!

The PrivateList web-site contains a wealth of information and tools to help buyers ACT once they’ve decided your property is for them. Help them use it to overcome any uncertainties that may prevent them from bringing you a written offer!

Ask how they found out about your property when they phone, and whether they’re familiar with www.privatelist.com. Mention the "how-to" information available on the web-site during showings, and remind them again as they say good-bye.

Here is a sampling of the resources (all accessible through our buyers page) to which you can refer them:

• CMHC’s Homebuying, Step By Step"
• "how much can we afford?" calculator
• walk-through inspection check-list
• offer to purchase guide
• closing costs

If they haven’t done so already, encourage your prospects to pre-qualify for a mortgage (which will confirm the amount of borrowed funds available to them and perhaps lock in an interest-rate). Stay aware of current mortgage rates yourself, and be prepared to explain GDS and TDS ratios (it’s simple!).

In short, try to put yourself in your buyers’ shoes, anticipate their uncertainties, and - like a good realtor - lead them past the roadblocks to a purchase!

WEEKLY CHECKLIST

pro·ac·tive (prO-'ak-tiv) adj.: actively initiating change in anticipation of future developments, rather than merely reacting to events as they occur.

Private-sale success can happen by chance, particularly in a hot market: you put your sign up and two days later your home is sold! But generally, if you want to save the realtor’s commission (or much more), you'll have to do the realtor’s job.

The good news is that it’s not that hard!

But it does require that you maintain a continuing focus. Actively initiating change, in the context of selling privately, means staying on top of sales activity in your area, being cold-blooded and objective in setting your asking-price, and following a definite and continuing program to get the word out.

Setting aside a little time each week-end to consider questions like the following can help you stay on target:

price
 

• Have any homes like mine SOLD in the last two weeks in my market area? What did they sell for? (Phone the realtor for this information, or look for the Century 21 or Re-Max booth at the nearest large shopping mall and ask to see a recent sales catalog.) How much below asking price? What did the owners NET? How long did it take them?
   
• Have any homes like mine come on the market in the last two weeks? How do they compare? What would a likely sale-price net their owners?
   
• Is my asking-price still competitive?

  condition
   

• Is the “curb appeal” of my property at its best? Have I completed my list of minor fix-ups and/or improvements?
   
• Have I completed my program of moving/selling/packing-away personal items/furniture - is the property uncluttered?

  exposure
   

• How many classified ads have I run in the last two weeks? Did I include the line “see us at www.privatelist.com”?
   
• How many highlight sheets have I posted? Are they all still up, accurate and in good condition?
   
• How many new people did I mention my sale to in the last two weeks? Do all my friends, relatives and regular contacts (at work, where I shop, get gas, etc.) know that I'm for sale? Online?
   
• Is my PrivateList display current (seasonal photos, price changes, phone number, etc.)?
   
• Are there any open-houses or realtor signs in the area off which I can “piggy-back”?

  market
   

• How active does the market seem to be in general? If it’s slow, can I wait for it to improve, or do I have to bite the bullet and do something to compensate NOW?
   
• Is it time to offer some kind of incentive to stir things up?

  dealing with buyers
   

• What’s the current interest rate and much will it cost my purchasers per $1000 mortgage? (see the top of this newsletter or click here)
   
• Am I in the first-time-buyer price range? Should I offer cash-back?
   
• How many viewers have I had in the last two weeks? Did I get their phone numbers and check back with them after the showing? What were their comments?
   
• Do I refer callers and viewers to www.privatelist.com - where they’ll find the how-to information they need to ACT?
   
• Do I have blank offers to purchase on hand? Could I explain their terms?

FRIENDLY REMINDERS . . .

Are the thousands of dollars you'll save by selling privately worth, say, an hour each week-end, spent reviewing your progress to date and mapping out your continuing campaign?

It's important to maintain an active marketing focus until your property is sold. Therefore, each e-mail version of this newsletter links to a series of reminders, tips and tools that lead to a sale!

To access these resources, press here.

©2001 PrivateList