Photo by Benedikt Geyer on Unsplash
Well, it’s happened again. A past client can’t afford to sell their house and they can’t afford to keep it. At least they don’t think they can but I will show them how to sell it on their own and save money.
To many times I run into or hear of people whom for whatever reason have to sell a house shortly after they bought it. By shortly I mean anytime within a year or two maybe three.
Theoretically the longer you live in a house the better the investment it is. Time gives the real estate time to appreciate and you to build equity by paying down, or paying off, the mortgage.
When someone has to move after only owning it a short time they really can’t afford to sell their house. Sometimes they can’t afford to keep it either. It can put families in a bad place.
Can’t Afford to Keep Their House
In this situation a young family wanted to live in a neighborhood for the schools. The area also held a certain prestige. They found a house they loved, went through the loan process, closed on the property and moved in.
A little over a year later they contacted me and indicated that they had bitten off a little more than they could chew. The house was eating up to much of their money. Once the mortgage and bills were paid they were left with very little disposable income.
They came to me for help selling the place. We went over the numbers and what it would cost to list the house with me. Even with charging the very minimum and having to pay a buyers agent they would have had to bring money to closing. They would have been in the red which means that the real estate commissions would have to be paid out of pocket. Thousands of dollars they didn’t have.
I asked them what I ask everyone that asks me about listing their house. “Have you ever thought about selling your house yourself?” And I got the same answer I usually get, no. Even if a home seller isn’t “in the red” it still makes since to save thousands of dollars selling themselves. Sell the house without hiring a real estate agent.
They didn’t make a decision at that meeting. I offered to help by giving them our free home selling guide. They took it and said they would think it over.
This particular story is to be continued…
You Can Do This
It’s really not that difficult to sell your house yourself. Real estate agents don’t have to put forth much effort once they have the business. If a house is in good condition, properly made ready for market and priced right it will sell. I can tell you how to sell a house. You can find that information easily.
What excites me is teaching people how to squeeze every last dime out of their For Sale By Owner. How to create multiple offers and get thousands more dollars. How to get buyers really excited about buying your house. Literally fighting over it. Making more money for you. That’s what excites me. Because I know it’s possible.
