www.thereiteam.com

Don't let the slow market get you down.  Rev up your real estate potential with these helpful pointers.

Use the secrets of staging experts, or hire one. Staging can be as easy as a fresh coat of paint, new cabinet hardware and strategically-placed lighting. Think of it as a creative, inexpensive facelift for your home.

Find out what's wrong with the house and get it fixed. Don't wait until that serious buyer finds faulty wiring or a termite problem and then backs out of the deal.  Get an inspection before hitting the market.

Come up with a comprehensive home-selling strategy. Don't put an ad on Craigslist, stick a sign in the ground and call it a day. Whether you're going FSBO or using an agent, selling your home in a buyer's market requires a well thought-out plan with accurate pricing, targeted improvements and focused marketing and exposure.

Hire an aggressive, well-connected real estate agent. Find an experienced agent with a proven track record. In this market, name recognition is important, so find the go-to person for buyers and their agents in your community.

Help a buyer buy it. Offer incentives that put money in the buyer's pocket, such as buying down the interest rate, absorbing more of the closing costs or offering seller financing.

Consider renting or offering a lease option. Minimize the impact of two mortgages by renting your house out until you find a buyer. Or offer a lease option to a motivated buyer who doesn't have enough cash to buy a home outright.

Ever wanted to know the value of your home? We can provide a reasonable estimate of value from our office. Of course without actually seeing your home, we will only be able to give you an estimated range.

Should you prefer a more accurate evaluation, we can set up an appointment for one of our specialist to visit with you and share with you suggestions about putting your home on the market and provide you with a Competitive Market Evaluation.

Find out what your home is worth

Here are some of the characteristics sellers say they want in agent:

·         Experience. Let new agents learn the business on somebody else's dime.

·         Education. Ask about degrees and certifications.

·         Honesty. Trust your intuition. Your agent should speak from the heart.

·         Networking. This is a people business. Some homes sell because agents have contacted other agents.

·         Negotiation skills. You want an aggressive negotiator, not somebody out to make a quick sale at your expense.

·         Good communicator. Sellers say communication and availability are key.

Finally, ask for a personal guarantee. If the agent won't guarantee performance and release you from a listing upon request, don't hire that agent.

Beyond the expensive car or fancy clothing, a good listing agent lives and dies by marketing. Marketing sells homes. Ask to review a complete copy of the agent's marketing plan. Precisely, what is the agent going to do to sell your home?

Here is the bare-bones minimum you should expect:

• Professional signage, including agent's cell phone number.
• Lockbox. 
• Daily electronic monitoring of lockbox access.
• Follow-up reports on buyer showings / feedback to the seller.
• Broker previews.
• Incentives for broker / office previews.
• Staging advice.
• On-line advertising with a major newspaper site.
• MLS exposure with 8 to 12 professional photographs.
• Virtual tour.
• Distribution to major Web sites.
• Color flyers.
• Financing flyers for buyers.
• Minimum of 1 open houses, providing its location is a candidate.
• Feedback to sellers on buyer sign calls and buyer showings.
• Updated CMAs after 30 days.
• E-mail feeds of new listings that compete.
• Updates on neighborhood facts, trends and recent sales.