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Justenuff · 06-26-2013, 07:12 AM

I sold my house in MA two years ago at the start of the RE recovery, or at least as I could tell.
I got a couple of agents to have a look to list, got a few proposals, but none were what I expected. We also had some pretty poor comps in the neighborhood, but knew that we could get more than what they were telling us.
At the height of the boom, we were offered $625K for our house by a local who collected and rented that type of house. We didn't need to sell, so we kept the house.
When we got the RE agents opinion, one wanted to list at $300K, one at $340K.
We put a sign in our yard and proceeded to sift through the calls and inquiries. It was a real hassle at first, but soon I learned to sift through the calls and weed out the tire kickers.
We listed at $330K which I believe was average.
Some tips:
1. List at a reasonable price that can be supported by comps, RE data and website info. Don't believe that your palatial estate will be wanted by everyone (unless it's waterfront!)
2. Hire a lawyer up front to handle any forms/negotiations/special terms needed. We hired a good RE lawyer and spent a total of about $750 with him but he handled the escrow, the money exchange and the closing.
3. Keep you house clean and neat at all times.
4. Schedule appointments in clusters, so you don't have to wait for hours over many days.
5. Remember that you have two challenges in this transaction: the houses that are listed (whether by RE agent of FSBO) and the buyer. You have to deal with both.
Good Luck!

06-26-2013, 07:12 AM	#13
Justenuff Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Wilmington, North Carolina Posts: 74 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Sold Mine I sold my house in MA two years ago at the start of the RE recovery, or at least as I could tell. I got a couple of agents to have a look to list, got a few proposals, but none were what I expected. We also had some pretty poor comps in the neighborhood, but knew that we could get more than what they were telling us. At the height of the boom, we were offered $625K for our house by a local who collected and rented that type of house. We didn't need to sell, so we kept the house. When we got the RE agents opinion, one wanted to list at $300K, one at $340K. We put a sign in our yard and proceeded to sift through the calls and inquiries. It was a real hassle at first, but soon I learned to sift through the calls and weed out the tire kickers. We listed at $330K which I believe was average. Some tips: 1. List at a reasonable price that can be supported by comps, RE data and website info. Don't believe that your palatial estate will be wanted by everyone (unless it's waterfront!) 2. Hire a lawyer up front to handle any forms/negotiations/special terms needed. We hired a good RE lawyer and spent a total of about $750 with him but he handled the escrow, the money exchange and the closing. 3. Keep you house clean and neat at all times. 4. Schedule appointments in clusters, so you don't have to wait for hours over many days. 5. Remember that you have two challenges in this transaction: the houses that are listed (whether by RE agent of FSBO) and the buyer. You have to deal with both. Good Luck!