101 Things To Do To Sell Your House For More
By Julie Rayner
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About this ebook
Advice, tips and information to help you sell your home for the best price in any market. This book has been written with the intention of providing information and suggestions for quick fixes, budget reno’s, tips and advice with the view to positioning you in the market for a speedy sale at a great price. It provides a complete overview of the house, from the street to the back fence (and everywhere in between), where to start, what to look for, how to fix it and how to make it shine for inspections.
Buying and selling real estate has changed and evolved. You now have access to a huge range of data, statistics and information which hasn’t been available to the public in the past. But there’s so much information out there now, it’s also easy to get confused. That’s where this book and I come in.
Aside from the practical side of preparing your house for sale, I’ll go further, to explain in detail, the processes involved in the sale of your home and how to maximise your sales campaign, how to select the best agent for you, the legal angles and other pits-falls that can be easily avoided by the well informed player. There’s some fun stuff in there too; it’s not all just facts and figures.
Selling your home is one of the few times in life when you can directly affect the final result of the return on your original investment. I’ve written this book to help you make sure that your investment pays off ... BIG TIME! (and because I’ve always wanted to see my name as the author on a book).
I hope that you enjoy and benefit from 101 Things to do to Sell your House for More.
Julie Rayner
Julie Rayner
I guess you could say that I was a ‘late starter’ in Real Estate. It wasn’t a career I’d even considered (no better than a car salesman! and trusted even less) and when I did get the bug, I was just too damn scared to take on a job where there was no wage to back me up. The courage to make that leap of faith came when my diverse background and life experience had built my confidence, skills, abilities into a strong platform and my health had become a serious factor. I realised that I needed a job which was non-ageist, not too physical but constantly challenging. I needed a job that was performance based, (where I was totally accountable for my income), where I could use my brains and creativity and I wanted to love what I was doing. Real Estate ticked all the boxes and I gained my qualifications, training with the REIQ. The enthusiasm of the trainers, a father-in-law in real estate and my own passion for people, psychology and research combined with a history of work in a variety of people-based industries to cement the path to my new career.For the full and unabridged bio, please visit my website to see where I’ve been and how I got here. Suffice it to say that it includes five years each in management, customer service, staff recruitment, training and assessment and ten years in market research and analysis. I’ve written, developed and implemented training programs and assessment criteria and manuals for two different companies; authored an operations manual for an in-house software program (DOS platform ... groan) and drafted Workplace Agreements. I’ve studied legal secretarial and conveyancing, hospitality, fashion design, Bachelor of Natural Science (Naturopathy) and obtained both Security Officer and Weapons licenses. I’ve sold door to door, telemarketed and sold life insurance, car insurance and my own craft work at various markets. I’ve been a waitress, bar attendant, secretary-receptionist-personal / administrative assistant, market research field representative, 2IC and trainer in market research, static and armed security guard (cash-in-transit), service station console operator, truck driver and courier driver.
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101 Things To Do To Sell Your House For More - Julie Rayner
101 THINGS TO DO to $ell your House for More
by Julie Rayner
Published by Julie Rayner with Smashwords
Clontarf Queensland 4019 Australia
Email : julie@julierayner.com
Book in print available via : julierayner.com
First published : 2013 - All rights reserved
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Author : Rayner, Julie Margaret, 1965
Title : 101 Things to do to Sell your House for More / Julie Rayner
ISBN : 9780992324711 (eBook)
Notes : Includes Index
Subjects : 1. House selling – Australia
2. Real property – Australia – Marketing
Dewey Number : 333.33830994
SMASHWORDS EDITION LICENSE NOTES : This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this eBook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Copyright : Julie Rayner 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written consent of the author.
The material contained in this publication is for general reference and guidance and is not intended as advice on any particular matter, general or specific. No reader should act or fail to act on the basis of any material contained herein. The author expressly disclaims all or any liability to any person, whatsoever, in respect of anything done or omitted to be done by any such person in reliance whether in whole or in part upon any of the material contained herein. Readers should make their own independent enquiries and consult professional advisers.
This book is dedicated to my Father
Brian Richard Parker Rowse
12th February 1937 – 13th March 2013
Even in death, you continue to teach and inspire me. I learn more about you and more from you every day. I guess age affords me the wisdom to view my memories from a more realistic perspective. The angst of the rebellious teenager is gone and I can see your lessons clearly now. I’ve come to realise that I truly am my Father’s daughter.
Thank you for taking me to see Star Wars.
Table of Contents
Foreword
10 Golden Rules to Sell for More
101 THINGS TO DO
Outside
Inside – General
Kitchen
Bathroom
Laundry
The Rest of the House
Other Stuff
Your Target Market
Staging your Home
Pricing your Home
Pricing Options
Methods of Sale
The Killer Marketing Campaign
Tips for Top Photographs
Open Home Inspections – Your New BFF
The Buyers Cycle – Huh?
Plan B
Selling Property 101
Auction 101
On Auction Day
Reality Check : From Buyers to Sellers with Love
Reality Check : How to Make Buyers Hate Your Home
Six Mistakes Some Home Sellers Make
Fifty Shades of Grey
Aromatic Adventures
Top 5 Cookie Recipes for Open Home Inspections
Good Stuff to Know
My Favourite Tradies and Professionals
About the Book and the Author
*Click on the first letter of any chapter heading to return to Table of Contents.
Foreword
I first met Julie Rayner back when she was completing her studies at the REIQ and she already had a glint in her eyes as being one of the few who make it in this industry. A career in real estate sales sees less than 20% of the people who start renewing their certificate in their second year, so just starting in this industry, we are up against the odds.
In fact, when I secret shopped several hundred real estate agents, there is little wonder this stat is true. Some agents ‘no showed’, some were rude, arrogant and obnoxious, and the majority (72.6%) made NO follow up attempts at all to guests from their open house. So the bar is set pretty low as far as skill is concerned.
I then meet the aforementioned Julie Rayner, with the aforementioned gleam, and I wondered how this woman, very intelligent, who breezed through her qualifications, would fare in the real world. Her scholastic abilities in passing the exams were a breeze, but of course there is more to selling real estate than the ability to regurgitate facts for an exam.
I have since seen her excel from strength to strength, and let nothing get in her way, even being bound to a wheelchair for an extended period of time (still at the time of writing this introduction). But even this has not deterred her from charging forward against the odds, and now, with the material you have in your hands here in this book, she is even sharing her knowledge even further to assist even more people make that little bit (or a whole lot, as is the case with her private clients, should the reader be so lucky) more money, realise a higher return on their investment. For many people in fact, their family home will be the biggest investment they ever make, so to let it go for anything but the MOST money the market will pay is a crime and it’s something that just does not need to happen.
The low barrier to entry in our industry means many, many agents get into the business of selling real estate with little or no skill in doing so. Frankly, anyone can be an agent, but very few would I entrust the sale of one of my properties to. Julie is one of the agents in the latter group.
I am honoured she asked me to write this, and anyone reading this would do themselves a favour by availing themselves of a quick chat with the author, if they can get some of her valuable time, as that advice could be the difference in tens of thousands of dollars in that final price, with just a few simple moves...well, simple from Julie, but may make all the difference to us.
Glenn Twiddle
Owner Qld Real Estate Agents’ Summit
The 10 Golden Rules to Sell for More
1. Less is More – create the impression of space.
2. Update - don’t renovate.
3. Renovate and style to the target market, not your personal taste.
4. Unseen = Unsold. A good rule of thumb is to allow 1 – 2 % of the expected sale price for your advertising budget.
Side note and interesting bit : Another good rule of thumb is to budget approximately 5% of your expected sales price as the total cost of the sale (including the agents commission, conveyancing and advertising)
5. Research everything before you start anything.
6. Ignore emotion and be objective. It’s a product for sale; not the cherished family home. Keep in mind that the property won’t be yours soon and it’s best to detach yourself from it sooner rather than later.
7. Work out a budget and stick to it! Aim to make $1 - $2 gain in value for every dollar you spend on improvements (or don’t bother). And make sure you allow a reasonable margin for error (technical term : Contingency or $#!t Happens Budget).
8. Don’t believe your own publicity. Use licensed and insured tradies. Watching DIY shows and reading magazines does not qualify you to renovate your home (nor do classes on Saturday morning at Bunnings).
9. A bad DIY job is worse than no renovation at all.
10. Interview at least three Agents before you select your Chosen One
. This is so important : it’s crucial to the sale of your house. Choosing the wrong agent can cost you, and not just financially!
101 THINGS TO DO
1. Before you do anything else, I want you to sit down at your computer with a nice cup or glass of whatever you prefer and go to onthehouse.com.au and type in your address. A Full Property Profile specifically for your place will be shown. Among other things, it will show a Guesstimate of the value of your property and comparable listings for sale and sold recently. This is a free website that requires no membership and is a great tool for researching the market before you list your property. It shows current market trends, current listings and past sales; there’s heaps of data provided … for free! There are other sites where you can research property data and statistics; but this is one of the few where you can a) research your own property without having to give your details and wait for an agent to send you a report, b) you can research properties other than your own; you can check any address you like and c) I just like this one for ease of use, and did I mention it’s free?
2. While you’re on that page, take a look over the comparable listings for sale. Write down where they are and when they’re having the next open home inspection. Take a Saturday (or three) to go and look at as many properties as you can within a 5km radius of your place (you can look further out if you choose; 5km is just the usual standard used). You’re doing this to check out the competition and make comparisons with your own property. These comparisons will become the starting point of your preparation. Have a look other all the listings around your suburb on the internet, old and new. Look at the style of the properties, the age, the amenities on offer; original or renovated? This research will help you to highlight what changes, (if any) you may consider undertaking before listing your property for sale.
3. This is also a good time to start feeling around for an agent. Google agents local to your area and make up a short list of candidates. You can also seek recommendations from friends, family and associates to point you in a starting direction. On those Saturdays when you’re checking out the potential competition, include the open homes of your short listed agents. ‘Secret Shop’ their open home inspection so you can observe them in their natural environment and evaluate their knowledge, experience and attitude while getting a feel for how they do business.
You should interview at least three agents; yes I mean interview. After all you will be employing them and entrusting them with one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make. Ask them what you can expect from them, how and to whom they plan to market your property (your target market – explained in more detail in a latter section), the sales process and what they will expect of you. Take into consideration the agent’s experience, their knowledge of the local area, including the prevailing state of the market and the advertising campaign they are proposing. Will their program provide for the property to be seen by the largest number of potential buyers?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. A good agent won’t be troubled by your questions, will encourage you to ask more and their answers will be in plain English – no real estate speak. Take some time before you meet with the agents to put together