Massachusetts' Premier Real Estate Solutions Provider

Selling your own home is never easy, and the difficulties are more than just missing an agent. There are those memories and sense of belongings to get over, for one. You want to make sure the house you’ve lived in moves to the best buyer possible – and you want to make sure they’re willing to pay what its worth. Do you really think you can do this? A lot of people managed to sell their own home quickly. Here are some tips
that might help:

• Make sure you have all legal issues covered before you even think about handing your house over. Does your state law require you to give property disclosures to potential buyers? It’s always a good idea to invest in a good attorney to help you.
• An attorney can also come in handy for helping you make the contract firm. Selling your own home requires a contract that would both protect you and the buyer – think about the buyer’s deposit and the local estate laws.
• A useful but normally disregarded tip in selling your own home is make sure you pick out the best picture to put in the advertisements. Like humans, not all houses are “photogenic”, so pick out the best angle that still represents what your house has to offer.
• Something the agents have and you don’t is experience, especially in observing buyers. The large amount of potential buyers coming to your house should not convince you that everyone can finance for a house. If you’re selling a house on your own, more buyers will come in hope of a more flexible negotiation – check them all. Ask if they’re able to buy your house immediately, or do they need to sell their own house first.
• Cleaning and preparing your house for home showings is only part of your effort. Some potential buyers love to do drive-bys, and rely on that first impression. Make sure your lawn and the front part of your house is well maintained. If your curb appeal is low, clients are reluctant to see what’s inside.
• These tips on selling your own home came from people who managed to sell their house successfully. There’s a lot to consider before you take every next step, so take your time. And remember, it’s useless to do the selling on your own if the revenue taken from not hiring an agent is spent heavily on fixing your own mistakes!

Russell Bradchulis is the CEO and Founder of Foresight Home Solutions, LLC, a full-service real estate solutions provider specializing in Foreclosure Assistance, Residential Redevelopment, and Estate Liquidation. You may call him at 781-333-4447 or email him at russell@foresighthomesolutions.com

When you want to sell your house, it’s essential that you pay special attention on marketing your house to homebuyers. After all, marketing is the way to get people noticing that you’re trying to sell a house!

But for agents, it’s an entirely different deal. On each call generated from marketing your house, there is an opportunity for the selling agent to take them as clients. The more calls your house generates, the bigger possibility of the buyer’s agent to get clients.

Although the reason is different, marketing your house to homebuyers will always be a big deal for all aspects of the sellers’ side. You might want to confirm that the agent handling your house runs ads in magazines and local newspapers for that matter. Prepare the advertisements with that consideration in mind. Pick out a good picture of your house. List the features homebuyers would look for. Also check that your advertisements go to the local Multiple Listing Service, as this is considered the most powerful marketing tool you can find.

If you feel like the agents are not doing a good enough job, put some efforts in marketing your house yourself. Create fliers and postcards announcing your home sale and spread it in the neighborhood. Your neighbors may not want to buy your house, but there’s a chance they know of a homebuyer. And because they already know the environment, they’ll make perfect salesmen for your house! “Word of mouth”, as
always, is the most effective step you can take at the cheapest price.

Following the announcements, you might want to set up an open house that doubles as home showings. The bad thing about this is that most visitors of an open house are rarely homebuyers – some of them just followed the “Open House” sign and went in for no reason. But it’s still a good extent for your “word of mouth” campaign. It might even create interests from local real estate agents to list your house. But try not to organize an open house as an alternative when your house has been in the market for some time. Most of your neighbors would already know that you’re marketing your house to homebuyers and the open house would attract even less visitors.

Whether it’s with an agent or by yourself, you would always want to be involved in marketing your house to potential homebuyers. You will be competing with thousands of other houses, and who’s better to flaunt the features to homebuyers than the one who’s been living in it?

Russell Bradchulis is the CEO and Founder of Foresight Home Solutions, LLC, a full-service real estate solutions provider specializing in Foreclosure Assistance, Residential Redevelopment, and Estate Liquidation. You may call him at 781-333-4447 or email him at russell@foresighthomesolutions.com

Are you thinking about selling your home? Have you been thinking of selling it by yourself instead of hiring a real estate agent? There are several advantages of selling your home yourself, but there are disadvantages as well. To make it easier for you to make a decision find the most important pros and cons below.

The most important PRO for selling your home yourself is MONEY. Selling your home without the help of an agent means more Money in your pocket!

By selling it yourself you save the commissions and fees. – We are not talking about pennies, we are talking about THOUSANDS of dollars which you would have to pay an agent.

Another advantage is that you are able to decide the times for open houses and showings. It is also completely up to you where and when you want to advertise. Unlike a real estate agent who is selling many houses, you can focus on YOUR house, because you are only selling your own house. It is obvious that you will have more interest in the sale than an agent.

But as mentioned above there are also disadvantages to selling your house yourself. Real estate agents are paid a lot of money for a reason. Selling a home takes a lot of energy and time dealing with potential buyers, open houses, closing sales and of course dealing with legal issues. Real estate agents are familiar with all the above and their experience can impact the sale.

Be realistic when making a decision! Will you drop everything to make a showing? Do you think you are indeed a good negotiator and ask for an offer? Are you 100% sure you are able to close a deal? Selling a home is a big project! It’s not for everyone who can take on such a big project and can stay calm and professional when dealing with buyers.

Selling your home is not impossible, but it is a challenge. If this challenge excites you and if you are willing to learn then it is not impossible managing selling your home without the help of an agent. With some know-how and a lot of energy you can sell your house without the help of a real estate agent and save thousands.
So how to start? Sit down and start evaluating your house. Finding the right price is the first and most important step when selling your home yourself.

Russell Bradchulis is the CEO and Founder of Foresight Home Solutions, LLC, a full-service real estate solutions provider specializing in Foreclosure Assistance, Residential Redevelopment, and Estate Liquidation. You may call him at 781-333-4447 or email him at russell@foresighthomesolutions.com

Last time I started a new series about selling the property you’ve inherited.

Now we’re going to go a little deeper and discuss some guidelines that you should keep in mind.

Selling a home right now can be done by anyone. With support and information, which can be found through the Internet, one person can sell his or her home either by a real estate agents or selling the home by himself or herself. The high technology that you can find anywhere can be a tool for you to sell your home fast and at a reasonable price, etc.

But, whether you want to buy with agents or by yourself, you need some guides in selling home. There are steps in selling your home. Those guides really help you. Never under estimate them because they have lots of impact in your selling home performance.

These are some quick guidelines to selling your home:

1) Preparation
Show the very best condition of your home. Here is the first step to sell your home. Make a best first impression to your buyers so that they are attracted to buy your home. Get rid of dirt and tras, remove all clutter, repair all flaws of your home, get rid of unused furniture to make it look spacious.

2) Pricing your home effectively
A home that is priced right and reasonable will sell in a short time. You can use a third party service to give suggestion about your home’s value and the furniture in it. Don’t price it too low as it will cost you more money, yet never set a high price as you will lose your potential buyers.

3) When To Sell
You also have to know the right time to sell your home. You surely want to sell your home in a good economic condition and strong demand for houses, which tend to be stronger in June and July. If you sell your home at the right time and with good preparation, you will get the highest price for your home than your prediction.

4) A Bit About The Costs Involved
You should also include any costs that you have spent in selling your home, whether it is attorney costs, closing costs, advertisements costs, etc.

5) Selling Privately
Selling a home by yourself is not as easy as it seems but it is worth to do because you can save about 2-6% of your selling price. Selling a home privately is going to take time and effort for you to sell it.

6) Selling At Auction
Selling at an auction can also be an option. But it is not a suggested because it will cost you more money and also it is a volatile way of selling your home

7) Get a real estate lawyer
You can make the flow of documents easy and have professional advice by getting a real estate lawyer in your selling process.

8) Marketing your home
There are many ways to market your home:

• Writing a classified ad
• Home Photos: a picture is worth a thousand words
• Lawn signs
• Open houses
• Home Brochures/Information sheets
• The MLS (Multiple Listing Service) provided by the agents
• You are your home’s best salesman

9) Negotiating an offer on your home

10) Home inspections

11) Closing

These guidelines will help you to sell your home. Never hesitate to ask me for professional advice if you meet some problems while you are in the middle of the selling process.

Russell Bradchulis is the CEO and Founder of Foresight Home Solutions, LLC, a full-service real estate solutions provider specializing in Foreclosure Assistance, Residential Redevelopment, and Estate Liquidation. You may call him at 781-333-4447 or email him at russell@foresighthomesolutions.com

Selling a house in this market can be tricky, but it’s even trickier when the house suddenly lands in your lap. How do you get rid of it?

Over the next few days I’ll be telling you about how to do just that.

We all know that buying or selling a home can be a time consuming process. Although there are thousands of people looking to buy homes, it can be a tricky process finding the right person interested in your home. With hundreds of thousands of homes for sale in the United States, there is always some form of competition.

If you’re looking to sell your home fast, you’ll need to attract as much attention as possible. A real estate agent can help, although he can only do so much. He can show your home and help to get it out there to buyers, although he can’t make it sell. If you want to sell it fast, you’ll need to do some work yourself. If you put the effort into selling your home fast, chances are that you will.

The quickest way to sell a home is by staging it. Staged homes literally invite the buyer in, making him feel right at home. Staged homes are also appealing both inside and out, and are more or less ready to be moved into immediately. They don’t sit on the market for long at all, yet they bring a top dollar sell. If you are familiar with staged homes – you should know that they are among the fastest selling homes on the market.

If you don’t want to use a real estate agent, it’s still quite possible to sell your home – and sell it fast. You’ll need to do everything yourself, which involves getting your home out there to the market and showing it to potential buyers. You can always list your home in local newspapers, magazines, and put a “for sale by owner” sign in the yard. This way, you are letting buyers know that your home is for sale. Some buyers prefer homes that are for sale by the owner, as they don’t have to pay a real estate agent or deal with one directly.

When you sell your home, you should always make sure that the exterior is clean, the lawn is trim, and the interior is in superb condition. If you plan to live there until it is sold, you’ll want to make sure that you have the interior staged as best as you can. You want to give the buyer a great feeling, so he’ll stay and won’t leave. If your home is visually appealing both inside and out, a buyer will want to see more.

Once a buyer wants to see more of your home, chances are you have found the individual who will buy it. You should never make the buyer feel pressured, but instead make him feel that you are interested in his thoughts and opinions. If you show a buyer that you care – you will go a long way in establishing trust – which will help you sell your home.

Stay tuned — next time I’ll go over some important guidelines.

Russell Bradchulis is the CEO and Founder of Foresight Home Solutions, LLC, a full-service real estate solutions provider specializing in Foreclosure Assistance, Residential Redevelopment, and Estate Liquidation. You may call him at 781-333-4447 or email him at russell@foresighthomesolutions.com

Last time I gave you some pointers to keep in mind while selling your house.

Today. I’m going to give you a few last things you can do to increase your home’s value for under $100.

When it’s time to sell your home – make sure that you do it the right way.

The first thing you should do when you are thinking of selling your home is to hire yourself a qualified real estate agent who knows the neighborhood. An agent who knows your neighborhood will know the ideal price for your home, and help you sell it at the ideal price. If your home is priced right for the neighborhood, chances are it will sell. If it is priced too high, you might not get any offers or anyone interested in buying the home.

Once you have a real estate agent, you and your agent will need to develop a strategy. You’ll need to decide on the price and how long you will leave it on the market before you think about a reduction. You’ll also need to discuss his commission as well, which will help to avoid any misunderstandings in the future. If you talk about these types of things when you first start out selling your home, you’ll find the entire process to go much smoother.

In some cases, you may run out of time before you are able to sell your home. In this situation, you may want to rent out your home. When you rent out your home, you may also be able to strike a deal with renters that your home is available for showing.

To make the house accessible to potential buyers, you may want to offer your renters a lower price. This way, they will be more inclined to make the house available for potential buyers.

Keep in mind that selling your home will take you some time. You can also sell it yourself if you prefer, without a real estate agent. This can save you quite a bit of money as well, as you won’t have to pay a real estate agent. If you are planning to go this route, you should make sure that you know the value of your home and you know the neighborhood. You can put a “for sale by owner” sign in the yard, and list your
home in local newspapers, and on the Internet as well. This way, you’ll get your home out to the market of potential buyers. Homes that are for sale by the owner are always great for buyers – as they can deal with the owner directly and not have to worry about dealing with any real estate agents.

Have you inherited a property? Stay tuned — next time I’ll start a new series of posts about how to sell an inherited property for top dollar.

Russell Bradchulis is the CEO and Founder of Foresight Home Solutions, LLC, a full-service real estate solutions provider specializing in Foreclosure Assistance, Residential Redevelopment, and Estate Liquidation. You may call him at 781-333-4447 or email him at russell@foresighthomesolutions.com

Last time I told you about staging your home to help it sell up to 40% faster.

Today I’m going to some advice that I’ve learned over the years in helping my clients to sell their homes.

What do buyers need when they plan to buy a home? There are many aspects one needs to consider.

Be an informative seller. You could put the “Home for Sale” sign in your front
yard. Don’t forget to put your phone number on it, so a buyer can get contact you.

Choose a reasonable price, valued by the physical price of your home, environment and location. The better location where your home is placed, the better price you can ask. And the better physical condition of your home, the higher price you should be able to get. Don’t forget that a buyer needs an achievable price. So the process of the negotiation will determine it.

Curb appeal is a very important thing. You can do some work to improve the look of your home’s exterior. Make sure it is beautiful, tidy, and fresh.

Get your buyer in the right mood by creating a cozy environment in your home. What do I mean by “cozy environment”? Fresh air, clean environment, and the most important is a homelike situation. Just make a buyer feel like it his own home sweet home.

Learn how to make a great offer. The point is, you should be a great win-win negotiator. On the Internet there are many articles about how to be a great communicator and negotiator. Just follow the rules and tips.

Good presentation of your home selling can add great value to attract a buyer. Know your entire home and its contents, and present it to your buyer. Tell them how sweet your home is, how much you love it, your experience in your home, etc. Just be a familiar and friendly seller, that can give a good impression to your buyer.

Stay tuned. Next I’ll give you a few final tips on how to sell your home quickly by making a few adjustments.

Russell Bradchulis is the CEO and Founder of Foresight Home Solutions, LLC, a full-service real estate solutions provider specializing in Foreclosure Assistance, Residential Redevelopment, and Estate Liquidation. You may call him at 781-333-4447 or email him at russell@foresighthomesolutions.com

Last time I told you about how to determine your list price.

Today I’m going to tell you more about staging your home.

If you’ve been thinking of selling your investment house or your home, you should make sure that you take full advantage of home staging trends. There are several advantages to home staging trends, which we will take a look at below.

One of the best things about staged homes is that they sell in less time. This is great news for sellers, as these types of homes will sell really fast. In most cases, you won’t have to worry about your home staying on the market for a long period of time. Research has shown that staged homes sell nearly 40% faster than other homes on the market.

Staged homes also sell for more money. Homes that have sat on the market for a long period of time will normally get lower offers due to the fact that home buyers will begin to think there is something wrong with the home. Staged homes on the other hand, don’t sit on the market for long at all. Once they are listed, they pretty much draw attention to themselves – resulting in a fast sale.

A staged exterior will also draw viewers. When home buyers first arrive at a home that is up for sale, they instantly make up their mind whether they should get out and look around, or drive off. If the yard is staged with flowers and the yard is manicured and properly taken care of, chances are that buyers will want to see more. If you entice your buyers by showing them how nice the home is outside, they will surely want to
know what the home is like on the inside as well.

Once a buyer has stepped inside of the home, he will know within a matter of seconds whether or not he likes the home. To get the buyer’s attention, you’ll need to stage your home to the buyer’s liking. You don’t want the buyer to feel rushed or get the wrong impression, which is why you should always set the stage and entice the buyer to take his time and get a good look at the home.

Staging the living rooms and kitchens will also help to sell the home. Buyers love living rooms, which is why you should always make sure that the living room is the center piece of your home, and decorate it accordingly. Kitchens on the other hand, is where you should really go all out, decorating with fruit and such. You should always make sure that everything is in place as well. Buyers love to see homes that are ready to
move into – and not ready to be worked on.

Staged homes will also attract more real estate agents and get more advertising as well. If a real estate agent loves your home, he will want to show it off. If you stage your home, chances are that real estate agents will eat it up. When they do, they will advertise your home more than others, just to get you some deserved attention. This way, you can benefit from a lot of exposure at absolutely no extra cost. There’s no other way to look at it, other than staged homes sell. They attract more buyers, more real estate agents, and they give people the feeling of home. When you go out of your way to make the buyer feel that your home is his dream home, he will know it. Homes that aren’t staged may sell, although staged homes sell much faster and for more money. If you’ve been looking to sell your home, you should look into staging it and get the ball rolling in the right direction.

Stay tuned. Next time I have a few key points to keep in mind while selling your home.

Russell Bradchulis is the CEO and Founder of Foresight Home Solutions, LLC, a full-service real estate solutions provider specializing in Foreclosure Assistance, Residential Redevelopment, and Estate Liquidation. You may call him at 781-333-4447 or email him at russell@foresighthomesolutions.com

Last time I talked about some general things that you can do around the house to make it more appealing to potential buyers.

Today I’m going to talk about how to determine your listing price.

When it comes to buying a home, most potential buyers will use the listing price to as the number one factor to determine the homes that they look at. Even though you and a realtor may determine the asking price, the buyer will determine the selling price. If the price is too high, most buyers won’t give it a second thought – which is why you want to determine the listing price carefully.

If you set the correct price, you’ll notice a much faster sale. Setting the right listing price will also attract more potential buyers to your property as well. You’ll also notice an increase in response from realtors, and receive more calls about the property. The listing price is very important – and it can ultimately determine whether or not you sell your property.

A home can be overpriced due to several reasons. Overpricing is something you want to avoid, as buyers tend to steer clear of homes that have been overpriced. Normally, this happens when a buyer asks a lot more than the home is worth or valued at. Some buyers ask a lot more than the value of the home due to location. Although the location is very important, most potential buyers won’t give the home a second look if
they think the price is too high – and more importantly – out of their price range. When you put your home up for sale, most activity will happen within the first couple of weeks. If you put the right price on your home, you’ll notice immediate interest. There are always buyers looking for homes in their price range, waiting for new homes to be listed or homes to be reduced in price. Buyers who are waiting to purchase may miss seeing your home completely if the price is too high.

To determine the listing price of your home, you should always have it appraised before you put it on the market. This way, you’ll know the full value of your home. You can sell it for market value or go a little under, although you should never attempt to go way over the value. In doing so, you’ll miss out on a lot of potential buyers. The home market is very competitive these days, which is why you want your home to draw as much interest as possible.

Keep in mind that realtors really have no control at all over the real estate market. Realtors don’t determine the asking price – the seller does. You can ask a realtor for advice, but, in the end, it is really up to you to decide your listing price. If you do things right and take each thing step by step, you’ll set the listing price in the right area and have no problems selling your property.

Stay tuned. Next time I’ll tell you about staging your home.

Russell Bradchulis is the CEO and Founder of Foresight Home Solutions, LLC, a full-service real estate solutions provider specializing in Foreclosure Assistance, Residential Redevelopment, and Estate Liquidation. You may call him at 781-333-4447 or email him at russell@foresighthomesolutions.com

Last time I told you how to spruce up your home so that it makes a good first impression to potential buyers.

Today I’m going to talk about a few important things to keep in mind while you’re in the process of selling your home.

Take a look at your house from the street. Pretend that you are the buyer who happens to pass by the home up for sale. What do you see? What do you think are the points that will first capture the buyer’s interest? If you were the actual buyer, would you be tempted to get out of your car and try to have a peek of the home?

Create Curb Appeal
Place well-trimmed plants and fresh seasonal flowers to make your house more attractive.

Remember to make repairs.
Buyers are very particular with details. They can be turned off by even light scratches and dents. Make sure to repair faucets, doors, toilets, and lights.

Exterminate the living insects.
Schedule a deep cleaning. If buyers see pests around or messes, they may automatically leave without bothering to look at the rest of the house. Clean the carpets or replace them if necessary.

Remove all clutter.
Arrange things in an orderly manner so the prospective buyer will enjoy touring around to see the home’s features.

Lighten up the home.
Turn on all lights to enhance the atmosphere of the home. Let the home shine with a warm glow and a cozy feeling.

Make sure to wash the walls and apply fresh paint.
Buyers are turned off by dirty walls. They’re even more turned off if they start thinking about how they’re going to have to spend their time and their money to do what you should have done.

When selling your home, it is important to prioritize the appeal that you’re trying to create. When you’re selling your house, you only get a few moments to make that first impression.

Stay tuned. Next time I’ll talk about how to set the listing price.

Russell Bradchulis is the CEO and Founder of Foresight Home Solutions, LLC, a full-service real estate solutions provider specializing in Foreclosure Assistance, Residential Redevelopment, and Estate Liquidation. You may call him at 781-333-4447 or email him at russell@foresighthomesolutions.com