So the saying goes - “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.”  When selling a home, the sign in the front yard is a big part of that first impression. Yet, many Capital Region for sale by owner home sellers seem to overlook this critical piece of their marketing campaign.

I recently drove by a Guilderland home for sale by owner. I instantly knew the house was for sale by owner because of the sign by the road, so in that respect it did it’s job. But the sign was bent over and nearly touching the ground and I really had to struggle to read the hand-written phone number of the home seller. In addition, there was no flyer box attached to the sign for a potential buyer to pick up detailed information about the home. I remember shaking my head thinking to myself “What kind of impression does this convey about this home? Are they even serious about selling?”

This isn’t an isolated scenario. I see it all over. It’s seems that many homeowners just don’t seem to get the importance of professional signage when selling a home. Here are some guidelines to make sure your drive-by traffic is getting the best impression of your home.

Yard signs should be easily visible from the street, and have a contact phone number clearly displayed.

Directional signs should always be used if you live off the beaten path. Place them at the end of all streets leading to your house. Write your address on them. They will have an arrow pointing the way to your home.

If you’re having an Open House, use directional signs specifically made for this purpose. You can also add an Open House attachment to your yard sign that will specify the day and time of your Open House.

Put a flyer box out in the yard (preferably attached to the sign), and keep it stocked with flyers. The flyers should  include the following: a description of your home, the asking price, a contact phone number or email address, or both, and multiple photos of the home.

Our FSBO Albany sign package includes everything you need to attract that drive-by traffic! A professional and easily visible 18×24 yard sign with the photo flyer box attached, a phone number set for the sign, and directional signs.

When you place an ad with us, you will have the ability to print photo flyers from your ad on our website. The flyers include your full ad description with contact info, price and up to 8 photos…perfect!

When marketing your home, don’t underestimate the power of signs and flyers. Taking an all-inclusive approach to your marketing strategy will ensure that your efforts are rewarded with success! Good luck and Happy Homeselling!

Using high quality, multiple photos of your property in a real estate ad is critical to successfully selling your home.

Time and time again property ads that don’t feature photos get overlooked by prospective buyers in favor of ads that are really able to showcase the unique features of the home.

Not only do buyers favor ads with photos, they often times feel a seller is being deceptive by not using them. The consensus is that if a seller isn’t showing the home, there must be something to hide!

The quality of the photos you choose for the ad is extremely important. Use a good camera. A slightly overcast day is great for outdoor shots. A bright sunny day is best for interior shots.

Concentrate on taking quality photos of the features a buyer would be most interested in. Encourage them to imagine cooking in the beautiful gourmet kitchen, cozying up to a  family room fireplace, or splashing in a sparkling in ground pool.

Help peak your buyers interest and motivate them to call by showcasing your home in it’s best light. A well written ad featuring multiple quality photos will be your first step to initiating a successful and rewarding marketing campaign for your home.

Having trouble paying your FHA Mortgage? Great news! You no longer have to be delinquent with your payments to get assistance.

The Federal Housing Administration announced that it will help borrowers before they get behind in their payments, allowing them to maintain a good credit standing.

“The FHA has always required lenders to establish early contact with delinquent borrowers to discuss the reason for missing a payment and to evaluate reinstatement options,” FHA Commissioner David Stevens said in a prepared statement. “Now servicers will have additional options for those borrowers who seek help before they go delinquent, which increases the likelihood that the borrower will be able to retain their home.”

If you can prove your problems resulted from a reduction of income caused by slashed wages, job loss, decline in self-employed business earnings, or even a change in circumstances resulting from a disability or death, the FHA will now provide you with assistance repaying your mortgage.

The first option available is forbearance, where the lender agrees to reduce or postpone payments for a specified period of time. The payments aren’t forgiven, they are simply added to the balance to be paid later in the mortgage term.

The second option is a permanent payment reduction. Reserved for more severe cases, this may involve adding extra time to the length of the loan, possible reduction in the interest rate, or even forgiving a portion of principal. A combination of any or all three are also a possibility.

Foreclosure rates across the country rose dramatically in 2009. Nevada, Florida, California & Arizona were particularly hard hit. Las Vegas topped the ranks in filings with 12%  of households affected, 5 times the national average.

On the bright side, all top 20 cities affected recorded a decline in foreclosure filings within the last three months of 2009. These trouble spots tend to be “bubble” related. In these areas, inflated home prices drove home buyers to take on high risk adjustable rate mortgages. When the market deflated, borrowers began to default on their loans.

The most recent wave of bank home foreclosures can be blamed on more traditional causes linked to an economic slowdown and high unemployment figures.

New York has been one of the states least affected by foreclosures with a mere .63% filing rate.  The bubble related affect was minimal compared to harder hit areas of the country. In addition, the Capital Region’s workforce remains stable with comparatively low unemployment figures supported by state jobs, higher education and technological opportunities.

Check the foreclosure rate in your state

Any informed consumer would immediately see the benefits of selling by owner as compared to paying an agent a 6-7% real estate commission. Why, then, doesn’t everybody sell by owner?

Agents and brokers are notorious for convincing sellers that they just don’t have the knowledge and expertise to sell on their own. The fact is that successfully selling your home involves two basic factors: #1. Pricing the home correctly and #2. Marketing it effectively.

Professional real estate appraisals are available for less than $300.  Albany Real Estate Appraisers will give you an accurate marketing price and also provide you with a selling tool to justify your asking price to your potential buyers. There are many free websites that can also help you determine the asking price for your home based on current market comparables.

For Sale By Owner Albany is a proven marketing strategy that offers unparalleled exposure for your home. Full color photo advertising in For Sale By Owner magazine plus unbeatable web exposure with 8 photo color internet advertising on 518forsalebyowner.com and web syndication on 9 other popular sites!

You’ve priced your house accurately, and have marketed it effectively to thousands of active buyers resulting in a solid offer, now what? We strongly recommend hiring an Albany Real Estate Attorney to handle the closing and any paperwork subsequent to the transaction. Clearly this exempts you from having to be an expert in real estate transactions. That’s what you pay the attorney for, and you would pay him whether you sell on your own, or hire a real estate agent.

Be prepared with the information and resources you’ll need and make a strong commitment  to the homeselling process by allocating time to make appointments, show the house and negotiate with buyers. Saving potentially tens of thousands of dollars will surely make your successful By Owner experience well worth the time and effort you’ve invested!