Tools
FSBO Signs, Lockboxes, and Other Display Products
Get the same products used by real estate agents across the country. But don't let shipping costs negate any savings you ma realize by shopping for these products online. Try and find sites that offer free shipping on orders $50 or more.
Fax-to-Email Services
As the owner-seller, you may want to consider a dedicated fax number for prospective buyers, or setup a Fax-to-Email service. Otherwise, you're depending on your kids to get off the line and/or switch on the fax machine to receive faxed offers. There are lots of companies offering this service online, but I'm partial to the ones that let you try it for free for 30 days.
FSBO Legal Forms
Do-it-yourself real estate legal forms are available from a number of companies online.
Prepare Your Home for a Quick Sale
Sometimes all it takes is a neutral coat of paint and some minor updating to sell your home quickly, and at a higher profit. Add buyer appeal quickly and inexpensively by:
- Repainting and touching up traffic areas.
- Adding some potted flowers near the entry. You can take them with you when you move.
- Replacing burnt-out bulbs. Your home may have nighttime showings.
- Repainting your bold colored walls with more neutral colors.
- Hide family photos so that buyers can better picture their own family in the home.
- Mow the lawn and clean up the yard. Remove any sign of dead leaves and limbs.
- Thin out furnishings to make rooms appear larger.
- Clean out closets to showcase the home's storage space.
- Remove items from kitchen and bathroom counters to appear less cluttered.
- Bake a batch of gingerbread cookies just before showings. What better smell to inundate visitors to a Victorian home than the delightful and nostalgic smell of gingerbread?
There are also many inexpensive remodeling projects that you can do to add value to your home. Here is a book that can help:
Renovating the Victorian House: A Guide for Owners and Aficionados of Old Houses
If you don't have the time or inclination to do them yourself, you can have contractors compete for your business by posting your request online.
Moving Boxes and Packing Materials
$6 for a large cardboard box? Yeah, right! I got tired of paying so much for boxes from the local U-Haul store. To save lots of cash on boxes and moving supplies, try ordering wholesale moving boxes and packing supplies online.