I like FiveMonkeys point about buyer expectations being at odds with what a quick reading of the listing sheet should tell them the house *is*. Still, people come with their lists of "must haves" -- then fall in love with something totally different. My late mother-the-realtor especially loved the engineer-types who arrived with a binder of check-lists.

BTW, in Hawaii it is very rude to fail to remove your shoes at the door to someone's home. The red dirt there is impossible to clean out of carpeting. (We ripped out the carpeting in our rental condo and replaced with clean tile floors in a color close to Maui Dirt Red.)

Well we just went through the buying and selling experience and boy was it stressful, on both sides. We had a great realtor, I would've never made it through without her. We still had a lot of trouble. We had 3 deadbeat offers. People down here don't seem to get it. Yeah they all put up ernest money, but managed to get out through loopholes. One claimed they couldn't get financing. Another told my realtor he was planning to live there himself, then when he changed his mind he claimed he wanted it for investment property & got out of it that way. (Our condo assoc. had prohibitive rules about renting) My realtor doesn't use lockboxes on occupied homes, she was there for every showing during the day, and many of them even when I could be there. Basically we kept the place as clean as possible at all times, but we don't have kids yet so it was a bit easier. I didn't use a bunch of air freshener or anything, just made sure the cat box was hidden & odor free, burned maybe one nice smelling candle. Don't over do it with the candles or air fresheners, or people may wonder what you're trying to cover up. I did bake cookies before open houses a couple of times, but I don't know that it made any difference. We looked at so many houses, it amazed me the condition some people let their houses to be shown in. The worst was one that looked like a frat house. Beer cans stacked up in the kitchen, cigarettes floating in unflushed toilets, ratty carpet padding & carpet on the stairs & one bedroom, just sitting there not installed. a large pile of laundry in the middle of an otherwise empty bedroom. Plus it absolutely reeked like an ashtray. This person was asking top dollar! We couldn't get out of there fast enough! LOL.

Regarding fireplaces; there are people like my husband and I that simply would not look at any house without a real, woodburning fireplace, as that was top on our list, and we weren't going to waste anyone's time, since we would not buy a house without a fireplace.

But honestly I believe we're a minority, most people we know could give or take one, and if they take one they're happiest with gas.

If there is anything that won't be sold with the house (light fixtures, window coverings, etc.), then remove them BEFORE you put the house on the market.

As for the shoes........ most realtors in this community put a sign by the entrance which says, "You may be entering your new home .... please remove your shoes." This gets the potential buyer thinking about how he would want HIS house treated!

Living in the upper mid west, this is very common. In "home parades" of new homes, there are always the OR booties at the door.

We have aboout 2,500 square feet of wood floors in our present home. We will have the floors completely refinished when it comes time to sell, and there will be NO shoes allowed on the floors! All it takes is a tiny pebble lodged in a shoe tread to make an ugly scratch on the finish, or shoes that make those awful black marks. It is really funny; at well attended open houses you might seet 15 pairs of shoes parked outside the front door! (Hmmm..... those shoes look really nice.... I wonder if they are my size??!)

To make your life easier with five kids.... have baskets or plastic boxes with lids that can be slid under the bed as a catch all for those toys left out. Have a set routine at bedtime, where the kids put their toys in designated places. Even little ones can do this. Fold the bath towel in thirds and hang it as soon as you are finished with it. Keep lots of the clorox wipes(or generic equivalent) available in every bathroom - they are so fast for last minute cleanups. They make your bathroom look a lot cleaner than it actually might be, and have a pleasant "clean" smell. If you have bathrooms that aren't used frequently, put them off limits for your family while you are on the market.

What really worked well for me was to ALWAYS pick up/put away as I went, rather than saving it for later. Make the bed as soon as you get out of it. Wipe down the shower walls as soon as you are finished. Make the kitchen spotless before you go to bed. Make breakfast simple, and try to avoid crumbly foods. When the meal is over, vacuum immeidately if necessary. Staying on top of it means that if a realtor calls (even when you have said two hour notice) and wants to show your house in ten minutes, you can say "no problem." When evryone was gone in the morning, realtors did not need to call in advance. We did have "please call 30 minutes ahead between the hours of 3:30 and 7:30 p.m." Our realtor understood that there to be no showings before 8 a.m.!

I could have my last house in showing condition in ten minutes because I cleaned as I went. (And it had 2800 square feet, and our kids were 12, 10 and 5 at the time.)

It doesn't have to be perfect - just good enough!

Five monkeys - thank you for your post - I will keep all of this in mind! (funny my dad calls my kids his five tigers..) Gweekie - great tip about the plastic boxes and clorox wipes - I had been thinking about the tall rubbermaid baskets, but the underbed idea is much smarter. We are leaving all light fixtures, chandelier etc - just not including some draperies which were very hard to find (match our furniture) and quite expensive - but that is only in 2 rooms. Re: Fireplace - do you guys think if we have a portable fireplace (and it looks nice - I can try to post photos) we should include it? Or do you think something like that should be optional? If we include it, is it misleading to list the home as having a fireplace? Its only a few months old. (We don't need it in our next house - but would love to have it) Any thoughts on this issue? I would say about 60% of the homes in this area do not have a fireplace, and for those that do they are the woodburning type.

I'd ask your realtor if the portable ventless fireplace is considered "A Fireplace" on their listing sheet. I think I'd sell it with the house unless you know where you will put it in your next home. Is it obvious that it is "portable"? If it's attached to the house, it may be considered part of the house.

Please please please do not use a cookie scented candle.
Every house we looked at had a cookie candle and they all made me sick.
It took us weeks to get that nasty scent out of the house we bought.
They had one in every room.
BLEEECH!!!

In our area, the true "portable" fireplaces don't really add a lot of value to a home, just like leaving a dishwasher maybe. As mentioned already, you should ask your realtor, it might be different in your area.

if they got their high price on their FIRST open house with 6 months DOM, maybe what's going on is that the rest of you guys are pricing way too conservatively.

That's been known to happen, too--one pioneer seller realized the true value of the neighborhood, and breaks the mold. If people ask lower than him, they'll get lower than him.

mom2five get you some of those Mr. Clean erasers in the cleaning dept. I love them. We have one in each bathroom and as soon as the kids get out of the bath/shower they will wipe it down with one of those and the sinks each morning. Oh and they work great for removing finger prints on paint too....

We will be listing again this coming week and our agent is going to ask that a card be left at each showing. She said some agents don't like to do this. We had lots of showings last Spring and with both kids playing competitive soccer we would need to come home and change and not know if they had been here or what. We also would place a folded piece of paper in the door jam and if it had fallen out we would know it was safe....

I am not sure abou where you are but our market has been really strange the last year and thing did not move in the summer like they have in the past and this is usaually a slow time but the market is picking up here now....

Good Luck....

These are great tips. I'm thinking about storing my household items in my garage as apposed to renting storage space. This shouldn't make a difference in how the size of the garage looks if the garage is kept tidy.

Not to buy the stupid house in the first place, LOL!

It's Springtime...any more tips???

Gosh! I just read all of the posts and was amazed at some of the responses.
First of all, in the Chicago area, especially in the fall/winter months, there is mud, slush, snow, rain, and dirt. Who in their right minds would want to come home after work and then have to clean all or any of the above from their flooring. Obviously, buyers at that time of year have shoes and socks. Some feel uncomfortable about walking shoeless in someone elses house. The agent should provide shoe booties for that purpose. It cracks me up that those that refuse or feel slighted about having to remove shoes are probably the first to complain about the dirty carpet in the home that they just bought. Don't want to remove your shoes - get over it. You might just wind up owning those floors.

Now for the tips.
1. Hot spots for women are kitchens and baths. Make them shine. Clean the windows. Clean the light fixtures. Clean the return vents. Don't forget the stove, fridge, DW, and WD.
2. Hot spots for men are basements and garages. Keep both places picked up. Clean the furnace inside with a vacuum cleaner, and more importantly, the exterior. Make sure you clean all of the lime deposits off of the water heater as well.
3. What ever season you are in, take the other seasons clothes out of your closets and pack away. This makes your closets appear bigger and less cluttered.
4. Speaking of clutter - get rid of all of it.
5. Got a wall of family pics or a collection of plates of every movie ever made? Get rid of them. Keep a few family pics but get rid of the collection. Reason? You need to de-personalize your home so others can visualize themselves in it. Also, a home with all that memorabilia is what the buyer remembers. Not the home.
6. Keep your yard up to speed. Weeds, overgrown bushes, bald spots, dog feces, and fences/decks/patios in need of repair or paint/stain need to be dealt with.
7. Keep your countertops free of machinery. Blender, toaster, Cuise-n-art, etc. need to be put under counter or stored out of sight. When you go into a model home, you see very few props. Why? The builder wants you to think that there is plenty of counterspace when there might not be.
Take a hint from them.
8. Learn how to stage your home for showings. Even in the daylight, turn on every light you have. Closet lights too. Open the closet doors, allow your potential buyer the opportunity to see what you have. Have some soft music playing in the background. Make you home the one that the buyer wants to spend more time in.
9. Don't be home for showings. It makes buyers feel uncomfortable. Even though you are trying to sell, they feel like they are putting you out. You can go for a walk (with the dog), or if it's lousy weather outside, drive around the block and park down the street until they leave. They might be in your home 5 minutes or a half hour. No sense in being gone a half hour if you can be back in your house in 5 minutes.
10. Don't think that the longer they are in your home that it's a "Sign"! Chances are they are talking about the differences in the homes that they have already seen or about to see. "Gee, isn't this couch comfortable"?
11. Speaking of showings - be prepared for no-shows. "Oh!, I didn't know the house was yellow. I hate yellow." "Oh! It's too close to the school-the road-the mall-the corner". Go figure. The buyer agent might get stiffed. More times than you'd think, the buyers just don't show up.
12. Most importantly. As I have stated before in other postings, your home is not your home anymore. It is a commodity. Just like tires or a can of soup. Start thinking like that.

We don't live like we normally do when we have to sell. It hopefully is a short process but most people live through it. There are lots of other tips available and I would hope that my fellow agents can chime in with a few more.
I hope this has helped.

NEVER sign anything without having a real estate attorney review it. I mean NEVER! Not a single document.

In our case we learned (the hard way) not to trust realtors to act in our interest. So our lesson was do not use RE agents - use attorneys.

Add a clause to your contract with an agent (if you must use one) that gives you an out for any reason with no penalty. Why should you be stuck with a realtor who may not be getting the job done? If they will not agree, move on.

Starmom,
I'm sorry that you had a bad experience. There are good and bad in every profession. To disrespect ALL Realtors is wrong and your statement needs to be challenged.

The greater majority of us are hard working, ethical, law abiding, and more than willing to do whatever we can to help out our clients.

I've fired sellers that were obnoxious louts but I know that the greater majority of people are kind and I would never lump the first with the second. If you or anyone feel that you have been wronged by a Realtor® then you have recourse beyond firing them. Contact the governing body of licensing in your state. File a complaint.

Moving on....I have an Easy Out Guarantee that I present to all of my sellers. It basically states that for whatever reaseon, your listing is cancellable with a 24 hour notice. Call me and you are out. My reasoning? It makes my sellers more comfortable hiring me (as the majority know OF me but don't KNOW me) and no one wants to work for someone that doesn't want them.

Bumping...because Spring is right next door.

Starmom gives good advice. An attorney's advice is worth its weight in gold and is vital if there are any concerns about issues. I'm a buyer now (under contract) and was strongly advised by my attorney that a certain issue must be resolved prior to closing.
The listing agent (and my agent to a lesser extent) have been trying to point out that it would all work out OK to go ahead with closing and then they would make sure that the issue was resolved. No way, there is only 1 way to make sure that the critical issue is taken care of, and that is to have no money change hands until it is done!!

As a seller, I learned that the home should be move - in ready. My listing broker suggested that we just go ahead with an as-is situation on my monther's home (now I know that he just didn't want to be bothered with any more details). Had I not listened to him and had I found a broker who would advise me how to get the place move-in ready, I believe that we would have had a much better outcome.
Good luck
Susan

I would NEVER get a realator again. You have the resources at your fingertips these days. I saved over $25K - Atty costs of $1300 and I ran the show. They are WAY over paid for taking NO risk, YOU took the risk of buying, selling and hoping to make a profit. Y should you pay them to do almost nothing and have them make 2.8% x2 on your risk. You probably know more than most of them do. They will be a thing of the past for the middle class and are already in the past for the wealty.

I would NEVER get a realator again.

Yeah, you should probably use a Realtor, who knows what a realator is? ;)

A realator is that person who just left to look for the wealty.
But you probably know more than both of them.

Ha, You must be relos! LOL, You know Im right & you have to pick on the spelling errors b/c you cant defend yourselves. ( woops, missed the apostrophe in can't ) Relos are good for some, but not the financially educated. LOL! Big deal, misspelt a few words but pocketed about 23K tax free by doing my own research. With the housing slump in most areas of the US, profits from home sales are down. How to you get your profit back?? Get rid of the middle man, and that's you. It is a natural progression and they will be a thing of the past.

As far as risk goes, most relos took a risk and failed. That's why realtors are realtors, b/c most tried another career and it didn't work. Now they are assuming your risk, the one you made to better your retirement and your family. So why give away 5.6% to 7% of your largest asset? In addition, it's tax free!

Please, don't be foolish! Go to zillow . com and take a close looks at the comps. Talk to your neighbors and friends. Do it yourself and save close to 10% of the risk YOU took. Don't give it away, it is your future. Educate yourself and do it yourself. G/Luck!

hunterosx, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but realize many do not share that opinion. FSBO is definitely not for everyone, just as using a realtor is not for everyone. I have neither the time nor the inclination to try FSBO and have always, and will always, use a realtor to sell and purchase my houses.

Take zillow.com with a grain of salt. The estimates can be wildly off.

Starmom offered excellent advice concerning an attorney.

starmom said "NEVER sign anything without having a real estate attorney review it. I mean NEVER! Not a single document."

Excellent advice. We lost a few thousand dollars using an unethical agent who tried to help the seller force us to buy his house after it failed the inspection.

She had represented herself to us as a buyer's agent. She had also promised the use of her broker's lawyers should it be necessary. She lied about both.

The frosting on the cake was when she tried to trick us into signing a new agreement with her for a whole YEAR after we told her we weren't happy with her services and would be using someone else.

Her broker fired her, but rehired her 6 months later after the smoke cleared.

hunterosx,as, I can assure I am not an agent, never will be. I also have no plans to do a FSBO. I welcome the services of an agent, I've met bad ones, but also good ones that earn the commission I pay them. I will add, I never pay the high rates you mentioned, top I'd pay is 5%, usually closer to 4%. There ARE good agents, just find them.
We can disagree about the usefulness of an agent, but you really lost your credibility when you suggested using Zillow for a serious comp. On my own house it values it almost $1 mil less than the current market value. My neighbors and friends haven't a clue to my house's market value, why would you expect that they would?
Also, I can tell you wealthy people regularily use real estates agents, I can't remember the last time I've seen a FSBO in the higher income areas around here. Wealthy people got that way by not wasting their time on FSBO's, actually the idea is funny. LOL I can just see the signs, phone calls and all the tire kickers coming through the open houses, too funny!

cmarlin20, I don't know where you are from, but I had none of the tire kickers come through my place and no signs. There are different approaches besides the below average approach you suggest. As a matter of fact, last week I stopped at a FSBO sign and talked to the couple. Their home was selling for 1.4 and already had a buyer. I saw another for 750K and their backstore neighbor was buying it. I sold for 500 with no sign and had multiple offers and finally sold for 540. Again, not sure where your selling and I know I don't want to be there. I choose strong markets and neighborhoods where you don't need relos.

As far your credibility, please quote what I wrote correctly. I never said zillow was a serious site. I said you have to closely look at the comps they use to get an average price...nice try!

Your right FSBO's are a funny idea! Expecially when you sell a 1.5M home and pay 5% in total comission and give the relo's $75,000 tax free cash! Yeah, that is funny! LOL

hunterosx, I was referring to my doubt about your comment that Realtors are a thing of the past for the wealthy. I know that many people still sell FSBO, I wish them success, everyone should use whatever tool they choose.
I do not criticize your wish to do FSBO. I was only disagreeing with your remark that the wealthy no longer use agents, I see multi million dollar homes listed every where, my guess is, they are wealthy (probably high income/high net worth). BTW, for most wealthy, their home is not their largest asset. Also, selling one's home is not always tax free, it should be remembered that some will owe taxes, many couples have much more than $500k profit in their house. I only question your strong disapproval for another person to use an agent. You tell us you did your own homework then tout the very unreliable Zillow and your friends and neighbors, not a good idea. Again, Zillow is not reliable for an average price. Maybe it worked for your, you're happy that is what counts. I hope you do well. I think it is great for you to sell your own house and save the commission, good for you. I just do not wish to deal with selling properties, I am an experienced real estate investor, have bought and sold many properties, but have chosen to use agents for selling them. To blindly tell others that their choice is foolish, is a foolish statement.

What do you mean by relo, is that a Realtor, I've seen the term used for a person being relocated by his company, but not for an agent?

I have to side with HUNTEROSX a bit. It may be advantages to go FSBO, if you have the stomach for it.

If your home is in good shape & you know what you're doing you will save money (most of the time). If your house has a big minus ie busy highway, bad location etc, you may need some help from a realtor.

Just sold my house recently & I was amazed at the amount of lookers who will not buy a house unless they go through a realtor. It's like they get this warm fuzzy feeling when they use a realtor. I don't want to bunch all realtors into the bad seed category, but I had bad experiences & exchanged stories about some real "pills." It's almost like the nice ones are not as successful as the...well never mind. Not all realtors are bad.

Unfortunately, in some cases buyers overpay because of the realtor fees.
Close to the time I had been negotiating a FSBO offer, I had a second offer come in from a buyer with a realtor ( a nice one!). I couldn't sell it to the second buyer (his offer was a little more, but similar to the FSBO offer) because I had a hefty commission to pay since he came with a realtor. He lost a house because of the realtor. I needed to clear a certain amount for the new house.

1)I wish someone would have told me that realtors boycott your listing if you go FSBO and/or use a limited MLS listing realty.
2)the market goes from a sellers to a buyers market in November, if there is such a thing as a sellers market.
3)timing is everything.
4)don't spend too much money on improvements. I didn't. Just stage it so the buyers eyes are drawn away from any under-improved spots in the house.

Hate to add to the OT, but we used a full service realtor for several reasons for my MIL's $1.022M home, and are very glad we did. They did an excellent job, provided fabulous referrals to competent people, and did the most important task that we could not be on hand to do - handholding my MIL through her trepidation at finally selling her home of 38 years.

Anyway, one of the best tips I ever got from a very good local realtor was when she was helping us appraise our home. We were in the midst of a long list of remodeling projects, and I wanted to have some advice on whether we were doing the right things, and if what we were planning made sense. She was generous with her help and we were surprised to find some things we had planned on doing as upgrades, weren't necessary from a selling standpoint. OTOH, there were a couple of things we hadn't even thought of, that she advised us to put on our list of things to do.

Her most memorable remark was that the buyers' eyes go to the cheapest point in the house or room, and price it from there. I've been to a lot of open houses, and she is completely right about that.

"I have to side with HUNTEROSX a bit. It may be advantages to go FSBO, if you have the stomach for it."

Oh, I heartily agree there may be advantages to go FSBO, it is his "my way is the only way" advice that I disagree with.
I take great offense at the agents who talk of the great legal risk of FSBO. Sure there is some risk, but not the risk that they talk of when trying to scare sellers into listing.
Right now, I 'm waiting for my housecelaner to come clean my house, of course I can clean it myself and save money, but I don't want to spend my time doing that. Last week I paid a painter $10k to paint my house, I could do, but don't want to. Same with selling RE, I don't want to do it.
I do understand the expense and am willing to pay it. Fair enough.

It is funny, last time 10 years ago I did go to a lot of FSBO out of the newspaper (no signs permitted). This time I just have no patience for dealing with owners and have not called a single FSBO and have been looking on and off for a while and I am looking in more expensive areas. Plus I have not seen too many ads FSBO in my price range, lower ranges, yes

Great points everybody! Cmarlin, excellent! Thanks for sharing your view with me. I didn't see that side of it. I'm a doityourself kinda guy, I like to be in control of my largest assets and I have the time to do it. From my pov and the market I am in, I don't need realtors. Most that I've delt with are dolts and shouldn't be in control binding contracts.

If you do choose to use a realtor, please do your research first! I don't suggest google'n "realtor" to find one, ask for recommendations & ask your attorney. If you get a realtor, get an attorney too. Your paying someone who failed at something else alot of money to sell for you. Get your dollars worth.

A final note from me: Never trust your realtor fully, get a lawyer too.

(didn't get to read all yet)

- for Showings: remove all bathroom rugs

since bathrooms are usually small, the rugs (like next to the tub or under the vanity) would break up the flow of the floor (which is usually small already). and if you have nice tile or marble, no rugs really show off the tiles.

I want to emphasize something elginrealtor said: try your best to unhook your emotions from the house. It can be really hard, but it will serve you well. Don't get insulted by the comments people leave: if there is a common theme, address it. Put yourself in the house-hunters' shoes and think it through from that perspective. People have all kinds of reasons the your house might not work for them - don't turn it into a personal rejection. You may hear things you think are nuts - shrug them off. Selling your house is a business deal.

This is why I avoid looking at FSBOs: would rather have my agent deal with another agent than have some emotionally fragile owners trying to figure things out. And so many of them are convinced they know everything - makes too many of them very hard to work with. Not for me.

Get a bulldog agent who doesn't "need" the money.....you need someone to work for YOUR best interests, not just a paycheck.

I agree with what starmom said... your lawyer is the one person who truly has ONLY your interests in mind. Real estate agents are helpful, but (understandably) their main motivation is seeing the highest-dollar deal go through.

Be aware that negotiations will continue right up until closing day. Agreeing on a purchase price is only the beginning.

Inspection reports can trigger renegotiation of price, of course, as you haggle over who pays for the repairs.

But negotiations can continue beyond inspections. At our closing, our buyers claimed they didn't have enough money to pay for the heating oil in the tanks. They wanted us to lend them $700 (basically a $700 price reduction). I refused, and my real estate agent suggested they take the money out of their agent's commission instead. It was a pretty ugly moment, but in the end their agent agreed and wrote us a personal check to save the deal. Turns out the buyers never paid their lawyer, so I'm sure we'd never have been repaid if we'd made the loan.

Just be aware that throughout the process, every communication with the buyer is actually a price negotiation.

That you are about to go through one of the most stressful times of your life!

What do you wish someone had told you?

Watch out for the post inspection negotiation shenanigans!

Everything seems peachy after the offer has been accepted, but 'lo the inspection and re-negotiation (like pipersville carol mentioned above). Suddenly our realtor wanted us to roll over and give in to everything the buyer wanted....(by the way...the buyer was a licensed realtor and it turned out the inspection person was a friend of hers).It went on and on (example: the new carpeting should be cleaned because her dog might be traumatized by the scent of our dog). We finally put our foot down and offered a flat amount for the nit-pickety stuff the buyer wanted fixed. When the buyer persisted, we said, we'll just put it back on the market. Our realtor, who had been a champ up 'til this point whined and complained, but guess what? The buyer took our offer and we were done.

I felt that our realtor kind of abandoned us at the re-negotiation process....so beware.

Hey Denise54,

I'm right there with you on that one!! Our agent did the same thing, all of sudden telling us we "had" to fix everything and acting like we were unreasonable for not wanting to call in a licensed contractor to replace one line of caulk in the shower and glue up a rim to a recessed light or for not giving the buyer a brand new tub. It's amazing how eager they are to spend your money. I felt like saying: if it's that important, you pay for it out of your commission!

One thing I wish I would have done is have a pre-inspection so most of things could have been taken care. Many buyers require a "licensed contractor and want a receipt/warranty". Ridiculous to pay for that on small items you can do yourself. These are things I would have found with a pre-inspection.

DO you think that if you had made these small fixes before selling they might have found other things to complain about?

Someone made the comment that in a house with an old kitchen or other older features (alreayd reflected in the price) they will look more carefully and rip apart the house more on the home inspection, is that true?

To me I would more likely do that in a house that was new or newly renovated where I was paying top dollar, any thoughts on that? If the house was built in 1950 and never renovated how can they expect perfection

I hope to be on the market in 4 to 6 weeks. DH mentioned last night, he wouldn't be surprised by the inspection report; I OTOH would. I know there is one thing that will probably fail, besides that, I think we'd be ok. After reading here about getting an inspector out before listing, we'll be able to confirm what needs to be done.

A few weeks ago I started looking at houses and some how came upon a ReMax site associated with one agent. This agent's site is top notch, she's emailed me 3 times, the welcome, when she saw I had favorites saved and a reply to my email to her. If the family friend doesn't want our listing, I will probably give it to her due to her site. Had I not started shopping 1st, I wouldn't have known about her because her office is a little farther than one I would have used.

Saphire, I think 3 different inspector's could have come to my house and found/commented on different things.

I guess my main point on the pre-inspection was that I could have fixed some of these things and they wouldn't have been flagged. When they are flagged, the buyer may want a "certified" repair, meaning they want you to pay a "licensed contractor" to come in and fix it and provide a receipt of the work done. Their lender may require this for their final loan approval as well. (can become very expensive for really inexpensive items).

I would guess the line of thinking would be that you never know if the owner is truly repairing to a good condition, or just masking it with shoddy workmanship.

As I told my agent, I wasn't paying a "licensed contractor" to come in fix things that required maybe a $5.00 fix. It would be almost $100 to just get a contractor out there. Thankfully we worked things out, but I would have done these small fixes beforehand and then the buyer's couldn't demand a "licensed contractor" on things easily fixed by myself. I hope that makes sense?

denise54 said: "Suddenly our realtor wanted us to roll over and give in to everything the buyer wanted....(by the way...the buyer was a licensed realtor and it turned out the inspection person was a friend of hers). I felt that our realtor kind of abandoned us at the re-negotiation process....so beware"

I've heard of this sort of collusion before. Here is an example from a newsletter I subscribe to. I don't have the link, but #2 of the following describes exactly what you are talking about.

To-do list for spring, summer home sellers-March 2007/BobBruss.com.

Tips for fixing and pricing home, selecting agent

If you plan to sell your house or condo in 2007, in most communities the peak sales months are April, May, June and July. The reason is the largest number of prospective buyers are in the market during this time of the year.

That means now is the time to get your home ready for sale. If you want to earn top dollar, careful preparation and planning are essential. The four key steps are:

1. GET YOUR HOME INTO "MODEL HOME" CONDITION. Home buyers are especially fussy this year. The reason is it's a "buyer's market." That means there are more houses and condos listed for sale in most communities than there are qualified buyers in the marketplace.

In most towns the inventory of homes for sale is up and the volume of sales is down. If you want your home to go from "for sale" to "sold," it must stand out without any serious drawbacks.

The best way to get your house or condo ready for sale is to take a critical look at it. Pretend you are a critical buyer. Ask yourself, "Would I buy this home?" If your honest answer is "no," then do your best to correct its deficiencies.

Getting your home into "model home" condition doesn't mean making major renovations, such as installing a new kitchen or new bathrooms. That is usually a waste of money because buyers might not like your tastes.

Instead, cleaning, repairing and painting are all that is usually needed. Inexpensive cosmetic improvements usually pay off handsomely.

Even if your home really doesn't need it, fresh paint is the most profitable improvement you can make. It gives that "new feeling" to even old houses. For every $1 spent painting the interior and exterior, the return in the form of a higher sales price is often 10 times its cost.

Other profitable improvements that usually return more than their modest costs include new light fixtures, new floor coverings (carpets, kitchen and bathroom tile or vinyl, refinishing wood floors, etc.) and a landscaping spruce-up with colorful flowering plants.

Pretend you are a photographer from one of the home magazines, such as House Beautiful or Sunset. Aim to make your house or condo worthy of a low-cost home makeover feature article.

2. HAVE YOUR HOME PROFESSIONALLY INSPECTED. Although you might prefer to make this your first step, it is important to have a pre-listing professional inspection of your house or condo.

Your residence might contain hidden problems of which you are not aware and which can be easily corrected before putting the home on the market for sale. Or, if a serious drawback is discovered and you either can't afford to fix it or you don't want to, then just reveal the defect in writing to prospective buyers so they can consider it when making a purchase offer.

Another alternative is to repair or replace the deficient item, such as a bad furnace, but ask the supplier to delay payment until the sale closes. Most suppliers are eager to make sales and will readily agree to delayed payment without extra cost.

The reason a pre-listing professional inspection is so vital is home sellers most of today's savvy buyers insist on these inspections. By having your own pre-listing inspection, you will already be aware of any serious drawbacks.

For example, several years ago I had a pre-listing inspection of a rental house I wanted to sell. Since I did not live in the home, I was not aware of any major problems. On his checklist, my professional inspector inspected the furnace and found it to be in good condition. However, my buyer's inspector (a retired contractor) said the furnace was defective and dangerous.

To resolve the conflict, I arranged to have a furnace repairman and a representative of the local gas company inspect the furnace. The buyer and I -- as well as the real estate agents -- attended the joint inspection. Both the repairman and the gas company employee agreed there was nothing wrong with the furnace and the sale closed without further dispute. I think the buyer was just trying to get me to pay for a new furnace.

To find a local qualified professional home inspector, I suggest members of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), which has the toughest membership standards. Local ASHI members can be found at www.ashi.com or by phone at 1-800-743-2744.

In addition, wise home sellers have customary local inspections such as for termites, energy efficiency, radon and building code compliance. Such inspections avoid later surprises. Smart sellers have repairs made before putting their home on the market, thus thwarting buyer objections.

3. ESTIMATE YOUR HOME'S MARKET VALUE. Even the best, most experienced real estate agents have difficulty in today's "buyer's market" giving accurate estimates of the probable sales price of a house or condo.

Although a few local markets are rising, most are stagnant or on a level plateau. A few are falling, due to lack of home-buyer demand caused by declining local employment.

Home sales prices are based on the recent sales (not asking) prices of nearby similar houses and condos within the last three months. A good place to start is on the Internet to determine your home's approximate market value.

To find out the asking prices of similar homes listed for sale in your community, the best source is www.realtor.com. This Web site claims to have virtually all the local home listings. It will give you a good idea of comparable nearby houses and condos now listed for sale. Please remember these are asking, not sales, prices.

A controversial Web site offering free "zestimates" of local home values is www.Zillow.com. When you enter your home's address, in many cases Zillow will show an aerial photo and even lot boundaries.

But this site doesn't include all communities, and some of the information is inaccurate because it is based on public records that might not be up to date. Zillow usually provides "comps" of recent sales prices of similar nearby homes like yours.

Other free Internet home-value-estimate Web sites include www.HomeGain.com (the second most visited home sale Web site), www.HouseValues.com and www.Domania.com. These sites often refer you to a local real estate agent who will be thrilled to list your home for sale and help estimate its market value.

4. INTERVIEW AT LEAST THREE SUCCESSFUL REALTY AGENTS. After your house or condo is in near-model-home condition, you have had it professionally inspected and made necessary repairs (or at least included them on your seller disclosure statement), and checked your home's approximate fair market value at several internet sources, it's time to decide if you want to sell your home alone (called "for sale by owner" or FSBO) or if you want to hire a professional sales agent.

Before making that decision, it's best to interview at least three successful realty agents who sell homes in your vicinity. Even if you think you can sell your home without any agent, the agents you interview won't mind spending an hour or so inspecting your home and giving you their expert written opinions of its market value.

The reason the agents you interview will welcome your phone call is they know most do-it-yourself home sellers fail and, within 30 to 60 days, they contact one of the interviewed agents to list their home for sale. Only about 20 percent of home sales today are made without a realty agent.

It is critical to interview at least three successful local agents to compare their evaluations of your home. Watch out for the super-enthusiastic agent who estimates a far higher sales price for your home, without written justification, than the other interviewed agents suggest.

Also, beware of the interviewed agent who recommends a low price, probably hoping you don't already have an approximate value for your home based on the Internet and the other interviews.

Finally, don't be misled by a charismatic agent who gushes with praise for your home and lulls you into believing he or she can sell your home fast for top dollar.

To find successful local agents to interview, consider the agents who have kept you informed with periodic mailings about neighborhood home sales prices. Visit local weekend open houses to meet local agents and evaluate their home listings similar to yours.

Also, consider nearby "for sale" signs that turned into "sold" signs within 90 days. Recommendations from friends, neighbors and business associates who have used an agent's service are also important when selecting an agent to interview.

Finally, after checking each interviewed agent's references of recent home sellers, list your home for sale with the best agent. For your protection, an initial listing term of not more than 90 days gives the agent time to show what he or she can do to earn the sales commission.

But don't be misled by an agent who demands a six-month listing, often stating that's the average time on the market for similar homes. Politely reply, "I don't want just an average agent. I want a superb agent who can get my home sold in 90 days or less." However, if a truly superior agent insists on a six-month listing, with a no-cost unconditional cancellation clause after 90 days, that is acceptable just in case you made a bad decision so you don't get stuck with a lazy agent.

Next week: the key questions to ask real estate agents before listing your home for sale.

(For more information on Bob Bruss publications, visit his Real Estate Center).

Dreamgarden - wow! Thanks for adding that. I was going to make a post to inquire how to find an inspector, now I don't need to.

roselvr-"wow! Thanks for adding that."

Your welcome. Your roses are lovely!

Two more tips about inspectors. Make sure you allow yourself enough time to have the inspection done. Our inspector told us that spring and summer are the busiest times for inspectors. During the height of the home buying season, some can be so busy that it can take weeks to book one. We were fortunate to find one that could fit us in before our contract deadline. So before you make an offer on a house, its a good idea to call an inspector and make sure they will have the time to schedule you in.

When you find an inspector, make sure they are certified by ASHI. You will also want to request any and all of the tests you will need when you make the initial appointment. When we met our inspector at the house, he didn't have a radon kit with him. He said this had to be requested at the time we first called. That was an extra $160.00 to come back out and do. He also told us that he didn't test water. The house we were considering had well water and we had to round up a well driller who could do this within a certain amount of time. Our agent was supposed to know this, but didn't say anything because she hoped we would be forced to buy the house (and give her money) if we couldn't get the inspections done on time. Another thing to watch.

Thanks. I'm going to call the water guy next week, we have a well. I don't see any problems with the water as we had it serviced last year. He should be out within a day or 2 of calling, then I will call the inspector. We have a few projects going right now that need to finish up.

Hope to list in 4 to 6 weeks.

I really need to update the rose page. The garden has matured since the last entries 2 years ago.

Here are my List of questions I made up and used to interview the realtors I had over this past weekend. All of them were amazed I was so prepared. It was because I had a lazy Realtor before. Time to step it up a notch...

Questions:
1) What is your commission on sale and do you have to bribe other Realtors come view the houses you sell like I have heard from other Realtors?

2) How many homes have you listed and how many homes have you sold in the last six months?

3) On average how long does it take you to sell a house after listing?

4) Do you get the maximum exposure for your listings?

5) Do you have other assisting you as in a support staff?

6) What would be the listing price you would suggest based on the market now?

7) What does the listing agreement entail, what is the length at which you list before expiration, and what fee amounts will I be paying?

8) How effective if your advertising methods? Will all the leads be followed up on by you or will you go to other agents who may have other listings inform them of the property?

9) How many open houses do you usually how and do they really help sell the property?

A warning about lawyers... they are only people too. We recently had some drama at our real estate office when a buyer's lawyer put the WRONG ADDRESS on the purchase and sales agreement. (He used the lot next door, also owned by the seller.) The seller's Realtor caught it, but they are still fighting it out.

So it doesn't hurt you to have a Realtor and a lawyer. Shop around for your real estate lawyer just like you would an agent, and make sure they check their assistants' work, too.

While I think getting a pre-inspection for a house you're going to sell is a good idea, I'd add one small caveat- you don't want to get a super-anal one either, who's going to be able to nitpick it to death. Whatever your inspector finds you're going to have to disclose to the buyer. And, while its true that some agents play the game where they use the inspection process to negotiate a lower price, other agents are going to funnel their clients to an inspector who's not going to destroy the transaction by scaring the buyer to death. It would be a mistake to find a inspector who would raise more problems than the one the seller uses.

And, I would also be careful of selecting an agent who sells home super-fast. It could mean that this agent has a network of potential buyers and that's a good thing. Or, it could mean that the agent is pricing the homes too low.