Lee Morof's Real Estate Blog

A powerful listing description, whether used in MLS, home magazines, websites or flyers, pulls in buyers and gets your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner in Oakland County, Michigan, sold faster.

To stand out, a description of your home must be well crafted and contain elements that attract buyers and elicit an emotional response. The best description paints a picture about your home that makes potential buyers want to jump in their cars and drive right over.

Here are four tips to help you write a dazzling description about your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner:

1. Brainstorm: What was it about your home that made you want to buy it? What do visitors to your home always comment on? Maybe it’s the park-like backyard with the multitude of mature shade trees. Perhaps it’s your mastermind bedroom suite or the gourmet kitchen. It could be the cozy character and unique architecture of your home. Or it could simply be a bargain in a great neighborhood.

2. Choose two features: When writing your description, don’t try to do too much.  Any type of advertisement is most effective when it centers on one or two primary characteristics. Limiting your focus to two characteristics also helps with the space restrictions you have to work within the MLS, home magazine, website and flyer.

3. Talk about the benefits. This is a hard thing to do. It’s much easier to focus on features.  But it’s worth the few extra minutes of brain power it’ll take you. My tip for figuring out how to write about benefits is to mention the feature and then write something about the benefit of that feature.  For example:

Feature: Deck
Benefit:  Enjoy fun barbecues all summer long on your deck.

Feature:  Lawn maintenance included
Benefit:  Sell your lawn mower.

Remember, write about the benefits of only those top two characteristics you’ve previously chosen.

4. Make it emotional. Speak to the heart of your potential buyers. People buy homes because they want a place where they can live, laugh and love. Paint a picture with your words:  “Enjoy your fireplace-warmed family room, large enough to entertain family and friends.”

If you’d like help writing a great description for your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner, or would like additional marketing tips to get your home sold, I can help. Give me a call today at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Certified Distressed Property Expert/Attorney  
RE/MAX Showcase Homes, Birmingham, Michigan
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com

These days, over 80% of all home buyers begin their search for homes online. So it’s crucial to market your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner online to reach as many potential buyers as possible.

An Internet listing of your home gives buyers 24/7 access to your home. Unfortunately, a poorly executed Internet listing can hurt rather than help your home sell.  Here are six tips to effectively market your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner (FSBO) online:

1. Upload the best possible pictures.  Make sure you use a good digital camera.  Cell phone cameras will not work for this purpose.  You want great quality pictures for potential buyers to see all the glory of your home.
2. Include photos of your home’s best features. Whether it’s a great view, the best lawn, a 2-story stone fireplace or a kitchen fit for a gourmet chef, make sure you show its best assets.
3. Provide information that buyers want to know.  They want to know everything. Information on the neighborhood, school system, and proximity to shopping will all entice a buyer to your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner. Buyers also want to know the details about the home itself: Number of bedrooms and bathrooms, room and lot size, style of home, sales price, description of HVAC, amenities and upgrades.
4. Create a virtual tour of your home.  A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video or virtual tour is even better.  It allows potential buyers to see everything without having to step foot inside your home. Best of all, it can make them want to see more.
5. Print out flyers from your online listing.  Include all the necessary information and pictures. Put the flyers in a box in your front yard for people driving or walking by. Leave them in a prominent spot in your home, such as a kitchen counter or entry table, for potential buyers who visit your home.
6. Promote your home on multiple real estate sites.  List your home on as many real estate sites as possible. Here are a few of the top sites: Zillow.com, Craigslist, Google Base, Bargain Network and Kijiji (which is a classified site from eBay).

When you’re ready to turn all this work over to a real estate agent, I’ll implement my comprehensive plan to market your home both online and offline.  Give me a call today at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com to get started.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Certified Distressed Property Expert/Attorney 
RE/MAX Showcase Homes, Birmingham, Michigan
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com

Should you try to sell your home on your own as a Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner (FSBO)? The 2011 National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers has new information about FSBOs which can help you decide if you should try to sell your home without the help of a real estate professional.

Here are the top 4 facts you need to know if you’re considering selling your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner:

1. It’s harder to sell your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner in today’s market. FSBO transactions accounted for 10 percent of sales. That’s slightly above the record low of 9 percent in the 2010 study, but well below the record high of 20 percent set in 1987. The share of homes sold without professional representation has trended lower since 1997.
2. If you know someone who wants to buy your home, you’ll be more likely to be able to sell it on your own. Many FSBO properties are not sold on the open market. Factoring out private sales between parties who knew each other in advance, the actual number of homes sold on the open market without professional assistance was 6 percent.
3. If you’re good at attracting buyers, pricing your home and filling out paperwork, selling your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner may be the way to go. The most difficult tasks reported by unrepresented sellers are attracting potential buyers, getting the right price, and understanding and completing paperwork.
4. Hiring an agent still gives you the best chance of selling your home. 89 percent of buyers used real estate agents and brokers. 7 percent bought directly from a builder, and 4 percent purchased a FSBO.

Ready to hire a real estate professional to get your home sold? Give me a call today at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com to discover how I can help you.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Certified Distressed Property Expert/Attorney  
RE/MAX Showcase Homes, Birmingham, Michigan
Call:  248-514-2640
info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com

You might be scratching your head right now wondering why in the world you would want to hire a real estate agent when you’re buying a Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner (FSBO). You may even have the misconception that real estate agents can’t work for you if you want to buy a FSBO.  That’s not true.

Real estate agents can represent your best interests when purchasing FSBOs, just like they do when purchasing homes listed with a real estate agency. You get the same service from your agent whether he or she is helping you buy a traditional Royal Oak Michigan home for sale or a FSBO.

Here are three benefits to working with a real estate agent when buying a FSBO:

1. It could save you thousands of dollars.

Most people consider buying a FSBO because they fall in love with the house, not because it’s a great price. In fact, the majority of FSBOs are priced at or above the actual market value of the home. Why is this? Home owners are novices at pricing homes, their information is typically out of date, they don’t have access to the sales prices of all homes in the area, and they don’t have the technology needed to accurately process the data.

When you hire an agent, you gain a considerable advantage over the seller when negotiating the price. Agents are experienced negotiators, and they have the sales statistics to support their requests.

Some proponents of selling your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner argue that you’ll pay more because you have to pay the agent’s commission. In this buyer’s market, all homes including FSBOs take longer to sell. If a homeowner is serious about selling, and the home has been on the market for a while, the seller more often than not agrees to pay all of part of the real estate agent’s commission.

2. It’ll save your sanity.

Sellers have an emotional and personal attachment to their homes. They frequently take it personally when buyers want to negotiate. Without an agent, it’s you and the seller pitted against each other. Emotions often flare, which could prevent you from getting the best deal possible or could cause you to lose the opportunity to buy the house altogether.

3. All legal issues and paperwork will be handled by the agent.

The process of buying a house is complex. Your agent will guide you through the entire process including the negotiation, inspection, re-negotiation (based on findings during the inspection) and closing.  He or she also will make sure all legal issues are considered and handled appropriately, and all paperwork required to buy the home is properly completed.

If you’re interested in buying a home, whether or not it’s a FSBO, I’d like to help you.  Call me today at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Certified Distressed Property Expert/Attorney
RE/MAX Showcase Homes, Birmingham, Michigan
Call:  248-514-2640
info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com

In order to get the most buyers through your front door, you’ll need to do more than just stick a sign in the front yard. An aggressive and thoughtful marketing campaign can make the difference between a quick sale and your house continuing to sit on the market with little activity.

Take the time to thoroughly market your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner (FSBO).

1. Take a lot of good photographs. You have to expect that buyers will look at your property online before they decide to take the time to visit it in person. Make sure you have a lot of photographs online and that they do your house justice. Take pictures from multiple angles in each room and choose the best ones. Also, if you have a great yard, make sure you show it off.
2. Make the most of your signage. Ensure your phone number is clearly visible. Also, check with your homeowners association and neighbors that live at busy intersections to find out if you can put a sign with an arrow pointing toward your house.
3. Put ads on every website you can. Most buyers start their search on the Internet, so make sure your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner has a strong online presence.
4. Don’t forget about print ads. Many buyers still look at newspaper Classifieds, so make sure your house appears there. You can often place large ads in smaller publications for relatively little money.
5. Host open houses. Not every location is especially suitable, but try it a couple of times and see how many people turn out.  If you’re getting good foot traffic, keep it up.

If you need help marketing your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner, please call me at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com for more information.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Certified Distressed Property Expert/Attorney
RE/MAX Showcase Homes, Birmingham, Michigan
Call:  248-514-2640
info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com

You’ve decided to try to sell your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner (FSBO).  One of the many tasks you’ll be performing is showing your home to potential buyers.  You won’t personally know most potential buyers, so be sure to take precautions to stay safe.  After all, these are strangers you’re allowing into your home.

Here are six tips to protect your safety when showing your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner (FSBO) to potential buyers:

1. Pre-qualify potential buyers.  The most basic thing you want to do is identify qualified buyers by determining if a potential buyer can afford to buy your home.  The best way to do this is to require that the potential buyer give you a copy of their pre-approval letter before scheduling a viewing of your home.  Buyers who are not serious about buying within the next few months will not have bothered to get pre-approved, and buyers who cannot afford your home will not be able to get a pre-approval letter.
2. Use a sign-in sheet.  Keep a sign-in sheet near the entrance to your home.  Have everyone who comes to view your home fill out his or her name, address and phone number on the sheet as soon as they enter.
3. Stay with them while they tour your home.  While you don’t want to hover over their shoulders, don’t allow them to wander around your home by themselves.
4. Have someone else with you.  Don’t be home alone.  Have your neighbor, a friend or family member with you at all times.
5. Hide valuables.  Do not leave money, jewelry or other valuables where they can be seen or easily taken.
6. Require an appointment.  Whether you’re selling your home as a FSBO or with an agent, requiring an appointment allows you to keep a normal schedule.  You don’t want people touring your home while you’re eating dinner or taking a nap.   If a buyer is really interested, he or she will not have a problem making an appointment.

Want help marketing your Royal Oak Michigan home for sale by owner?  Give me a call today at 248-514-2640 or email me at info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com for more information.

Lee Morof
Associate Broker/Certified Distressed Property Expert/Attorney
RE/MAX Showcase Homes, Birmingham, Michigan
Call:  248-514-2640
info@NorthWoodwardHomes.com
www.NorthWoodwardHomes.com