The buyer enquiries we receive off for sale signs are the best most serious buyer enquiries and they are the buyers who are more likely to pay a high price!

The reason these buyers will pay more is they like your house from the street and they also like your house's location.

When you are going on the market let everybody know about it with a "HUGE" for sale sign.

Selling real estate tip no. 2. - Presentation is king.

You are presenting your house to try and find someone to love it just like you did when you bought it, so spruce it up like it is going out on a date.

You wouldn't go out on a date in your tired and untidy clothes so don't expect you real estate to find a new owner looking tired and untidy.

The good news here is you don't have to spend a fortune to achieve the sort of results I am talking about, keeping the lawns mowed and edges done, are examples of what I am talking about.

Tiding up all garden areas particularly in the front yard, a lick of paint around the front entrance and doorway are all inexpensive and a new welcome mat for around $20- $25 is money well spent.

Selling real estate rule no. 3 - Find the best agent.

Yes I know all the common perceptions there are some dodgy agents, but I am confident if you look hard enough in every area you can find a real estate professional whom you trust and are comfortable dealing with.

I know this may take some extra homework in the early stages but there is no question if you have a good agent working for you, you are at a distinct advantage in selling real estate.

It comes down to the fact that when selling with a good agent you will have a person who is

1.Professional negotiator who is on your side and who's goal is to maximize your selling price

2.A reliable information resource on how local market selling conditions are and how that will effect your chances of a sale.

3.Experienced marketer who should be able to advise best forms of advertising/marketing for your property

4.A third party to take some of the stress of selling of your shoulders and let you concentrate on your next phase of life or where your next home will be.

B. Understand they are employed by the seller.

I must admit that a lot of agents seem to forget this major point. I think what happens is they try so hard to look after their buyers that when negotiations are going on they get a bit mixed up where their loyalties lie. The bottom line is the real estate agents commission is deducted from the seller's final price.

The selling real estate agent is employed by the seller to get them the best result possible agents should never forget that this is their duty; they should be proud of the work they do on behalf of the seller.

C. Negotiating skills.

Major point that really defines a great real estate agent from an also ran. If the agent you employ is a good negotiator, chances are the extra money you get for your property will more than cover the real estate agents fees.

Many things make a good negotiator, but for your agent is doing the things mentioned here that would be a good start.

Real estate insurance, protect your most valuable asset, house insurance, read more....

This is really a follow on from time management and is also a confirmation with what I suggested above. How quickly did they answer your initial enquiry will give you some indication to how long you will be waiting to get answers when you are on the market.

You need your real estate agent or someone from their office to address your enquiry promptly and efficiently. A lot of the better real estate agents are now working with assistants, so even though your agent may be with a client your enquiry is still professionally dealt with.

If you can't get hold of your real estate agent imagine what your potential buyers must think when they experience the same thing.

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F. Local knowledge.

Local knowledge really pays dividends when selecting a real estate agent; essentially all any buyer who is going to live in the property is buying is a lifestyle and your real estate agent needs to be able to sell lifestyle of your area and property.

The only way they can do that is by having great local knowledge and a healthy belief in the lifestyle of your neighborhood. I could also put forward a strong case that the agent you choose should live reasonably close by. I am a strong believer that in most cases you should also list your property with a local real estate agent (unless they are complete buffoons) as this is the real estate person that will have the buyer enquiries for your area. It annoys me when I see real estate agencies listing properties for sale way outside of their geographic zone of their business as they clearly would not be dealing with buyers for that area. Real estate agents should work in smaller areas that they can service, don't deal with an agent who has an office to far from your property. G. Likeable.

Lastly but by no means least of course, you have to genuinely like the person you choose to be your real estate agent. You are going to be relying heavily on this person to get an important job done and you need to like them enough to enjoy talking to them everyday if necessary.

Your real estate agent needs to be perceived as likeable by the buyers as well or else it is unlikely that they will open up and tell the agent what it really is they want to buy, and when those all so important negotiations start about how much the buyer will pay if they like the real estate agent again they will probably pay more.

Buying real estate, basic questions to ask when buying real estate, read more...