EPISODE 37 – [FSBO] – PRICING, MARKETING & SHOWING YOUR HOME

Successfully selling your home by owner requires more than placing a sign in the yard.

In this episode, Fred Turner breaks down three critical components of a successful FSBO sale:

✔ Pricing your home correctly

✔ Marketing your property effectively

✔ Creating a positive showing experience for buyers

Learn how to avoid common mistakes that can cause a home to sit on the market and discover practical strategies that can help attract serious buyers.

In This Episode

Pricing Your Home

• Why market value matters more than emotional value 
• How to use comparable sales ("comps") 
• Common pricing mistakes FSBO sellers make 
• Why overpricing can actually cost you money 
• Understanding active listings versus sold listings 

Marketing Your Home

• Why professional-looking photos matter 
• Creating an effective property description 
• Marketing channels available to FSBO sellers 
• How online exposure impacts buyer interest 
• Simple ways to make your listing stand out 

Showing Your Home

• Preparing your home before every showing 
• Why buyers need space to explore 
• How to create a positive first impression 
• Managing pets during showings 
• Using buyer feedback to improve results 

Key Takeaways

• Proper pricing attracts buyers and generates interest. 
• Great marketing creates visibility and showings. 
• Strong showings help buyers form an emotional connection. 
• Buyers often decide how they feel about a home within minutes. 
• Correct pricing, strong marketing, and effective showings work together to produce better results. 

Books available from Happy Homeowners Hub and sold on Amazon.com

For more details on these books, check out HappyHomeownersHub.com 

                       Click on the Amazon book links below

The Happy Homeowners Handbook for Navigating Property Claims

The Happy Homeowners Handbook For Navigating Water Damage Claims

The Happy Homeowners Property Claim Documentation Booklet 

The Happy Homeowners Handbook for First-Time Homebuyers 

The Happy Homeowners Handbook for Selling Your Home by Owner 

The Happy Homeowners Home Maintenance Journal 

The Happy Homeowners Helper (A Children's book to help with a move) 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Today we are discussing some key parts of the for sale by owner selling process pricing, marketing, and showing your home. Because here's the truth, you can have the cleanest house in town, you can have the best lawn in the neighborhood, you can even have a kitchen so beautiful it belongs in Better Homes and Garden magazine. But if your home is priced wrong, marketed badly, or shows poorly, you may find yourself wondering why your home has become the most difficult home to sell in town. Today we're going to talk about how to avoid that situation. So grab your favorite beverage, find a relaxing chair, and let's dive in. Welcome to the Happy Homeowners Hub Podcast, where we share real life stories and break down the lessons, mistakes, and wins that can save you time, money, and stress on buying your first home, navigating your property claim, selling your home by owner, and home maintenance and repair tips. I am your host, Fred Turner, and today's episode is based on chapter 4 of my book, The Happy Homeowners Handbook for Selling Your Home by Owner. Our mission at the Happy Homeowners Hub is simple: helping homeowners become happy homeowners with no regrets. Part 1. The Art and Science of Pricing Your Home. Let's start with pricing because that's where many FISBO sellers make their first big mistake. Most home sellers don't really know what their home is worth. What they do know is what they paid for it, what they owe on it, how much money they want from it. Unfortunately, buyers don't care about any of those things. Buyers care about one thing: market value. The market determines the price of your home, not your emotions. Here's an example I call the My House is Special Seller. Years ago, I watched a homeowner list his property for nearly 40,000 above similar homes in his area. When asked why he priced his home so high, he proudly explained, because my house is special. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure it was special. He raised his kids there, he planted many of the trees himself, he built the deck himself. But buyers weren't purchasing memories or his carpentry skills. They were purchasing a house at market value. Five months later, after several price reductions, he ultimately sold for even less than what Comparable Homes had originally sold for. Why? Because the home became stale on the market. He missed out on many of the first buyers that came through his house, and who knows how many potential buyers didn't even bother to call or come to his open house to see his overpriced home. Buyers started asking, what's wrong with this house? Why has it been on the market for so long in this hot market? Here's the lesson price it correctly from the start. So how do you determine a fair market price? Look at comparable home sales, often called comps. Find homes that are somewhat similar, homes that have recently sold, homes similar in size, homes that have similar features, and homes that are located nearby. And pay attention to square footage, number and size of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, garage size, lot size, special amenities, updates, and improvements. Remember, active listings are your competition. Sold listings reveal the actual property value. Here are some sources that can help you research home pricing: Zillow.com, Trulia.com, Realtor.com, Redfin.com, HomeValue.com, StateLee.com, Ownerly.com, and Housio.com. There is also sold home information posted in your local newspapers and on their websites. Realtors can also provide you with a free market analysis. Just tell them that you're selling your home by owner, but if you don't find a buyer, you may be interested in their services, or you may even buy a home from them after you sell your home. Don't price your home high just to allow room for negotiating. Many sellers think I'll ask for a high price and leave room to negotiate. Sometimes that works, oftentimes it doesn't. Overpriced homes receive fewer showings and fewer showings mean fewer offers. Fewer offers means less negotiating power. Sometimes a properly priced home generates multiple interested buyers. That's where your negotiation power really begins. Part 2. Marketing Your Home. Now let's talk about marketing. Imagine opening up a new restaurant. You offer amazing food, the restaurant looks really nice and is cozy, but nobody knows that your restaurant exists. How many customers are going to be coming? Probably not very many. The same applies when you're selling your home. Marketing creates visibility. Visibility creates showings, and showings create offers. In today's home market, photos matter way more than ever. Today, buyers shop online first. Most buyers will see your home online before they ever drive by. That means your photos are critical. Take photos on a sunny day with lights turned on after decluttering after cleaning, and capture the front door, the living room, the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, basement, and the backyard. Think quality, not quantity. Here's a real life story I call the amazing toilet seat photo. I once saw a listing featuring an open toilet seat front and center. Nothing says dream home quite like an oversized toilet close-up photo. Needless to say, the listing wasn't exactly attracting lots of buyers. Take a few extra minutes before every photo and try to think like a buyer. What would they want to see when looking for their dream home? You'd be surprised what ends up showing up in pictures. After you take the photos of your home, have a close and honest friend or multiple friends critique the photos and ask if any additional photos of your home are needed or if some of the photos should be omitted. Make sure you write a compelling home description. Your description should tell a story. Instead of just saying three-bedroom home with garage, try this instead. Well-maintained, three-bedroom home featuring an updated kitchen, spacious backyard, full finished basement, and convenient location near schools, shopping, and parks. Focus on the benefits, help the buyers imagine wanting to live there. So where should you market your home? Some common marketing options include FISBO websites such as for salebyowner.com, buyowner.com, FISBO.com, Housio.com, and Fisber.com. There's also social media like Facebook Marketplace and there's also Zillow.com. You can also advertise in community groups. Yard signs are critical and put up directional signs out on the main roads during the weekends. Your friends, family, and neighbors are great referrals. We actually found buyers, some friends of ours, that bought both homes on both sides of our house. So give your neighbors a flyer of your home. And there's other online marketplaces in which you can advertise. The more qualified buyers who see your home, the better your chances of finding the right buyer exist. Part 3. Now comes the fun part: showing your home. This is where many FISBO sellers accidentally sabotage themselves. The first rule is get out of the way. I know it sounds funny, but one of the best things you can do during a showing is disappear. Buyers need space, not someone hovering over them. You could ask them if they would like a tour of your home or if they would like to browse on their own. They will want to open closets, walk around, talk privately, and imagine themselves living there. When the seller follows them from room to room, like an overly enthusiastic tour guide, buyers often become uncomfortable and feel like they can't discuss things with each other about the home. Here's another real life story I call the Shadow Cellar. I once heard about a seller who followed buyers throughout the entire showing. Every room, every closet, every hallway, and even throughout the garage. At one point, he reportedly explained the maintenance history of his living room ceiling fan. The buyers quickly left and never came back. Don't become the shadow seller. Give buyers room to breathe. Create a great showing experience. Before every showing, open your blinds, turn on the lights, adjust the temperature, eliminate rancid odors, maybe even light vanilla candles or bake cookies for some good odors, make the beds, clear out the clutter and messes, and clear off the countertops. Think of it like preparing your home for company. You want the home to feel welcoming, inviting, and comfortable. Also, pay attention to your pets. We all love our pets, but not everyone else does. Some buyers may have allergies, they may fear animals, or they may get distracted by the pets. Whenever possible, remove pets during a showing or put them in the basement or garage in their cage. Remove pet bowls and minimize your pet odors. You want your buyers to focus on the house, not fearing an unknown animal. Not wondering whether Mr. Whiskers is going to jump up on them and bark uncontrollably or follow them around the house. Create an emotional connection with your buyers. Homes are an emotional purchase. People often buy based on feelings and justify that with the facts later. Help buyers imagine family dinners, holiday gatherings, summer barbecues, relaxing evenings, and neighborhood block parties. The more buyers emotionally connect with a home, the more they're likely to make an offer. Feedback is gold. If buyers provide feedback, listen carefully. You may hear price concerns, condition concerns, or marketing concerns. Don't become defensive, feedback can help you improve your strategy in the future. Sometimes small adjustments create significant results. The FISBO success formula. When it comes to pricing, marketing, and showing your home, remember the simple formula. Correct pricing, strong marketing, and excellent showings equals much better results. Miss one of those pieces, and your sale becomes much more difficult. Get all three working together and you'll dramatically improve your chances of selling your home by honor successfully. Here are some final thoughts. Selling your home by honor doesn't mean doing everything perfectly. It means doing the important things well. Price realistically, market professionally, show your home effectively, and remember, your goal isn't to convince everyone to buy your house. Your goal is to help the right buyer fall in love with it. If you're planning to sell your home by owner and would like a step-by-step guide through the entire process, check out my book, The Happy Homeowners Handbook for Selling Your Home by Owner. This book is available on Amazon.com and provides practical guidance to help homeowners navigate the entire for sale by owner process with confidence while potentially saving thousands of dollars in commission. Visit thehappyhomeownershub.com to learn more about this book or check the show notes. Don't forget to join the Happy Homeowners Hub newsletter for valuable tips, podcast updates, and valuable information and resources for any homeowner to help you become a happy homeowner with no regrets. Simply visit our website, happyhomeownershub.com, go to the contact us page, and type the word newsletter in the message box. Here is the Happy Homeowners Hub Podcast. The information shared in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered legal, financial, tax insurance, or real estate advice. Every real estate transaction is unique. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding your specific situation before making important decisions involving the sale or purchase of a property. Thank you for listening to the Happy Homeowners Hub Podcast. If you found this episode helpful, share it with someone who was also thinking about selling their home by owner. And remember, the more you know, the more confident you will feel, and that's how you become a happy homeowner with no regrets. My goal is to make your homeownership journey smoother, smarter, and way less stressful. I've got some great stories, tips, and occasional guest experts coming up in future episodes, so stay tuned, and remember, your home is your biggest investment. Be smart from the start. Thanks for listening. I am your host, Fred Turner, and I'll see you at the next episode. Have a blessed day. Goodbye.