Now The House is On the Market.....Now What?

You handled everything on your pre-listing To Do list masterfully. And now that the house is listed, the pressure is off, right? Wrong. You now have two things that you must deal with simultaneously. First, you must maintain the stage at all times so the house is ready to show at the drop of a hat. At the same time, you and your Realtor must market the house as creatively and aggressively as you can. After consulting with your Realtor, you might find that you have to take the lead in marketing. Chances are, your Realtor is dealing with multiple listings at once, so while you can come up with a marketing plan as Team Sell This House, it will most likely fall to you to take the lead in implementing the plan.

To maintain the stage:

• Keep everything dusted (including the plants).
• If you use it, put it back.
• If you get it dirty, clean it.
• Keep the lawn trimmed and edged.
• Make sure the lawn and any plants get enough water.
• Make the beds every day--be able to bounce a quarter off of them (practically, anyway).
• Polish the counter tops.
• Make sure the stove, oven and microwave are spotless.
• Keep the pantry neat and organized.

There are countless other tips on maintaining a stage. Here's a good place to go for some more.

To market:

• Keep the Info Tube full at all times. An empty tube means you don't want to sell.
• Place ads on every free on-line classified website you can find.
• Post fliers.
• Decide if you will have an Open House. If yes, do it right.
• Network--post the house on your facebook or myspace page.
  
• Twitter account? Tweet your house.
• Post to real estate forums with a link to the MLS page in your signature.
• Have some money to spare in your fix-it budget? Buy an ad at the local movie theater--maximum exposure to buyers in your area.
• Have just a few dollars to spare? There are a few sites that will let you place a targeted ad for very little money.

These are by no means exhaustive lists. For more ideas as well as for complete information on how to buy my very successful house selling action plan, visit I CAN Sell This House and sign up for the Free Sample.

If you don't usually read the comments, I wanted to bring this to your attention. A reader wrote:

I wanted to let your readers know that they can place a free home listing on www.infotube.net, the website operated by the manufacturer of InfoTube and InfoBox.

The website is easy to use and all user information is strictly confidential. Infotube.net is a great way to expose your property and showcase your listing.

So there you have it: another great way to market your house!

My Selling A House To Do List

I lots of time just ramble on about metaphysical issues when it comes to selling, but at the end of the day, the actions are just as important as the intentions. It's the convergence of the two--your intentions make your actions more focused, and your actions give your intentions immediate physical manifestation.

But today, I'll focus on the actions. Here's an example of a really good selling To Do list.

1. Research Realtors. Find three you like and interview them at the house. Ask all of them the same questions. (a good list of questions)
2. Stand back and take an objective look at every inch of the house. Make a list: what gets fixed; what gets spruced up; what gets cleaned. Set a budget and prioritize within that budget.
3. Choose ONE purpose for each room in the house (and out in the yard) for staging. Inventory everything in each room/yard. Get rid of anything that a)doesn't support the room's purpose, b)is personally identifiable, c)is too "niche-y." You're going for comfortable but generic. Think "room display at Bed Bath and Beyond."
4. Store, sell, give away or donate everything that is a)clutter, b)not seasonal--nobody wants to see your Snowshoes in June, unless you're in Australia), c)personally identifiable or d)trash.
5. Clean everything. Dust everything. Sweep everything. Make sure the lightbulbs all work.
6. Get a new welcome mat and a not-obnoxious wreath for the door. Make the entryway as spacious-feeling and welcoming as possible. After all, everyone who steps over that threshold is potentially stepping into their new home.
7. Do your research and price your house for the market. Only use comps in your own neighborhood, so you're comparing apples to apples.
8. List.

Up next--the marketing, but that's for another day.

For more information, please visit I CAN Sell This House to request a free sample of my ebook I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market.

I Know: A Sun Room Will Help Us Sell!

People, don't add a sun room just so you can sell the house. Seriously. If you were investing in your home and adding more livable space for you to enjoy, that would be one thing. But you're selling, and every cent you spend on "upgrades" is one cent less in profit. Now is the time to be as miserly as possible. Think minimum outlay for maximum benefit. In almost all cases, if you are weighing two options, choose the one that gives you the biggest bang for your buck.

New cabinets vs. refacing? Get out that belt sander. New carpet vs. deep cleaning? Call Stanley Steemer. Granite vs. laminate? If you and your Realtor have decided that new countertops are necessary, go with the laminate. The reality is that your buyers will be able to buy for less than they had budgeted for a year or two ago. If they want granite, unless all the other kitchens in the neighborhood have granite countertops, they can do it themselves.

Try inexpensive "spruce ups." Add a chair rail and paint the wall below a slightly darker shade. Make sure that none of the window treatments are dusty, dirty or broken (goodbye ugly metal mini blinds that the dog mangled seven years ago). Add some beadboard in the bathroom, kitchen or breakfast nook. Polish your wooden floors. There are plenty of things that you can do to make your house stand out and call its new owners without breaking the bank. Change out your drawer pulls. Pressure wash the driveway. Stain the deck. Set a "spruce up" budget of no more than 1-2% of your asking price and stick to it.

My Number One Tip for Selling A House

Selling a house is a big deal. In some markets, it's relatively easy to sell. In others, it can be challenging. But, whether you're selling in a great market or a stagnant market, selling is always a big deal. I heard a story once about a lady who just "decided one day" to sell her house FSBO, and as she was walking back to the house to put away the hammer after pounding her sign into the ground, a guy (maybe it was Richard Gere) pulled up to the curb and asked her if she was serious about selling. She said yes, and the deal was done. That, my friends, is the exception that proves the rule. It takes focus and work to sell a house.

If you've been reading some of these posts, or if you have purchased a copy of I CAN Sell This House (and please write me and tell me about your experience if you have), you know that I focus a lot on intentions. My number one tip for selling a house is to do at least one task every day with the express intent of selling the house. Whether it's staging-related: cleaning the windows, fluffing pillows, arranging some cut flowers or marketing related: placing ads, posting fliers, posting to forums, do that task with the intention that that act will help to draw your buyers closer. You can even say this to yourself--or out loud, if you don't feel too weird about it. "I am fluffing these pillows to help attract our buyers," alone might sound silly, but it is one breadcrumb. All the breadcrumbs you sow become the path that leads your buyers home.

Worries: Just as Powerful as Intentions

I read a very compelling bit of philosophy a few weeks ago. I cannot remember the source right now, but this man's theory took the Law of Attraction to a whole new level. What he asserts is that an Armageddon (of sorts, at least) will occur, not necessarily because it is foretold in The Bible, but because so many people all over the world expect it to. In other words, we will bring about our own destruction because we are expecting it, worrying about it, and wondering not if, but when it will happen. The end of the world is a self-fulfilling prophesy.

It's a very interesting (albeit disturbing theory), and it seems to logically follow that if you can attract what you want, you can also attract what you don't want. And now to the part about how all of this relates to selling your house. No matter how good your intentions to act with intent and be positive that your buyer is out there and that you are doing everything in your power to attract them, all of us have moments of doubt and worry. "We could be stuck in this house with no way out." "We might have to show this house 100 times before we find our buyers." Not good thoughts to have, especially if we take for truth that to a large extent our intentions bring about our reality. Try and focus on what you want to have happen, not on the fear of what might happen.

Because we are all human, it is natural to have some fears. When this happens to you, and it might, do not fight the thoughts. Rather, try and complete those worrisome thoughts with a positive outcome. Try to turn the worries into intentions for your sale. "We could be stuck in this house with no way out, but we won't be because everything we are doing is drawing our buyer to us." "We might have to show this house 100 times before we find our buyers, but every showing we have brings our buyers closer." Don't fight the negative thoughts. Just add to them and turn them into positive intentions to sell that house.

The Judicious Use of Live Plants

Every staging book will tell you to use plants--put them in the corners, on windowsills, etc. And they're right. You should use plants when you're staging. I don't think that the staging books talk enough about why you should use plants. Remember, a stage is a generic and minimal environment designed specifically so potential buyers can project their lives onto it. But, because it is so minimal, you run the risk of having the space look too Spartan.

Plants have a relatively small footprint, but they can also spread out to fill an otherwise bare corner. Rather than putting a small table with a footprint of 2 1/2 feet, squared in an empty corner, place a large plant in the same corner. You'll save about 1 1/2 square feet of floor space, and the plant will probably be taller than the small table, so it will fill the space more effectively.

Most furniture is all about straight lines, angles and corners. Bringing in a natural element can help to break up those lines and warm up the entire space. There are no straight lines in nature, so use nature to your advantage. Plants also provide a live element in what can otherwise feel like a fairly sterile space. Placing a couple of attractive potted plants on side or end tables or on a mantle can make a space feel more friendly. It is perfectly fine to use a couple of silk plants, especially in rooms that don't get any natural light, but try and stick with live plants in most of the spaces.

And to carry through the theme of intention, explain to the plants that their job is to help attract new owners. Studies have shown that plants grow stronger and more quickly when spoken to or when played music, so you might as well get them on your side when it comes to staging, as well!

For information on I CAN Sell This House, click here.

Holiday Decorating on a Stage: Thanksgiving Edition

Some of you might be facing an interesting dilemma right about now: your house is staged, and the holidays are coming. At no other time of the year are traditions more important, and it is very difficult to take the personal element out of the holidays. If you're like most people, you probably have decorations from family heirlooms to children's crafts to everything in between. I know my mom still brings out the pinecone turkey I made in 3rd grade--faded construction paper finger-feathers, and all.

So, I understand this could be a difficult time. Here's what I recommend: if you do not have children, consider using some fairly generic but tasteful holiday decorations--maybe a couple of small seasonal topiaries on the mantle, or a wicker cornucopia with baby gourds in it on the dining room table. Underscore the season with an appropriately-colored table runner, welcome mat or kitchen towels. A wreath of fall leaves and pinecones would make a nice addition to the entryway. Now is the time when you can use the pumpkin-spice plug in air freshener--it is seasonally appropriate.

If you have young children, they will inevitably bring home crafts from school, day care or Sunday school. Encourage them to give some of the crafts to relatives or special friends, but set up a small children's table and chairs in a corner of the bedroom, family room or play room. Tastefully display the craft items on the table, and arrange a couple of stuffed animals in small chairs at the table. Displaying the items all in one place in an area that makes sense rather than scattering them thoughout the house will strike a balance between having children help decorate and having their decorations take over the refrigerator door.

How to Live on a Stage, Part 2

I have one word for you first. And then a bunch of words. The word is: cubbies, they're not just for kindergarten anymore. They have kid cubbies and grown-up cubbies, Ikea cubbies and Target cubbies. Even Pottery Barn Cubbies. While you don't want your entire house to look like a roll top desk, judicious use of cubbies in usually-messy areas can help you successfully live on a stage while the house is on the market.

You know where they can be most effective? Walk-in closets. If, like me, you didn't have a custom designed walk-in closet in the master suite, cubbies can provide needed storage and organization that does double duty: you can hide your stuff, and people will perceive the closet as more functional. Hard to beat.

Many cubbies come ready-to-assemble. Since they are just basically cubes, this is pretty easy, I did it myself, and I'm no Bob Vila. Sometimes putting small items in a cube is not enough. What if it still looks messy? This is where cubby drawers come in handy. These are great--they are sized to fit and come in fun colors, or just black or beige, depending on where you're using them.

As a bonus to your buyer, you can leave the cubby storage in the walk-in or in the kids' rooms. Check with them first; they might not want it. But, if you don't need them in your new place, what nicer way to welcome the new owners than with some bonus storage space?!

How to Live on a Stage

We have already established a difference between decorating a home to live in and staging a house to sell. In staging, there will likely be a lot less "stuff" around than in decorating. Multi-purpose rooms will show as single-purpose rooms. Personal identifying items and objects are gone, and the decor reads "generic." How are you supposed to live in a place like that?

First, remember that, though it might be inconvenient, you are living on the stage with the intent to attract your buyers to the house. Know that the stage is a temporary situation. As a matter of fact, taking into account the Law of Attraction, the more you tell yourself that it's temporary, the more temporary it's likely to be.

Also remember that, more than just living on the stage, you need to maintain the stage. That means everything has a place, and everything must be in its place. Picture every item on the stage with an imaginary footprint line drawn around it. If you move something, put it back in the outlines. If you unfold a towel, fold it back. If you use the coffee maker, clean it immediately and put it where it back on its footprint.

Here's one trick that I used to make life on a stage a bit easier. I put out "show towels." Nice, fluffy, beautifully presented towels arranged artfully on the towel rods. We never used them. We used our "B Team," working towels for showering and drying our hands. Whenever we left the house, the working towels went into the dryer, and the show towels were always there, ready to wow our buyers with a feeling of, "This isn't a bathroom; this is a spa!"

Can You Sell a Friend's House?

I had someone email me yesterday wondering if my eBook, I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market, could help them sell their friends' house. That's a tough question. If you've been following along with me, you know that one of my main focuses is emotional detachment. I'll say it again, "It's relatively easy to sell a house. It's almost impossible to sell your home."

If you are trying to sell a house for a friend, you probably don't have that emotional attachment to the property that the friends might have. I suppose that it would really depend on the friends' state of mind: are they sad about having to sell? Do they wish they didn't have to sell? Would they rather hold onto the house? I don't know the answers to those questions, and the questioner didn't give me the back story.

I told the truth as I see it: I cannot guarantee that using my action plan can help you sell your house or your friends' house. I can only guarantee that I CAN Sell This House is a progression--from emotional detachment, through depersonalizing, to staging, listing and maintaining the stage through closing--that, if followed with intention, gives you the best possible chance for the house to attract its new owner.

Again, I must stress that in this down market, you are best served by hiring an expert Realtor who can advise you through all stages of the game. So--can my book help you sell your friends' house? I don't know. I do know that, if you are sincere in wanting to sell your own house and are ready to cut emotional ties to the house, your mantra must be I CAN Sell This House.

Can't See the Forest for the Trees

I've been thinking about my Friday post--about my friend and his analogy about I CAN Sell This House. A rather trite proverb came to mind, but maybe it's only trite because we don't stop and think about what it really means: He can't see the forest for the trees.

In the context of selling a house, I think the "forest" is the real estate market and potential buyers as a whole. The "trees" are your ties to your house, both emotional and physical. There's the tree of "kids' measuring stick" on the back of the kitchen door. Another tree might be the energy you put into building that swing-set, or maybe it's your collection of baseball cards displayed in the den. There's a tree of anxiety about selling--can you find a buyer and if you really want to sell in the first place. Yup, trying to sell your home is impossible because of all the trees in the way.

When you get your head and your heart in the right place--when you've emotionally distanced yourself and can objectively assess the house (not your home)--your job is to blaze a trail through the forest to lead your new buyers to their new home. Work with your Realtor to decide on what that trail should look like: will it include Internet ads (it should)? Will it include an Open House (maybe)? Will it include a spiritual component in which you ask the house to call the new buyers to it (that depends upon your comfort level)?

Whatever your trail ends up looking like, make sure that every blaze is added with the intention of bringing your buyers to their new home. It's a subtle shift, but it is a shift. Rather than focusing on actions to sell, focus on actions to attract.

With Each Page I Read, I Backed Up a Step

I had a really interesting conversation with a friend and Realtor yesterday. I had given him a copy of my book, I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers' Market. He had some really good feedback for me, including a wonderful metaphor that I hadn't even considered when I wrote it.

He said that he felt like he started reading standing inside a home, and with every page he read, he stepped back farther and farther until he was at the end of the driveway looking at the house. I was thrilled with his assessment, because that's what any seller needs today. As a seller, you need to cut all those emotional ties to your home so you can concentrate on just selling a house. I've said it before, but it bears repeating, "It's easy to sell a house. It's almost impossible to sell your home."

So, many thanks to Steve Jourdain for his insight. If you need to sell your house and either haven't figured out how to emotionally detach or don't realize that it's necessary, maybe my book can help you, too. Please take a look. Just so you can make sure, I offer a free sample with no strings attached.

Vote, America

Taking a break from the norm to encourage everyone to vote today. It has been said a thousand times before, at least, but this truly could be the most important election in our country's history. I voted early, and I am very excited about what is happening. Whether energized to vote Obama or McCain, everyone is energized, and everyone is seeking positive change. We may differ on how we think that should be achieved, but hopefully our intention behind our vote, whether blue or red, is an intention for positive change and unity in our country. Go America!

Using Social Networking to Get Buyers

I have just had a revelation! I've recently begun using facebook, Twitter and Squidoo to get the word out about my ebook and some of my other websites, but you can just as easily use these powerful tools to spread the word that you are selling a house! Seriously.

Make a facebook page about your house. Put links to your MLS listing and to your Realtor's page. Spread the word that way.

Join Twitter and throw out a tweet: "Selling my house in (city, state). See (MLS page)" With Twitter, though, make sure that you have enough people following you to make it worthwhile. Join, find people to follow by having Twitter search your address books. From there, find out who is following those folks, and follow them, too. It has been my experience that you can build up quite a number of followers within a couple of days. Expect about a 25% return on followers. That is, if you follow 200 people, expect about 50 of them to follow you. Once the word gets out, it spreads fast. Tweet at least a few times about the house. "Staged my house to sell. Visit (MLS page)" or "Had two showings today. Visit (MLS page)."

Join Squidoo and make a lens about your house. See if there is a real estate group on Squidoo and join it. Send an email to all of your friends letting them know you have a lens up on Squidoo. Tweet about your lens on Twitter.

Bookmark your Squidoo page on Del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, Technorati, Digg--all of that. The more you get that URL out there, the more people will find it. And the more people who find it, the more potential buyers you have.

And this just scratches the surface. I'm telling you, I never dreamed that social networking could be so powerful. But just go for it. Remember, you are doing at least one thing every day with the express intention that it help you sell that house. Might as well make it the most powerful thing ever.

One caveat--and it's a big one: make sure you are also giving on these sites. If you approach all of these methods with a grasping, grabby manner, people will be able to tell. Make sure you give at least as much as you get--the Internet should enrich everyones' lives, not just yours.

Using Your Intuition to Make Sound Selling Decisions

Type in "real estate" into any search engine, and you will immediately be overwhelmed with an avalanche of information. Some good, some not-so-good, and lots that conflict with each other. What's a person to do? You want/need to sell your house, you're willing to put in the work necessary to be successful, you've distanced yourself emotionally and are acting with intention. You've found a Realtor with whom you'll be able to work.

Sometimes, though, a question will come up or a situation will arise that you will need to figure out all by yourself. Your Realtor can advise you, of course, but ultimately, the decision is yours. Any decision you make when it comes to selling a house, especially in this market, is an important one. How do you know if you're making the right decision?

You can pray about it, meditate on it, get advice from friends--all great ideas, so certainly do what is right for you and what fits into your belief system. I will also suggest that you tune in to your intuition and see what it is telling you to do. After all, most researchers agree that we're only using about 10-15% of our brain power at any time. I believe that intuition is how we tap into the other 85-90%: sort of a bridge to the rest of our intelligence.

Not sure how to do that? There are plenty of great books out there that can help you. If you are a fairly intuitive person anyway who can easily get in touch with your inner voice, you might not need any help at all.

For those of us who might need a bit of help though, there are intuition coaches in the world who are extremely skilled at helping you reach your own inner voice and be able to make even crucial decisions with a calm sense of rightness. My friend, Jennifer Halls, is one of those people. You can look into her services at her website, You know.