| 1) Analyze why you're selling — A seller who understands his motives will be able to better negotiate and to get what he wants, whether it be a quick sale, high price, or somewhere in the middle.
2) Prepare your home for the buyer — A seller who maximizes the strengths of his property and fixes up its weaknesses will create a better value. The seller will want buyers to leave the home with a lasting good impression.
3) Find a good broker who understands your needs — Sellers need to be sure that their broker will be loyal and that their broker will negotiate fervently to help achieve their goals. In addition, the broker should be assertive; and he should be honest with both the seller and the buyer.
4) Get proper legal advice — Sellers need to know how to conduct negotiations and to properly prepare contracts and disclosures, especially if they're selling on their own. Oregon law requires ALL home sellers to tell buyers certain things about the property being sold, even if the sellers are private parties selling on their own behalf.
5) Be prepared for negotiation — Each seller should learn and understand the situation of any interested buyer. What are the buyer's motives? Could the seller reasonably demand a big deposit from him? Sellers should do their best to lock in buyers as much as possible so that the deal is most likely to go through.
6) Negotiate for the best price and terms — Sellers should learn how to structure counter offers so that they can get more from every offer.
7) Make sure the contract is complete — Sellers must be honest with their disclosures. It can be not only frustrating, but financially damaging to lose a deal because of lying on a disclosure form or understating a home's defects. Sellers should encourage a buyer to get a professional inspection. This protects both the buyer and the seller. |
