FSBO Showing Tips
If an Agent shows your home while you are away and the home looks, sounds, smells, & feels cozy, the longer prospective Buyers will stay... and the longer they stay, the greater the chance an offer will come your way!
Make Your Home a Warm & Welcome Place!
Keep it neutral, yet interesting...
Put away all unnecessary personal belongings & storing seasonal items off-site...
Turn on all lights...
Play soft music in the background...
Do things to make the home smell naturally good (lemon slices in garbage disposer, candles, air fresheners, freshly baked cookies, brownies, etc.)...
Create comfortable seating areas...
Put out snacks & bottled water for Guests...
Put out coloring books or games for children...
Get a Home Inspection Done to determine potential problems that you can address now...
Establish Familiarity with a local Title Company
Professional Staging, Consulting, and Pre-Sale Walk-Through Inspection
Consider Having your home professionally staged... or at least a Walk-Through Punch-Out Item List done by a Professional Realtor to discover all of the small things you can do that will make a big difference in the sale of your home and in maximizing your price. This is a service The RockinRealty Team is happy to provide for a nominal fee. We also have great relationships with reasonably priced licensed, bonded, & insured professionals we can refer you to for work that needs to be done, whether it's roofing & gutters, painting, flooring & carpeting, Tile, Electrical, Plumbing, Landscaping, etc.
Professional Home Photography
Any professional with a great track record for selling homes will tell you the importance of having a great online presence. This presence includes photos. With so many listings out there, you need to use everything at your disposal to stand out above the crowd. Your photography needs to be top-notch because you don't get a second chance to make a good first impression! Having great photos can mean selling faster & for more money. A picture is worth a thousand words they say! The RockinRealty Photography Team has the experience, tools & equipment necessary to make your home truly shine! Please call us now to schedule a Professional photo shoot for your home at a discounted price!
Maximize Your Exposure by Having Your Property Listed in the Realtor MLS.
With thousands of licensed Agents in the northern Virginia area, each with direct access to the 200-300 people within her sphere of influence, this is the most critical step you can take. Be agent friendly & offer a generous commission /bonus to the Selling Agent who brings you a Buyer. Listing a property is not just an art, but also a science. The listing will do you no good if it's not done right and doesn't maximize your home's desireability. Every detail is important when people are viewing your home remotely online... remarks, photos, proper spellings, understandable abbreviations, & intelligible grammar. The RockinRealty Team prides itself on our attention to detail. Listing your home in the MLS is an ala carte service we can offer you for a small fee, which can also be combined with our Lockbox Fee Below. Please feel free to contact us at any time for details.
Be Mindful of Your Safety & Security. Have a Realtor Lockbox Installed.
While it is important for potential Buyers to feel comfortable and not hurried, your safety and the security of your home is of primary concern. Put away all prescription drugs, firearms, jewelry, small collectibles, & other valuables. It is best to store them off-site when possible. Be sure to have a Realtor Lockbox placed on your home so there will be an electronic record of everyone who came to visit with their Agent, and when they were there. This is a service we're always happy to provide our FSBO friends for a small fee. Please contact us for details. If you are showing the home to Buyers without an Agent present, stay with them as you tour the home. Agent showings tend to go a bit more smoothly, because the Buyer Clients generally feel comfortable enough with their Agent to be able to discuss things with each other openly in front of their Agent, knowing the discussion will not be offensive to their agent & that what they say will remain in confidence during the potential transaction & will not be used against them. The Agent can generally remain by their side throughout the entire home touring experience. If upon finding a Buyer, you feel that you'd like to have us step in as the middle man to facilitate your transaction, just let us know and we can save you any potential headaches & avert possible problems for a minimal commission amount.
Give Prospective Buyers Space & Time to Talk & Absorb Their Surroundings.
Try to be as warm & fuzzy as possible when answering e-mails, phone calls, & especially when showing your home! In light of security concerns, this is a bit of a catch-22, as most Buyers like some privacy when they're house shopping, so they can openly discuss their thoughts, feelings, & observations without potentially offending the owner or giving away too much personal information. Be sure to give your FSBO guests some space & privacy but, since the safety of your home and its belongings is an issue, you as the owner of the property, still need to be nearby and remain vigilant. Buyers want to be able to feel that they can openly discuss their thoughts and feelings. Be aware that your presence as the Owner may make Buyers feel a bit uncomfortable, rushed, or like they must leave quickly because they may have the perception that they're inconveniencing you. Also keep in mind that they will not feel at leisure to speak what is truly on their mind while in your presence.
Be Friendly! 
Buyers will want to come across as friendly, but will naturally be guarded. Much as you should not disclose too much information to potential Buyers, they may not be willing to share too much information with you. Some Owners may unknowingly turn off a potential Buyer by disclosing too much information... more than the Buyer needs or wants to know at the time. Definitely remain friendly, upbeat, & positve, but also be careful not to overwhelm Buyers with too much information. When they want it, they will generally ask. Try to mirror the Buyer's personality type -not being too talkative or too quiet relative to the person with whom you're communicating. Always be courteous & friendly. Good Real Estate Sales Professionals ask their Clients well constructed questions in order to highlight certain aspects of a particular home and how these aspects may tie in to that particular Client's pre-established buying motives. As the owner, you may not have the luxury of knowing exactly what is driving a particular Buyer's decision to purchase, but it certainly doesn't hurt to ask.
Follow Up! Follow Up!! Follow Up!!! 
Once you have established a good relationship, then follow-up becomes critical! As new visitors come, try to get their full name(s), currrent address, e-mail address(es), phone number(s), & best time to call. Take notes on each person immediately, while the information is still fresh in your mind, and be sure to update your notes with any new information you may gather in future conversations. Follow up is essential and is where most FSBO Sellers fall short. They get good information, but don't know exactly how to handle it. Follow-up should be done not just once or twice, but a regular follow up plan is vital to ensure no one slips through the cracks! And always have something interesting to offer or a reason to call!
Know all the Federal, State, & Local Laws That Pertain to Your Real Estate Transaction, as Well as all Legally Required Forms
Take time out to learn the applicable laws that govern your Real Estate transaction. An error of omission can lead to expensive court costs that can easily set you back tens of thousands of dollars. Prevent this by doing your research ahead of time & if you have any questions about the law as it governs your transaction, you can hire one of several highly competent Real Estate Attorneys who would be happy to help you. The RockinRealty Team can refer you to an attorney, or if you feel uncomfortable with a certain Buyer or Offer & would like us to step in as middle men to help facilitate the deal & take you to closing, we can take away the headaches & stress, as well as minimize your legal liability for a small commission. Please call to schedule an appointment at your earliest convenience.