Infotube.net: Homes for Sale - For Sale By Owner (FSBO) - Real Estate Listings

Great news for home buyers, sellers and owners, alike.  The homebuyer tax credit has been expanded to include step up buyers, who have owned a home for 5 years.  It also extends the tax credit through the end of 2010.  

GREAT NEWS! 

It appears that Senate Democrats have recognized the tremendous value of the First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit and odds are it will be renewed soon. At this time, it is believed that the credit will allow anyone purchasing a home, by April 30, 2010, to participate and receive the full credit available.

The credit will continue until the end of 2010, but the amount of tax credit will drop by 2 percent every 90 days.  The graduated benefit should help the housing market recover into and through the 2010 summer selling season.

Here is the text of the story as reported in Bloomberg News today:
Senate Democrats on Board with Credit Extension

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) says Senate Democrats have agreed to extend the first-time home buyer tax credit.  The latest version extends the program to home sales signed not closed by April 30. Purchasers would have another 60 days to close the sale.  The credit will also be expanded to include so-called step-up buyers who have lived in their current home for at least five years.

The credit would be cut slightly to a $7,290 cap.  Income eligibility for first-time home buyers would stay the same, but it would rise for step-up buyers to $125,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples.
Source: Bloomberg News, Dawn Kopecki and Ryan Donmoyer (10/27/2009)

Marketing a vacant home can be difficult challenge, because empty rooms are hard to size up and they don’t stand out in a buyer’s mind.  This leaves every vacant home looking like the one next door, with the only difference in a buyer’s mind being, which home has the lowest price.

This problem may have been solved by Krisztina Bell, a smart Atlanta Realtor, who invented and patented a software program that will “virtually” stage any vacant property for around $250.  Her company has been heralded by the Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronical and other publications as the answer to giving the effect of a professionally staged home at a fraction of the cost.

With 90 percent of home buyers doing their shopping online, and thousands of vacant homes on the market, Ms Bell’s idea is smart and timely.  Her technique transforms listing photo’s of vacant homes into homes with professionally designed interiors, using a library of attractive furnishings, accessories and artwork.   The resulting “after” photo’s are realistic, authentic and hard to distinguish from a home that has been actually staged with furnishings.

To view the Photo Gallery of some impressive Before and After Pictures, please visit her website VirtuallyStagingProperties.com, by clicking this link.  You will be amazed.  And, if you have a vacant home to sell, you should seriously consider this inexpensive option and make your home pop.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale and rent website.  If you virtually stage your home, be sure to upload the slideshow to InfoTube.net.  Thousands of buyer’s search our site daily for new information on properties.

A frequent question we receive about correctly pricing a home is “Should we use Comparable Listing Prices or Comparable Sales Data to correctly price our home?”

The answer is overwhelming, Comparable Sales Data.

Looking at the prices of listed property is a big mistake, when determining the correct asking price for a home.  Take a moment and think about it.  If the neighbors list price was motivating, the property would be Sold, not Still for Sale. 

Always use accurate a Comparable Market Analysis (CMA) to correctly price your home.   A CMA features only properties that have sold for all cash or a funded loan.  This is important because many properities aren’t appraising or closing for anything near their “under contract” price.   In our declining market, a home that is worth $250,000 today, may only be worth $220,000, 60 days later when it closes.   Appraisers are aware of this fact and generally appraise very conservatively these days.

Click here To Read more about Appraisal Problems and What you Can do About it.

To obtain accurate Sales data about competing properties in your neighborhood, visit your local county tax assessor website.  Or, research MLS data which can be viewed at sites like zillow.com.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net.  We are here to help you sell your home.  Feel free to place a free property listing on our site or search for a great value on your dream home.

Question:  What is the worst home selling strategy ever???

Answer:  ”Let’s test the market”.   “Let’s throw it up for sale at a high, unrealistic price and just see what happens…”

Testing the market…whatever that really means is the worst idea, ever.  Buyer’s don’t live in a fantasy world.  And, if they did, their home buying fantasy is finding a mansion for $100.  

“Testing the market” by overpricing a property means that the listing loses its ”honeymoon” period.  As a rule, properties receive more interest and more showings in the first 30 days, than they will ever see again.   Why?  Buyer’s who haven’t found the right home, rush to see new listings as soon as they appear on the market.  And, new buyer’s coming into the market always look at new listings first. 

If you overprice your home during the honeymoon, chances are high that it will sit on the market for a long time, eventually becoming a “stale” listing.   It is possible to stir up more interest later by substantially dropping the price, but seller’s can never again recreate the attention the property would have received, had it been priced right when it made its debut.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net.  One GREAT IDEA for buying or selling real estate…Place a free property listing on our site or browse through thousands of great deals from the leisure of your home.  Don’t be afraid, we never sell or distribute information to anyone, for any reason.

To place a property on the MLS, Realtor.com and a dozen other websites for real estate, CLICK HERE.

Pictures are crucial in motivating buyers and showcasing your property.   In fact, homes advertised with great pictures attract 50 percent more interest and sell much faster than other homes that are poorly marketed.

Taking great pictures of your home is easy for the most novice do-it-yourselfer, if they follow these tips from the pro’s.  

1. Staging the Shot is Critical:  No People and no pets in the picture help the buyer imagine themselves in the room.  Flowers always help.  Remove all clutter and evidence of anything personal.  Move furniture to look good in the picture, even if you don’t live that way.
2. Lighting:   Turn on all the lights, but leave the fluorescents off because they distort colors.  Light candles in the fireplace (shown top left) to punch up ambience.  Shoot one exterior shot at twilight (shown below) with all the interior and exterior lights on.

     3.  Camera Angle:  Stand in Corners of the room and aim the shot toward the other corners.  The room looks bigger, if there are no more than 2 walls in the picture.   Crouch down and take the shot from a kids height (may explain why houses get smaller as we get older) to make any space appear larger.   Try to keep the back of the camera parallel to walls or doorways to make the room feel taller.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale or rent website.   If you are serious about selling a home, remember that a picture paints a thousand words and each one should motivate buyer to take a look inside for themselves.  If you aren’t using 20 good photo’s in your InfoTube.net home ad, please do yourself a favor, grab your camera and upload some new ones.  You will be very glad you did!

One of the largest obstacles that for sale by owner’s face is a lack of exposure for their home listing.   Whether you have an MLS listing or not, Video is one solution that costs nothing (ie: FREE and Easy to do) and greatly increases web presence.

If you don’t think that video can help you sell your property, just take a look and see what the numbers for January 2009 tell you.

• 14.8 Billion (yes, Billion) video’s were viewed in January 2009.
• 147 Million (yes, Million) people watched internet video’s during the month.

If you didn’t think you need video before, these numbers should change your mind.  And, I am not just talking about home virtual tours.  Virtual tours or 360 room views are fine, but they are just the tip of the iceberg.  Homeseller’s can add a lot of variety to their video’s and increase user interest dramatically.    Video tours are fantastic for area’s such as:

• Subdivision and neighborhood drive thru’s.
• Parks, greenbelts and nearby outdoor recreation area’s.
• Shopping Centers that are conveniently located near the property.
• Schools that serve the area.
• Churches or government centers such as libraries and public transportation systems.
• Museums and cultural sites of interest.

All of these local highlight area’s are of high interest to someone looking for a home to buy.  The internet is a world wide web, so seller’s can’t assume that their buyer will be familiar with their town or city.  Make a lasting impression and use video to show buyer’s what your location has to offer.

InfoTube.net automatically uploads all home video’s to Google and Youtube, the number one search engine for video.   You may not know that Google also searches video descriptive text, so your home listing will show up, even if the word “video” isn’t mentioned in the search term or keyword.

If you don’t use video to assist you in marketing your home, you are falling behind your competition every single day.   But, thankfully spring is coming and it’s not too late!!   Grab your digital camera and give the world a look at your home and location today.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale website.  Click here to learn how to create an internet website for your property, showcase your home with Video Tours and attract thousands of home buyers today!!

Winter can be a challenging season for those trying to sell their home.  The cold weather keeps many buyer’s away and the landscape is anything but exciting.   That is why it is very important to maintain good curb appeal during winter, if you want to draw home shoppers inside.

The first thing seller’s can do to improve the curb appeal of their home during winter is to start with the home itself.   A fresh coat of paint always makes a huge impact, but it really stands out in the grayness of winter.   When repainting, don’t forget the front door, garage doors and trim around the windows.  Seller’s should also take a close look at their roof and guttering.  If these systems need to be repaired or replaced, winter is a great time to do so.  If the gutters are dirty or stained, wipe them clean, or repaint.  

One area of your home that needs special attention is the front porch and sidewalk leading to the front door.   Make your entrance welcoming by updating the lighting or add two wall sconces to frame your door.  Buy a fresh, new welcome mat.  Try adding planters or urns on each side of the door to draw the buyer inside the home.  Make sure your house number is attractive and easy to see from the street.   A colorful, seasonal wreath can also add interest.  Be sure to repair any cracks in the sidewalk and keep the path to your home clear of snow and ice.

Another factor in curb appeal is your Landscape.   Buyer’s understand that your lawn isn’t going to be green and lush during winter, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t look good.  Clean up toys, trash or debris from your lawn and hide the trash cans.   Make sure all bushes and limbs are neatly trimmed away from the house to allow light in.   Evergreen plants like pines, holly, spruce and yews add a lot of interest during the bleaker cold months.  Bird feeders can also add interest and attract life to your home during winter.

Curb appeal is the first impression your home makes when a guest arrives.  It is crucial to your marketing efforts because Buyer’s will certainly draw conclusions about your home, based upon what they see on the outside.  Remember that all your upgrades and special features won’t matter, if you can’t get the buyer interested enough to look inside.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale website.  Feel free to Search for homes for sale or place a free home listing.    We are here to help you.

The springtime is when buyer’s begin shopping for a home to buy in mass.   If you need to sell your home, now is the right time to get serious or take it off the market. 

First and foremost, is your home is ready to make a good first impression???  Before you advertise, market or show your property, it is imperitive that you declutter, depersonalize, clean and shine everything from top to bottom.  If you don’t, buyer’s will simply cross your home off the list and move on to your competitor.

We have been following the short stories of an actual, qualified home buyer, Jennifer Fields.  Jennifer offers fun and informative insight for home sellers about what she is seeing and experiencing in the home shopping market.   Good and Bad. 

For a sneek peek inside the mind of a full-time home shopper, take a minute and read I Can Sell this Home.   Jennifer reveals some home shopping war stories of mistakes that smart seller’s can avoid without spending a dime.

A sample of some recent things she saw touring ten homes this weekend include:

• Dogs left inside in a downstairs room with a note saying not to go in there. There went 100sf we couldn’t see.
• Closets crammed with all kinds of stuff that needed to be in storage
• Obviously dirty underwear on a shelf in a walk-in closet
• Half-finished bottle of Sunny D on the front porch

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale website.  If you have a story to share or a question to ask, please leave a comment in the space below.  We will share the information with others who are in the market to buy or sell.

So, my husband and I are now in the market for a house! It’s very cool, because it’s definitely a buyers’ market, as it was when we sold. Being on the other side of the equation gives me a whole new perspective, of course, and I’ve been trying to look critically at the houses that we have been seeing so I can pass on my observations to you all, as you are staging and selling your houses. I know that you have lost a bit of leverage, since there are so many houses on the market right now, but there are still things that you can do to help your house stand out. And frankly, I’ve been a little amazed at how some of the sellers whose houses we’ve seen haven’t done those things.

First and foremost, and this may sound like a little thing (but it’s not): Keep your infotubes full! I cannot stress this enough. When we are driving around and see a house that’s for sale, we immediately stop to look for “words.” If the InfoTube is empty, our immediate reaction, fair or not, is “They don’t really want to sell this house.” A neglected InfoTube could be just an oversight, or it could be a sign of greater neglect. Either way, we don’t even consider those houses. So, if you are still in the house you are selling, for goodness sake, keep that InfoTube full! And if you’re not in the house, make sure that your agent keeps the tube full. It makes a difference. Remember, I am now your potential buyer, and you’ve already lost me!

Depersonalize, please! I consider myself to be a fairly sophisticated buyer–one who is able to look beyond the stage at the bones of the space, but many potential buyers just see what they see. They see the pictures, not the walls behind them. They see the carpet, not the floor underneath. Make sure that what these buyers are seeing is the most tastefully generic stage you can possibly set. We went into a lovely home last weekend–2300sf, soaring ceilings, lovely staircase, immaculately kept. It truly was a lovely home. We didn’t like the layout; it wouldn’t work for us, so we passed. But the people who live there and are trying to sell have written off a large portion of their potential market. There were family photos all around the house and a lot of art–everywhere–that was very personal to them, because it was all religious art. Whether the art was Christian, Islamic, Hindu or Zoroastrian, it makes no difference. Many people will walk into that house and walk back out because they can’t see beyond the stage. I’m not saying you have to be Peter and deny your religion, but you do have to be sensitive to the fact that not all buyers will believe the same things you believe, and many might actually be put off.

As we continue our search, I will continue to bring reports of what I’m seeing out there. I hope that this new phase in our lives will help to focus your resolve as sellers as you get your house sold!

For more information, or to order a copy of I CAN Sell This House: Secrets to Selling Quickly in a Buyers’ Market.

A BIG thank you to Jennifer taking the time to talk straight with home seller’s as she continues her search for a home.   If you are looking for a home, please check out the home listings on Infotube.net.  Seller’s can post property listings for FREE on the site, so the inventory is fresh and constantly changing.

I came across this fun and informative, short video illustrating common mistakes that home seller’s make when marketing their homes. The video offers wonderful tips about preparing your home for sale, pricing, selling and negotiating offers.   So, relax and have fun while you learn.  The entire clip is only around 2 minutes.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale website.  Visit the website to search for homes for sale, list homes for sale or to purchase an InfoTube or InfoBox for your For Sale Sign.

Home seller’s frequently ask if there is anything they can “throw in” to the deal to help their home sell faster?  The truth is, not really.  It is very unlikely that anyone would decide to purchase a particular home because it included a free trip to Hawaii.  

Today’s buyer is educated, smart and they do their homework.  They may love the fact that you are throwing your prized speedboat into the deal, but it doesn’t mean they will pay more because of it.

The ONLY thing a seller can do to increase the odds of selling their house is very simple.  Price it competitively.  Price it to Sell.   The price is a much more powerful sales incentive than a free vacation, used car, furniture or a free granite countertops.

If you are serious about selling a home, get into A+ shape, stage it, post a listing on your local MLS and price it to sell.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net homes for sale website. We invite you to browse new home listings from the privacy of your home and shop for our InfoTube and InfoBox products in our secure online store.

InfoTube receives a number of questions about buying and selling property.  But, the two questions ask most often are “Are there any photo’s of this property?”, closely followed by “Is there more than one photo of this home?

The importance of providing quality, multiple property photo’s and video tours can not be understated.  By referencing the Point 2 chart above, you quickly see that the more photo’s equal more interest.  And where you find interest, you find more offers and more sales.

When observing buyers who are shopping for a home on the internet, the following pattern is obvious and consistent.  

1. Ad’s with NO Photos:  Buyer’s completely ignore these listings and move onto the next house.
2. Ad’s with One Photo:  Buyers’s click on these ad’s, but when they look for more pictures and find none, they become immediately disappointed and skip to the next house.
3.  Ad’s with Multiple Photo’s:  These ad’s are viewed 10 times more (exposure) than those without photo’s.  Buyers stay focused on these ad’s (interest) for 5 times as long, as those without multiple photo’s.  These ad’s are bookmarked 90 percent more often (offers), which drives the buyer back to your listing.
4. Ad’s with Multiple Photo’s and Video Tours:  These ad’s receive the most attention, by far. They are also more “sticky”, with Buyer’s spending an average of 4 minutes gazing at these home ad’s.  For seller’s who know they need to make their listing memorable, nothing does the job like a simple Video and multiple photo’s.

If you have a home to sell, don’t under estimate the power of visual media when it comes to web appeal.  90 percent of all home buyer’s shop on the internet, which is a multi-media platform.  If you aren’t supplying a lot of high quality pictures and a good video, buyer’s simply ignore your property and spend their time researching your competition.

If you are not providing great photo’s or video of your property, then you are not doing the marketing, which is necessary to sell the home.  If your agent isn’t providing these things, they aren’t marketing your property, either.  

Take some sage advise.  Grab your digital camera and start shooting today.  If you don’t know how, make it your New Year’s Resolution to learn something new.  In any type of market, pictures and video can make the difference between selling or not.

InfoTube.net offers Featured Home Listings with video tours and a 20 photo slideshow for only $19.95.  The upgrade never expires and is good until your home sells.  If you don’t have a computer or digital camera, InfoTube will create your Featured Home listing for only $10 more, so no excuses.  Upload those photo’s and video’s today, or let InfoTube do the work.  Buyer’s are waiting.

Selling real estate is a lot like fishing.  It is a number’s game.  More lines in the water mean more bites.  More bites mean that you greatly increase your odds of landing the big one, in record time. 

One option for increasing the odds of selling your home is to maximize the internet.   95 percent of all home buyers search for property on the web, so it is crucial to have as many lines (or links) as you can possibly have. 

One way to reach 8 million home shoppers each month is with a turbo charged internet marketing package, like one offered by Why 6 Percent.   The Y6 listing package advertises your property until it is SOLD, on the most popular, heavily trafficked sites for real estate on the world wide web.

For only $299, the WHY 6 Listing Package includes:

1. A listing on Realtor.com, the most visited real estate website in the world.   Also included, Y6 will upgrade your listing on R.com with 25 photo’s, remarks and attention-grabbing scrolling text.
2. A listing on Craigslist.com, another great website for real estate, drawing millions of home shoppers each month.
3. A Featured Home listing on InfoTube.net, one of the top “by owner” sites in the country.  Listing includes 20 photo slideshow, video tours, free legal forms, free color brochures, map based searches and more.  Listings placed on InfoTube are automatically uploaded to Google, Youtube and other sites that accept by owner listings.
4. A Personal Web Address to use in all your print advertising.
5. Phone Hotline provides your contact information to home buyers 24/7.
6. Podcast- Add one to your webpage for even greater exposure.
7. All listings remain Active until your home is SOLD.
8. Low one-time fee of $299 for the entire package.

For more information, call 1-800-381-9496 from 9-5 EST, Monday - Friday, or email haline@why6percent.com to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity.  

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net and best of luck on the sale of your home.

If you have a property to sell, we have 5 proven marketing idea’s that you should consider.   In addition to our guarantee of more buyer attention for your property, these tips are FREE and EASY to do. 

5 Surefire, Guerilla Real Estate Marketing Tips for Sellers

1. Use an InfoTube or InfoBox and keep them FULL at all times.  Buyers love the convenience of curbside home info, which is the reason your brochures disappear so quickly.  Nothing is more disappointing than an empty InfoTube, and it leaves the impression that you could care less about selling.   Print plenty of brochures and be vigilant about keeping your tubes and boxes filled.    There is no better advertising, and the price is literally a piece of paper.
2. Place a listing for your home on every website that provides free home classified’s.   90 percent of home shoppers begin their search on the web and multiple site listings increase the odds of your property being seen.  3 MUST’s for your real estate listings are InfoTube.net, zillow and craigslist.
3. Network- Place your home listing information on your myspace or facebook page.  If you Twitter…Tweet your house
4. Post on Real Estate Forums.  Contribute to real estate forums and include the link to your home listing in your signature.
5. Do a Video Tour.  Video is a great way to show off your property and surrounding neighborhood ammenities.   Highlight scenes that enhance your still photo slideshow.  For example, if your area has a park, new school, nice shopping or great view, grab your digital camera, shoot and show us.  Sites like InfoTube.net feature home video tours on their home page and they upload them to youtube automatically.

If you have a few bucks to spend, nothing increases your exposure to home buyers like an MLS listing.   For $399 you can buy a showcase listing on Realtor.com for 6 months, and still sell your home yourself.  The combined traffic to the MLS real estate hubs is around 8 million visitors per month.  6 months times 8 million shoppers=48 million prospective home buyers.  

Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for visiting InfoTube.net.

Although the logic escapes me, many Realtors do not provide sales prices, when advertising homes for sale.    They operate on the old, tired business practice of printing teaser ad’s or brochures, that force customers to call or email a sales person.  This annoying ”game” is a disservice to buyer and seller, alike.  But, many agent’s still hide basic property information, attempting to latch onto an unwitting customer they can flip into some type of sale.

The new Google Base website for home listings circumvents this questionable and irritating practice, by revealing the hidden sales prices for listed homes. 

Tip for Buyers:  If you are house hunting and resent the phone tag game, go to Google Base to find the hidden asking prices.  Refuse to track down any sales agent to get basic information.  Unfortunately, for the innocent home seller, I always eliminate properties from my candidate list, when I discover the listing agent is a game player.  I simply move on to the next listing that is represented by someone who values my time and intellegence.  Life is too short to put up with a listing agent who plays hide and seek with the home seller’s information.

Tip for Sellers:  If your home is listed with an agent, have them acknowlege in writing, that they will provide easy access to all information about your home, including the price.  Make sure they use an InfoTube or InfoBox to ensure that home information is readily available to drive by traffic.  Seller’s, you don’t profit from missed buyer inquiries, nor do you benefit from an agent flipping potential buyers to other listings. A good agent will give your home as much exposure, to as many people as possible. And, they will utilize all means, low and high tech, to provide instant information when the customer wants it…even while they are sitting in front of your home.

Thank you for visiting InfoTube.net.  Please let us know if we can assist you in the sale of your home or help you with an MLS listing.