How To Sell A House By Owner In Florida

In this article we will cover How To Sell A House By Owner in Florida, marketing techniques, preparing the home and also the dangers associated with it. Also if you want to avoid the hassle of selling your Florida house by owner, let us know! We are Florida Cash House Buyers!

Must Knows On How To Sell A House By Owner In Florida

Determine the Market Value of your Home

Before you start the process of selling your home by owner in Florida, it’s important to research the local market and understand not just current active competition but more-so what has recently sold. So how can you do this? You can hire an appraiser to get a market valuation. Many times, depending on the size or type of property, this can cost $400-$500.

You can also determine your homes value based on similar homes in your area that have recently sold. The key work being, recently sold. What is active on the market is no indication of what a ready and willing buyer will pay for your property.

Also, keep in mind the word “comparable.” In order to sell your house by owner in Florida, you must price is correctly or it simply will not sell. Comparable properties need to be of comparable location, size, features, age and condition. Let’s talk about these a little more in detail.

• Location: The location of your home (the subject property) should be close to the comparable properties. It is preferred the comps to be in the immediate area or neighborhood.
• Size: When we are talking about size of the home, we usually are talking about a handful of things. Number of rooms, number of bedrooms, garage number, number of bathrooms, square footage under air, total square footage and lot size (acreage).
• Features: When listing a Florida FSBO, one must analyze what the sold comps offered in terms of features. If a comp you are using has a pool, you might not want to use that comp. OR… You will need to subtract that “pool value” from the subject property value. For example, if your comparable is $400,000 with a pool valued at $75,000, then your valuation as a Florida FSBO is $325,000.
• Age: Having close to the same age for a property is important to ensure an accurate valuation.
• Condition: And finally condition. If your property is identical in size, location, age, features, etc but you have severe deferred maintenance, then your property could be worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars less than the sold comparable homes.

Pricing your home correctly is crucial when selling by owner in Florida. You don’t want to ask too much and deter potential buyers, but at the same time you also don’t want to leave money on the table. If you are not getting any calls or showings on your FSBO, then consider reducing price also known as “price improvement.”

Prepare your Florida FSBO Home for Sale

When it comes to selling a house by owner in Florida, preparation is everything. By taking the time to prepare your FSBO, you can increase its appeal to potential buyers, which can help to ensure that you receive top dollar for your property. Here are a few key ways to prepare your home for sale:

• Declutter and Deep Clean: To attract potential buyers when selling a house by owner in Florida take the time to declutter and deep clean the entire house. This includes removing any excess clutter, including personal items and furniture that makes the space feel smaller. Deep cleaning involves everything from scrubbing floors to cleaning windows and baseboards. If for example, a place feels cramped or has a bad smell, a buyer is less likely to spend time inside the home. You want them in your house as long as possible, picturing themselves living there.
• Make Repairs: Attend to all necessary repairs which could include replacing worn carpets, repairing leaky faucets, damaged wood, repainting the walls and ceilings.
• Improvements: Are there any improvements you can do to the property to make it more sellable? We like to call these “sizzle features.” Like stainless steel appliances with nice backsplash in the kitchen, A cool entertainment wall with built ins, An accent walls with shiplap or an outdoor kitchen.
• Stage the Home: When selling a Florida home by owner, one must have the property in “show case” condition. Staging involves arranging furniture and decor in a way that highlights the home’s best features and makes it feel more inviting. This may involve bringing in new furniture or decor, or simply rearranging what you already have. Remember, clutter is your enemy! Remove excess furniture.
• Boost Curb Appeal: First impressions are important, so make sure your home’s exterior looks its best. This may involve landscaping, painting the front door, replacing roof shingles, tree removal power-washing the exterior and even painting the exterior walls.

Selling A Florida Home By Owner Will Need High-Quality Photos

1. First, make sure the house is clean and clutter-free before taking any photos.
2. Use natural light whenever possible and avoid using flash, as it can create harsh shadows and distort colors.
3. Choose the best angles to showcase the property’s features and use a tripod to keep the camera steady.
4. Take a lot of photos. A lot more than you think you will use.
5. Consider using a wide-angle lens to capture more of the room in a single shot.
6. Narrow down the best looking photos.
7. Consider getting drone photos to highlight the property and nearby features / amenities.
8. Lastly, edit the photos to enhance their quality, such as adjusting the brightness and contrast, straightening the lines, and removing any blemishes or distractions.

Write A Compelling Property Description for your Florida FSBO

Think about this when selling by owner in Florida. They have not been in your house. Most likely never in your community. Some maybe never in your state!!

• Highlight the property’s unique features: Focus on the most attractive and unique features of the property, such as high-end appliances, stunning views, sizzle features or unique architectural details.
• Use descriptive language: Use descriptive language to paint a vivid picture of the property. As an example “Incredibly large living room perfect for entertaining 15-20 people comfortably.
• Be specific: Provide as much detail as possible about the property, such as square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms and any special amenities. Be sure the information is accurate as well!
• Write for your target audience: Consider who your target audience is and tailor the description to their interests and needs. For example, if you are targeting families, you may want to emphasize the nearby schools and parks. Maybe for single people, nearby bars, restaurants and entertainment all in short walking distance in Central Florida.
• Highlight Incentives: Below we go into more detail on what this is, but be sure to highlight every incentive to help you sell it!
• Proofread and Edit: Don’t half ass it. Before publishing the property description, make sure to proofread and edit it for any errors or typos. I apologize for any errors on this article HAHA :))

By following these tips, you can write a compelling property description that will attract potential buyers or renters and help you stand out in a competitive market!

Oh… PS. If you have gotten this far and don’t want to deal with any of this, click here and we can get an offer to you within 24-48 hours for your Florida property!! And… We buy all types of properties including but not limited to single family homes, condos, mobile homes, vacant land and commercial properties. Get to know us and learn about our selling process on our YouTube Channel.

You Can’t Sell A House By Owner in Florida Without A Marketing Plan

• Use Social Media: Social media platforms like Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can be an effective way to market your home when selling by owner in Florida. You can post photos and videos of your home, share information about open houses, and even run targeted ads to reach potential buyers like PPC (Pay Per Click). Can be costly but can drive more traffic to your FSBO.
• Hold an Open House: When selling a house by owner in Florida, holding an open house is a great way to attract neighbors who many times might know some interested buyers and get them inside your home. Be sure to advertise your open house through social media, mailers to your entire neighborhood and local community bulletin boards if any.
• Create a Property Website: Creating a dedicated website for your property can be a smart marketing strategy. You can include detailed information about your home, photos, videos, and even a virtual tour. You can then promote your website through social media and other marketing channels. We recommend using the address as the domain name for further internet juice. For example: 123BroadwayStreet.com
• Use Email Marketing: Email everyone on your list of people you know including friends, family, neighbors and co workers. Also, if you can get a local REALTOR email list and offer a co-brok commission (IE- 3% upon a successful sale), you could gain a lot more exposure with the help of local Real Estate Agents. Create an eye-catching email with photos, YouTube video link and information about your home and send it out to your list. *Pro Tip – Ask them in the email to share the email to their database of friends, family members and co workers. **Pro-Pro Tip – Tell the real estate agents they have free reign to market the property as if it were one of their own listings.
• Mail Campaign: While print advertising is not as popular as it used to be, it can still be effective especially mailing to all of your neighbors. Also, consider placing ads in local newspapers and real estate magazines.
• Add Catchy Incentives: One of the best ways to sell a home by owner in Florida is offering incentives. Some are as follows: Owner Financing or also referred to Seller financing, Seller Pays Closing Costs, Sold Furnished (Assuming you have nice stuff), Sold Turnkey (Meaning includes everything like furniture, kitchenware, linens, etc), Seller Credit for Repair / Upgrade or maybe include something cool. I personally have sold two properties where I included a boat with the sale to sweeten the deal.

Overall, the key to successfully marketing a house for sale by owner in Florida is to use a combination of the tactics above to separate yourself from the competition.

Scheduling and Showings on your By Owner Florida Home

After screening potential buyers, you must prepare the house to show. This will require you make sure the house feels and smells good. Consider using plug ins, clean everything including vacuuming and wiping surfaces, open all window blinds for natural light, turn on all lights including closets and bathrooms and play some soothing music on low for ambiance.

Negotiate with Potential Buyers for Your Florida FSBO

When you get to a point where someone has interest in making an offer on your home, you will at some point need to negotiate. Below are some tips to follow when you are negotiating your by owner Florida home.

• Not Just Price: Real estate negotiations are not just based on price. Many buyers have their wants and needs. This could be terms like seller financing, an extended closing date or fast closing, long inspection deadlines, small amount of escrow deposit, seller credit toward their closing costs. Your best bet here is to be open minded with buyer requests. Usually somewhere in the middle is a good compromise for all parties.
• Understand Your Priorities: Understand your priorities and what’s most important to you in the sale of your home. Be clear about what you’re willing to negotiate on and what’s non-negotiable. This will help you stay focused during the negotiation process.
• Keep Communication Open: Effective communication is key to successful negotiations. Be clear about your expectations and listen carefully to the buyer’s needs and concerns. Try to find common ground and explore creative solutions that meet both your needs.
• Be Prepared to Compromise: Negotiations involve give-and-take. Be prepared to make concessions in order to reach an agreement that’s mutually beneficial. If you’re not willing to compromise, the negotiation is likely to stall. Which leads to a buyer moving on.
• Keep Emotions Controlled: You might hate the price they came up with. You might disagree with the work they say needs to be done. However, if you become combative you will likely kill the negotiation. Remember, people like doing business with people they like. Remain cool.

Hire A Real Estate Attorney

When figuring out how to sell a house by owner in Florida, it is important to have someone help you through the process like a real estate attorney. They can help you with the legal aspects of the sale, including drafting and reviewing contracts and handling the closing process.

In working with us, we handle everything at our cost including all paper work, dealing with the title company and paying for all of those fees as well including title insurance. Many sellers love working with us as we do our best to make the sales process as stressless and smooth as possible.

We are located in South Florida, specifically Fort Myers / Bonita Springs. And… The title company we work with will even handle mobile closing services where they have someone come to where you are in any state and handle / sign all the closing documents. And initially all contract paperwork provided by us is done all by e-sign. You just need an email address!!

But if you plan on selling your house as a FSBO, and you’re unsure about how to sell a house by owner in Florida, at a minimum we would recommend hiring a real estate attorney to help guide you through the process.

The FSBO Closing Process

Once you have accepted an offer, you as the Florida FSBO will take on many roles from a TC (Transaction Coordinator) to a Real Estate Agent.

You will have to hire a title company or attorney. You will have to follow up with them and the buyer to ensure the buyer submitted escrow on time. You will need to work with the buyer’s lender to ensure financing is secured to ensure they can actually afford the loan for the property. You will have to schedule arrangements for the inspection. You will have to deal with anything that comes up in the inspection for repairs / credits. You will have to renegotiate in writing if something comes up. You will have to make arrangements with the appraiser and survey company as well.

And… If all goes well, you will have to work with the closing agent to sign off on all documents to close the deal all while moving personal belonging, etc out of the house prior to closing.

Selling your home by owner in Florida can be a challenging but rewarding experience. By following these steps and remaining patient throughout the process, you can successfully sell your home and save money on real estate commissions.

But… Before we go… And we are in no way trying to scare you but it is vital to protect yourself if you plan to sell your Florida home by owner… So let’s quickly go over this…

Potential Dangers & Complications Selling A House By Owner In Florida

My name is Steve Daria (author of this article). I have been a real estate investor since 2002, a real estate agent since 2003 and a real estate broker and owner of a brokerage since 2006 and I can tell you, we have seen some scary things happen in the real estate world that I want you to be aware of.

Below are my top 3 potential dangers and complications that can arise when selling a home on your own in Florida.

Wasting Time

The first one is wasting time with prospective buyers or even investors who will flat out waste your time.

Before you allow anyone to step foot into your home, be sure you know their motivation to purchase. Why are they buying? Who is the actual buyer? Are they an investor? Are they paying cash? (Must see proof of funds). Are they financing? If financing have they been pre-approved? (If not, they must do this first before entering your home). How fast do they need to buy?

You can phrase these questions do they are not threatening or a deal killer. For example. “That’s great you can pay cash. I have been dealing with tire kickers who just cannot afford the property. Would you be able to provide proof of funds just for peace of mind for us?”

I suggest having a list of these questions ready to ask for someone who has interest in setting a time to meet and take a look. Obviously do this after you have answered all of their questions about the property, neighborhood, etc.

Now, many times these questions can be revealing. They can reveal your “gut feeling.” Something just doesn’t feel right with how they answered that. Which could lead to you asking more questions. Be respectfully, but probe some. Because they last thing you want to happen is invite someone into your home with bad intentions. Which we will talk about next.

Fake Buyer

One day my sister who is a REALTOR, called me when she was headed to meet a prospective buyer for a listing we had in a high rise condo downtown Fort Myers. She said “Steve, I’m supposed to meet this buyer and he is giving me an uneasy feeling over the phone. He was quite aggressive and just seemed off.”

She was still headed there and I said to call him back and tell him an emergency came up and that her partner (me) would be there in about 15 minutes to open up.

Well, he flipped out on her. Cursing at her and demanding that she meets with him. I told her to block him from calling her and that I would call him direct in which I did. I called and left a voice message and texted him as well. He ended up calling my sister from a different number later that night leaving several voice messages threatening her. I left him another message explaining we filed a police report etc.

She never heard from him again. What were his intentions? No idea… But we wouldn’t have wanted to work with him regardless.

It is imperative to prescreen EVERY buyer who calls. And be sure there are two of you at all times when allowing someone to come inside your home. Be aware of your exist strategies and never walk into a room first where they can follow behind you.

This VIDEO is a common story of real estate agents. And we have many other personal stories that are a bit scary. Just be safe if you plan on selling your home by owner in Florida!

Wire Fraud

And lastly, wire fraud. This is for both buyers and sellers. Thieves these days have gotten very sophisticated. They are able to hack and intercept your email and wiring instructions.

So let’s say you email a title company where you want your funds wired to. They could intercept that email, change the account / routing numbers and steal your wire.

Be sure you are dealing with a reputable title company or attorney who has encrypted emails or other protective methods for wire transfers.

I hope this article on How To Sell A House By Owner in Florida has been beneficial to you. Overall, selling a home on your own can be a risky and complicated process. If you decide to go the FSBO route, be sure to do your research, educate yourself on the real estate market, and seek the advice of professionals as needed. And as mentioned, if you would like us to take a look at your property and likely get you an offer, CLICK HERE>.