For Sale By Owner Virginia Warranty

Actually, there are no other true FSBO companies in the Northern Virginia area. There are many companies disguised as FSBO but they are either real estate agents in disguise trying to fool sellers to get your listing or mortgage loan companies trying to sell mortgages. These type companies do not have the sale of your house without a commission as their objective. They want to trick you into believing they can help you sell, when in fact, they really want something else. In fact, they really hope your property will never sell because the longer it is for sale, the more leads they can get from your potential buyers! Don't put a middleman between you and your buyer. Our only mission is the fast sale of your house...no middleman to interfer.

What makes For Sale By Owner Services different from other FSBO Services?

Before you pay to advertise with an internet only FSBO service ask questions and get answers. Our sellers are always happy to talk with prospective sellers. You may have to pose as a buyer on other sites (that have call centers, real estate agents or even loan officers) to reach a seller, but what you will find from this exercise is well worth the effort.

Here are just some of the many reasons successful homesellers have For Sale By Owner Services over the competition.

We are a local family owned business, started in 1995, whose sole mission is to provide the best exposure and marketing support to help you sell successfully "by owner." Other so-called FSBO companies are really tied into mortgage companies and discount real estate agencies who have other agendas. That is, they want to sell you a listing, or mortgages, or whatever. Our sole mission is to help you sell your property with no commission.

We are the ONLY service that distributes a full color magazine throughout the Northern Virginia area. Others may say they have a magazine, but when you ask them what cities and where they deliver to in your area, don't be surprised if they can't locate any on their list. Don't be fooled into paying double the money for half the service or heavy upfront fees. Our magazines are in over 350 locations across 10 counties. Remember, 80% of our sales come from the magazine and 20% from the internet. It is still far easier to search a magazine for a home than the web.

Buyers call YOU, not a call center, not an agent. Phone numbers are always posted in your ad. Companies who don't publish your phone number and redirect buyers to their business are more interested in THEIR phones ringing, not yours. Some websites only allow email and sell the addresses to other companies for profit. You end up getting more junk.

For Sale By Owner Services essentially "wrote the book" on For Sale By Owner in the Northern Virginia area. No one has sold more or help more people sell their property in the history of Northern Virginia real estate. Since 1995, Debbie Crevier-Kent has helped thousands and thousands of Northern Virginia area families successfully sell FSBO. Our sellers learn from the experts. Our famous "How To Sell Your Own Home" seminar is conducted every few weeks throughout Northern Virginia, and boasts over 14,000 attendees since 1995. Our seminar is also used by regional FSBO services throughout the country.

Our photo ads are current, not filler to make a website look successful. Companies, especially national FSBO websites, that offer free listings, or one-time payments are LOADED with outdated and expired properties. They don't take them off because it makes them look larger. Buyers soon figure out they're wasting their time however and move on to other websites, like ours, www.gotofsbo.com that take care of their inventory.

Go live on our website within 24-48 hrs, PLUS 6 additional sites.This is a great service that very few FSBO companies offer.

Need signs, information holders, open house supplies? We've got them all - many are included in our package plans. For Sale By Owner Services has 3 convenient FSBO retail stores stocked full of everything and anything you need to buy or sell your own property! The largest selection of signs, directionals, forms, contracts, disclosures, how-to books, info boxes, info tubes, for rent signs and much more!

Have questions? Wonder how to work with agents to your advantage? We've got the answers. Because we're local, we know the local market. We know that things may come up during the process and sometimes just a few marketing pointers can make a difference. Our motto is, "No commission & plenty of assistance!", so don't be afraid to call and ask questions along the way.

We provide the best Slide Show tour with color photos and descriptions. Many call this the absolute best home tour available in Northern Virginia, no fished lens distorting photos, no waiting for pictures to load, simply the best presentation of your property to active buyers. This is way over what other sites offer.

Buyers NEVER have to register to use our website. Sites that force visitors to register track calls and make annoying calls to the buyer. This does not benefit you as the seller.

We noticed some Northern Virginia real estate companies have FSBO sounding names but they charge commissions and a lot of money upfront - what's up with this?

You are correct. Some companies have recently popped up offering to help you sell your home in non-traditional ways. Some use the words "by owner", others tout a low commission. We welcome having you compare us to any other program out there. We're confident we have the best program. Only through our great exposure will you get top dollar for your house fast, and keep more money in your pocket where it belongs.

Due to our customer's 12 years of success of selling FSBO faster than agent-listed properties, many start-up real estate companies have named their business with FSBO sounding names...trying to mooch off our customer's success. From them, you can expect very high pressure and forceful "salespeople" trying to get you to list immediately (they get a fat commission when they "sign" you). They boast of selling by owner, yet charge high fees upfront fees and/or high commissions to simply slap you up on the MLS. If they convince you to go on the MLS, you are agreeing to pay a buyer's agent to get the lowest possible price from you, and they never offer full price! In addition they 'forget' to tell you that they do not advertise your property and they have many hidden fees like charging extra to do your paperwork. Also do not assume that all buyers have agents - most buyers today will not be with a buyer's agent. Be very leery of these tricks. Our FSBO customers sell faster than agent-listed properties.

We are getting ready to put our house on the market. We have the best looking house, the most updates and the largest lot in the neighborhood. Do we still need your "All-inclusive marketing Package"? If we sell fast, we'll be out $1350 and have wasted my money.

Not true. All our packages are NO RISK and you will not be out any money. The truth is, even if you get a full price offer in one day, you will still save more money than the package costs. We include an attorney to write your contract ($500 to $700 value), offer a discount on your title insurance AND we can save you between $100 & $300 in closing costs. More importantly, we are with you every step of the way until you get paid. You see, there is a big difference between getting an offer and getting your money. Plus, never under estimate the power of advertising...especially our massive exposure to active buyers in our 12-year old popular FSBO magazine and 7 internet sites. Our color photos are very powerful. This sure beats paying the newspapers every weekend for 3 or 4 little classified lines. What about that buyer that lives on the other side of town who never drives down your busy street who would give you $3,000 more for your house if they knew it was for sale. You get a lot of peace of mind knowing you have non-stop support and color photo exposure to active buyers, essentially everyday, every week, every month til you sell (6 month maximum which is plenty of time or if you list with an agent). You have an professionals on standby to prepare your paperwork and continued exposure to buyers for back-up contracts. Where you make your money selling FSBO is not how cheap you can do the marketing, but rather the commission savings. We are on your side.

When should I put my house for sale?

We recommend that you begin marketing your home for sale before you start looking for another home. A good rule of thumb is at least 90-120 days prior to your desired closing date, start marketing. Do not try to "time" your sale with the purchase of another property - timed sales seldom work! If you are leaving the area or are building a new home, start advertising six months prior to the date you expect to leave or your new home will be finished. Also, do not assume you must move out within 30 or 45 days upon reaching a deal with a buyer. When you sell you negotiate 2 main items: 1) price and 2) closing date. So you can start selling in say, January and close in August, or September or March - whatever you negotiate!

How often is your FSBO magazine printed?

Since 1995, our popular magazine is printed every 3-4 weeks. It is distributed to over 350 high-traffic locations in 9 counties. Due to its high popularity, each location is re-stocked 2 times every week just to keep the magazines in stock for buyers. We have buyers! 56,000 buyers a month read the magazine, looking to buy. We also maintain a hot sheet of new listings in our stores for buyers who call or walk in looking for homes.

When is the FSBO magazine deadline?

The deadline to submit your home for exposure to 56,000 monthly buyers can always be found on our website and on page 2 of the magazine.

I'm ready to sell now, do I have to wait for the deadline to submit my ad?

No! Stop in any of our 3 retail FSBO Stores (more opening soon!) today and you be on our active web sites in 24-48 hrs. You'll leave with your professional FSBO yard sign with your phone number on it. We'll go over our program with you and you'll be up and running 100 mph! Our All-Inclusive marketing packages include a paperwork preparation to closing at no charge! We can help you with proper pricing too. In addition, your photo flyers are ready within 24-48 hours and you'll get a huge "jump-start" on selling even before your color photo comes out in the next magazine. Plus, your home will be included in our 3 retail FSBO stores "Hot Sheet" for walk-in buyers.

How effective is your service compared to other free or less expensive web site only companies.

Extremely effective. The fact is, since 1995, our FSBO customers sell twice as fast, on average, as homes listed with agents. They net more money and have professionals prepare the paperwork and do the closing ($500 to $700 value). Plus, we save our customers in closing cost fees ($100 to $300). The whole beauty of our proven FSBO marketing packages is that most of our customers actually save more money than they invest in our packages...not to mention thousands in commission savings. We are local, we know the business, we answer the phones, we answer your questions, we know the laws, we are honest and fair. Ask any of our satisfied Northern Virginia area customers.

Be careful - if you go with other internet only services, you may be very disappointed when you don't get the exposure and assistance they claim you'll get. Assume nothing. Do your research first before you spend a penny or sign anything. Ask some questions...

- Are they a web-based company in some other part of the country - or are they based in the Northern Virginia area so you have local representation?

- Do they know local real estate customs and laws?

- How extensive is the advertising exposure and assistance will you get?

- Will you be listed on just one website or many?

- Will your phone number appear in your ad so you get calls directly from buyers, or are you paying to generate calls to a mortgage company or to a real estate agent? Think about it - if buyers have to go through a lot of trouble just to get your phone number they won't bother buying your house. Without the buyers you won't sell!

Do I have to be a member of FSBO, or a marketing package customer to shop in your stores?

No, we do not have memberships and welcome everyone into our retail stores. We carry the area's largest selection of professional FSBO yard signs ($30 to $65), directionals, how-to-sell books, forms, contracts, disclosures, St Joseph statues, Home Warranties, seminars and much more!

Do you recommend advertising my home in the local newspaper?

We believe in advertising. Classified newspaper advertising is expensive. Assume the time on the market will be between 60 and 90 days, a small classified ad run just on Sundays for 2 months, can cost you $2400 or more. Of course this is for 3 to 4 lines and no photo. If you advertise in the newspaper, we suggest you include our internet web address of your listing from our web site (see line 4 below in example). Now, you can show off your home with color interior and exterior photos! The following example has been used very effectively by our customers and helps your home standout from the other classified ads:

FSBO - 2 Story, 3 BR, 2 BA
finished walkout, $245,000

Open Sun 1-3 000-555-1234

www.gotofsbo.com ID# 1234

When I’m taking pictures, are there any special requirements?

The best photos are taken when it is raining or foggy outside. Photos taken in sunlight have too much glare and harsh shadows. We accept photos in the following formats: color prints on photo paper, digital .jpg or .tif. Do not embed the photo(s) in any other software or program, i.e. MS Word, PowerPoint, PDF, etc. Back up far enough to get the whole house in the shot with some space left on either side. Do not crop photos prior to sending them or bringing them to us. If you are using a digital camera, use the camera’s highest resolution or quality setting. We’ll take care of the cropping and resolution requirements for publication in the magazine and on the internet.

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