May Seller's Tip-Distilled Wisdom for yer Average Joe

Hola, Amigos, and Happy Cinqo de Mayo! I think I'll celebrate the victory of the Mexican Army over the better equipped French force at the Battle of Peubla in 1862 by taking a look at how an Average Joe looking to sell their home can come out ahead in these tough real estate times. I'm bringing you a few tips to navigate today's market as an average, non-short sale, non-foreclosure seller. Oh, and of course, I'll head out for some cervezas too...

What if, instead of fighting of French soldiers, that Average Joe (AJ) is stuck in the mire that is today's real estate market and is trying to sell his house? Supposing AJ is being moved out of town by his company and just needs to sell his Bay Area home and move to another state, but is worried about getting the best price when so many homes are on the block for below market rates? Or if AJ (Average Jane, in this case), just watched her last kid graduate from college and head for the big city to start a career and she is starting to think that it might be time to relocate herself?

Here are the top three things that I'm seeing recommended for a "normal" home seller in today's market. Now, remember, I spend most of my time focusing on the Bay Area short sale market, but I do keep my eyes and ears open to all aspects of Real Estate in San Francisco and beyond.

• Get a REFERRAL to a good Real Estate agent. As much as I get frustrated with brokers and agents in the Short Sale environment, a good agent is your best bet for getting the top price for your home in a regular sale. If there's any good coming out of the housing crash, it's that a lot of half-baked agents are getting out the industry, leaving a smaller pool of dedicated professionals. BUT ASK AROUND, check with friends and colleagues who have USED the person's service. "Cousin Bob is a real estate agent" doesn't cut it. "The agent who helped me sell my house in a week at a great price six months ago" is closer to what you're looking for.
• Make absolutely sure there's not much of work that will need to go into your home. The days when a seller could knock down the price a little during negotiations because the potential buyer spotted a ragged corner of carpet are gone. Fixer-uppers are everywhere, especially in areas where the previous owners walked away from a mortgage payment but took the faucets with them.
• BE REALISTIC. As I've mentioned before in these pages, this is not the market in which to try and recoup all your stock market losses at one fell swoop. Although there seems to be some light in the tunnel, it's still a tunnel and we're not sure if that's a train or not, so if an offer comes in that looks good but isn't exactly what you want, think hard before you turn it down.

That's it, Rebels, if you read through all the blogs and articles, it still comes down to being smart, flexible, and realistic.

And drinking Cerveza. Which I'm heading off to do...

Rebelliously,
Larry

PS-Coming next week, The Government is dictating who can negotiate on your behalf with a bank?? What the..?