74 Overlook Dr. Amherst, MA Home For Sale By Owner

Great Home in Family Neighborhood

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111 Mill Lane, Amherst, MA Home For Sale By Owner

Best of Both Worlds - Open Land & Easy Access to Town, Shopping

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156 Pomeroy Lane, Amherst MA For Sale By Owner

Sunny, energy-efficient home with its own brook!

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More DIYers Predicted

A recent survey reported in Parade magazine caught my eye. The survey, Parade Crisis Impact Poll, by Michael Berland and Douglas Schoen, (July 19 - 23, 2009) revealed that while American families have certainly felt the downturn in our economy, there has also been an upside effect.

In the survey, 68% of the respondents reported "creating a meaningful life" and "giving back" as being important to them. What really stood out to me was that 63% of respondents have become more "do-it-yourself".

How will this translate in the real estate market? Will more sellers strike out on their own, by-passing the hefty agent commissions that come with outsourcing a real estate transaction? Quite possibly we are witnessing the beginning of another surge in for-sale-by-owner activity, this time caused not by the greed of the seller's market but by necessity. Whatever the reason, selling by owner is a smart way to hold onto your equity and increase your purchasing power.

FSBO sellers today enjoy a plethora of tools to market their property. Gone are the old stand-by classified ads, replaced by Internet listing websites and social networking platforms. The latest to jump into the online listing market is Tweetlister, where agents (and private homesellers) can upload listings to Twitter. We have been adding our sellers listings to Facebook and Twitter as well as several blogs over the past couple of years and encourage sellers to also post within their own networks.

So, will 2010 be the YEAR OF THE FSBO? We can't wait to find out....at least Massachusetts home sellers will know where to turn for the best exposure and ongoing marketing help.

FSBO Publishers Network Launches Real Estate Blogs

FSBO Publishers Network is the nation's largest organization of independent for-sale-by-owner services, of which we are a member. As a regional publisher of both a print magazine ("A Buyer's Guide To 4 Sale By Owner & Builder"), multiple websites (MA4salebyowner.com, HomesByOwner.com, MAbuilder.com) and several blogs, we are dedicated to providing the best services possible for consumers here in Western Massachusetts. Being part of a national organization gives us a unique perspective on local real estate markets in other areas, and provides us with an opportunity to explore new innovations and opportunities that will help our customers.

Recently, FSBO Publishers Network launched two new real estate blogs with the purpose of providing consumers and member publishers an opportunity to share information, discuss topics and become a platform where we can continue to promote innovations within the real estate industry that will help consumers save money and regain control over the sales process.

We invite you to take a look at both blogs, share your thoughts and be sure to subscribe to each in your favorite RSS Reader.

FSBO Publishers Official Blog

Real Estate By Owner - A Consumer Forum

PODS To The Rescue - Moving Made Easy

Massachusetts 4 Sale By Owner is all about saving consumers money! We know that preparing a home for the market can be stressful. Moving is even more stressful. That's why we've teamed up with PODS, the portable moving and storage system that has revolutionized the moving process.

What's so different about PODS? Well, for starters, they are great for sellers. Not only can you take your time clearing out extra stuff, having a POD in your yard is a clear signal to buyers that you're moving soon. Create a real buzz by having a "moving sale" with a POD in the front yard - pass out our Custom Flyers to everyone that stops by.

PODS are great for buyers too. Once you've found your dream home, the next step is packing and moving - across town or across the country.

Get up to 10% discount when you order through us!

Find out More

Oh, The Things Real Estate Agents Say

One of our sellers got a call from an agent telling her that she had buyers who were very interested in her home. The agent showed up at her open house the next weekend (without buyers) and began to implement "FSBO Prospecting 101". In the old days, agents would be quick to tell FSBO sellers that they were down right stupid to think they could sell their home without the agent's knowledge, assistance and the coveted MLS. The new strategy is to become a partner, an ally of sorts. Provide free information and encouragement to "unrepresented sellers" (the new term for FSBOs), send them periodic gentle reminders and sympathetic phone calls to see how things are going. If you play your cards right, you may land a listing within 30- 60 days. Here's how it went with our seller:

Step 1: Be A Resource - The agent handed the seller a stack of agency information, while complimenting the owner on what a beautiful home she had. She was surprised that she wasn't already under contract, in fact. (worry nugget #1)

Step 2: Promote Feeling of Inadequacy - The agent then asked her, "Why haven't you attached the Massachusetts Lead Paint forms to your flyer?" This was designed to rattle the seller by making her feel that she was doing something illegal, I suppose. In reality, the lead paint forms are supplied to the buyer as part of the Purchase and Sale agreement, not handed out at open houses!!!

Step 3: Grab The Listing - HOLD ON! Fortunately, our seller saw through this little charade and informed the agent that she had the marketing end under control with our help and had retained a very competent real estate attorney to represent her legal interests. The visit was cut short as the ruffled agent gathered her materials and left.

What is the best way to sell confidently "by owner"? Contact your regional for sale by owner company early. Prepare your home carefully, get it appraised by a professional appraiser and set your price according the the market conditions, and expose it to a wide buyer pool.

Western Mass Open House Weekend - May 17th and 18th

Join us on May 17th and 18th for the 1st Annual "Western Mass Open House Weekend". We are calling all area FSBO home sellers to take part in this community-wide viral marketing event to host an Open House on one or both of these days and to get the word out by posting your event on www.MA4salebyowner.com. We will include your event on our Open House Page, and send a Property Alert Notification announcing the event to buyers and provide a link for you to use in any classified advertising.

We will provide your buyers with everything they need to plan their visit. They will be able to view your photos or Virtual Tour, get a map and directions to your doorstep and learn how easy it is to buy directly from the owner or builder. They will also be able to print an Informational Property Flyer to take along for the ride.

Here is where it gets fun! We are asking all sellers who participate in the "Western Mass Open House Weekend" to help create a buzz by sharing flyers from neighboring FSBO home sellers who participate so that buyers are exposed to a wide variety of privately offered homes in the area. Sellers will also receive a FREE open house sign, a handy checklist to help you organize for the event and 'Offer To Purchase' forms as well. Upon request and with early placement, financing sheets may created for you by a mortgage lender to provide buyers with information on monthly payment options and special programs to help them purchase your home.

If you would like more information on how to get started planning your open house, please email us or call 413-529-2970. To place your ad today, link here.

Why My Dog Is So Smart

I have a Golden Retriever named Haley who spends the day at my office under my desk. The great thing about dogs is that they live in the moment. They don't worry about the economy, the "real estate bubble", whether foreclosures are on the rise in Western Massachusetts, whether now is a bad time to buy or sell, or whether interest rates will go up or down. No, Haley doesn't fret about what happened yesterday, the day she opened up the door under the sink and tipped over the trash can. She doesn't worry about what will happen tomorrow either. You see, Haley doesn't read the paper, listen to TV or the radio, and doesn't look online. It's a good thing, because if she did, she'd probably not want to buy a house right now.

Buyers, on the other hand, seem to be listening to the gloom and doom media who can't get enough of making sure we're all miserable. I don't get it. We bought our first home in 1987, when interest rates were 13.5%. Should we have waited until they came down to around 5% in order to buy? Hard to think so.

For the first time in many years we have an abundance of homes for buyers to weigh carefully. Rates are really very low and as long as your credit is good, loans can be written. As long as buyers are careful to stay within their means, home ownership is not out of the question.

Maybe buyers should turn off the TV for a while, stop reading the headlines and go to a few open houses. Sellers will be happy to see them again.

Haley is patiently waiting to go for a walk. I guess I'd better go!

Will Agents Become Obsolete?

The increased ability of buyers to take the lead in their house hunting quest along with the downturn in the Massachusetts real estate market has begun to produce some fallout. Recently, the Boston Globe reported that GMAC Real Estate announced that it was closing 15 offices in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. I was surprised that Brett Weinberg, a spokesperson for GMAC attributed the closings "to the growth of the online housing marketplace and other technology changes than to the state's housing slump." I wonder what the NAR (National Association of Realtors) will have to say about the comment as it certainly seems to undermine years of work the association has done to promote the necessity of its members. Today over 80% of buyers are using the Internet as the primary resource to look for real estate, feeling comfortable with technology and their ability to research data. During the real estate boom years the lure of making big money attracted many to the industry. It was easy to make a commission in an inventory-starved environment. Now that the tables have turned, it's not as easy to convince sellers that an agent's marketing skills are all that important to the sale.