CNY Fisbo

In the News

2006-05-04T01:12:00.000-04:00

Here's an article that appeared in the Central New York Business Journal about a year ago. Just click here to read it.

Taxi Please

2005-09-14T17:58:00.000-04:00

Times have changed and typically when people shop for a new home, they do their own research online (at places like www.cnyfisbo.com) and find the homes in which they're interested and then call a realtor to schedule an appointment to see the home.

You look at the home, make your decision to buy and if so, determine what you think is a fair price. If you decide to buy the house, you contact your realtor who fills in the blanks in a purchase contract (click here to download a home purchase contract here), a home inspector to inspect the home, and a mortgage professional to set up the financing package, and lastly, an attorney to review the contract and protect you as a buyer (or seller).

So, what's left? What does the realtor really do? Drive the car to get you to the homes in which you're interested in seeing.

Realtor = Glorified Taxi Driver.

Do yourself a favor and drive yourself to homes for sale by owner and save money all the way around.

A Picture is Worth...

2005-08-29T12:24:00.000-04:00

A picture is worth a thousand words...especially when you're in Central New York and trying to sell a home in the middle of winter.

It's likely that the beautiful landscaping surrounding your home will be covered by five feet of snow. The solution is simple; take photos now!

If a house tour for a potential buyer includes a photo album with photos showing the yard, patios, decks, walkways, and landscaping, potential buyers can see in an instant what instead they'd have to imagine just by listening to you talk about them. More people will relate to a visual experience than they will to a verbal one.

Here are the dos and don'ts.:

DO

Buy a new album just to be used for these outdoor photos of your property.
Mow the lawn, rake, and clean up before taking photos.
Wait for the "Golden Hour" (the hour after sunrise and sunset when things take on a magical glow) to take photos.
Take photos that include landmarks, such as a corner of the house.
Take many photos from many different angles.
Have the photos printed in high quality.
Update the album as the seasons change...as fall brings colored leaves to your property, be sure to include photos of the changing trees.
Encourage potential buyers to view the album by placing it out on a table home with good lighting so they can easily see details.
Provide the album to the buyer once the offer is approved and accepted. They might want to have it as they plan for their future in their new home.

DO NOT
Include any personal photos.
Just opt to use a family album that has photos marked for potential buyers to flip to.
Print the photos from an ink jet printer—quality is important here.
Include bad photos...throw them away instead.
Forget fall...summer is often when plants and trees are colored by luscious green but fall is the favorite season of a large number of the population. Be sure to include fall photos in your album as the season comes.
Explain the photos unless asked...remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, let the photos to the selling!
Take a photo looking in to the sun...it will create funny light effects on the image.
Get your shadow in a photo.
Take photos when there are harsh shadows--they show up in the photos.

Definition of FSBO

2005-06-30T12:45:00.000-04:00

FSBO is an acronym that stands for For Sale By Owner. It is pronounced like Fisbo.

While many people are not familiar with the term, it is thought that the pronunciation comes to us from the legal arena where attorneys use the word "Fisbo" as short for For Sale By Owner when discussing house closings.

The question of what Fisbo is was asked during our most recent Home Selling Seminar and a number of people did not know. More and more people are gaining an understanding of the word as the trend of selling a home without a realtor continues to increase.

Home Selling Seminar

2005-06-30T11:55:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, June 28th, we had our second free, home selling seminar and for a second time, we had great attendance. People are so eager to attend and excited when they find that what they suspected is true; it is easy to sell a home on your own. Well-known Syracuse-area realtor Ellie Hayman even attended; and, whether she was checking out the competition, or, trying to learn how she can improve in her own business, is anyone's guess.

During the seminar, we go from start to finish about how to sell your own home. Our speakers include an interior decorator/organizer (Donna Marsh of Stylish Organizing & Design http://www.enjoymyspace.com/), a home inspector (Jeff Spain of To-Be-Sure Home Inspections http://www.to-be-sure.com/), an appraiser (Walt Copeland of Copeland and Copeland), marketing expert (me http://www.cnyfisbo.com/), mortgage consultants (John Ray and Joe Dwyer of Beacon Federal http://www.beaconfederal.com/) and a real estate attorney (Christian Fischer of the Fischer Law Firm cfischer@fischerlawoffices.com).

We’re working on setting up a date for the next seminar and will post it on the website once it is confirmed.

Not a single person who attended the seminar said he or she felt that he or she could not sell a home on his or her own. If you have questions about selling a home on your own, feel free to contact the FSBO professionals above and they’ll be glad to answer any questions.

Radio Show Guest Appearance

2005-03-25T19:07:00.000-05:00

My friends at the For Sale By Owner Magazine in Houston, Texas asked me to be a call in guest on their radio show tomorrow. I'll be calling in at 12:30 EST. You can listen online at www.ksevradio.com

The Houston guys, Mike Greiner and Gary Bisha (who are really from Central New York), have been a great help in providing advice to me as I get my publication, the CNY Fisbo Home Journal, and website www.CNYFisbo.com, up and running. Many thanks!!

Realtor Freedom Day

2005-03-24T00:57:00.000-05:00

Think about this....the average cost of a home in Onondaga County is about $130,000 and the average salary in the county is about $41,857.

If you were an average person, selling an average home in Onondaga County, you would have to work 82 days of a calendar year to pay the real estate commission on that home!

If a home is priced right, it should sell in about a month. When you think of it this way, you can easily see why real estate agents put out stickers saying "sold in just XX days" or "sold in less than XX days" on the for sale signs bragging about homes being sold in so few days or weeks. They're actually celebrating the incredible amount of money they made in a short amount of time!

And speaking of signs...there is this one realtor’s sign that I keep passing that is so blatant about the job the realtor is doing. The sign has a rider at the top that has a picture of the agent. He didn't opt for the traditional headshot that most realtors do; instead, he is sitting at this desk in a big executive leather chair with his feet propped up on the desk and his hands clasped behind his head in a smug but relaxed pose. I chuckle each time I go by and wonder what the home owner is thinking; the sign has been there for at least four months and if I was the homeowner, I'd be starting to get upset each day seeing him just sitting there all smug with his feet up on his desk, not working at selling my home. Usually, the person who will do the best job at selling a home is the home owner.

Why do realtors think they need their photo on their signs anyway? Homeowners should wonder if the photo of the agent is helping to sell their home, or the agent.

A month of first times

2005-03-22T14:48:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of "firsts" for me this month....my first blog, first home show, first publication, and so on.

So let me begin: The CNY Fisbo Home Journal is a new magazine located in Syracuse that covers Central New York. The magazine has classified ads by people selling their own homes as well as display ads from businesses that are trying to target this broad demographic of people buying and selling homes. Oh, and the journalist in me just won't stop--we have a few articles in the publication as well on topics that deal with buying or selling a home, and, home improvement type articles. I'll post some of them here in the future. Or, you can download the magazine at our website: www.CNYFisbo.com

My first issue hit the streets on March 4, 2005 and the next one will go to press this week. I'm not the first to create this type of a magazine--there's even a national association of FSBO publishers. FSBO stands for For Sale By Owner which is prounounced like Fisbo which is how I decided on the name of my magazine (there's another reason too, but that will have to wait).

A few people have talked to me about blogs, and, so far, I've resisted...I've been busy creating CNY Fisbo Home Journal and also running my marketing firm Spain Marketing Solutions which also is based in Syracuse. With a team of creative professionals, I help businesses, organizations, and a few individuals improve their credibility and awareness among their target markets. What I tell my clients is if they want to reach their target market...they just need to call me.

But enough about my marketing firm....I think I'll need to create a separate blog for that!

Fisbos...we save people up to 7 percent. Do the math--7 percent of the price of a typical home--that really adds up. Even on a home priced at $150,000 that is over $10,000 that realtors get.

There are probably some realtors who earn it; however, for the most part, the person who is best suited to do the job of selling your home, is you! So, if you have the time and the know how (if not come to one of our seminars), save the 7 percent and go on a vacation, put more down on your new home or buy a nicer one, or whatever else you want to do with the thousands of dollars you can save.

My user name....boy that would have taken a bit more time to figure out if it weren't for a local Syracuse realtor who came up to me at my booth at the Syracuse Home & Garden Show this past weekend at the New York State Fairgrounds. Some realtors feel threatened by my magazine and weren't the nicest people who approached our booth. So this one woman came up to me and said so are you this Ms Fisbo? Quite stunned by the question, I didn't react right away as I was trying to figure out if she was looking for someone in particular. But then, it hit me, she was a realtor and this was her defensive side. (The claws were out and fur was up on her back, so to speak.) So, yes, now I am Ms Fisbo!

2005-03-22T11:15:00.000-05:00

Amber A. Spain