1. Prepare the Contract - Your initial step would be to contact a reputable conveyancer, solicitor, escrow officer etc to organise a written contract for the sale of your home. Having this in place prior to advertising your private real estate sale will smooth the transition from a buyer making an offer to seeing the cash in your bank account.

   Regardless of whether you sell your own home or you employ the services of a traditional real estate agent, the cost for this conveyancing will be incurred. It's not an additional cost just to those who offer their home as a "For Sale By Owner."
   



2. Spruce up your property - aesthetics is the key here. Before embarking on this project put yourself in your prospective buyers shoes and ask the question, "What would stop me from buying this house?" Obviously changing your 3x1 to a 4x2 is more than an aesthetic change but there are many little things that if corrected can not only add value but also increase your chances of selling you property quickly.
   
   
   
   • Clean up the garden. Mow the lawns and weed any garden beds. If the beds are looking a little tired add some instant potted colour to them and provide a layer of mulch. Remove any rubbish and debris that may lay around the house.
     
   
   
   • Complete any minor repairs. Patch holes in the walls, fix dripping taps and touch-up peeling paint.
     
   
   
   • Clean the house. Clean windows, kitchen appliances, marks on walls and ceilings keep bathrooms and toilets clean and tidy.
     
   
   
   • Minimise any clutter. There are two extremes here. The first is to totally de-clutter and the house results in a clinical feel, while the second is to leave everything as is and the home can feel junky and too personal. Remove as much as you can while keeping the house with a homey ambience.
     
   
   
   
   


3. Begin advertising your home - There are two ways to achieve this and depending on the market and you ability to advertise your own home will depend on which way pursue.
   
   
   
   1. The first option is to advertise it yourself by organising signage, newspaper adverts, flyers and other paraphernalia that might get your house noticed by the prospective buying public. This can be a very hit-and-miss affair and may prove quite costly but it is a possible alternative to help sell your own home.
      
   
   
   2. The other option, and the one that I would recommend, is to find a "For Sale By Owner" website that offers listing your property for a fee. The benefit of employing one of these services is that they have, and continue to do, spent money on advertising their site to attract the buying public. So buyers are already the audience for the site and you don't have to go looking for them.

      Here are some prospective sites and minimum charges if you live in these countries;

      Australia - No Agent Property A$240 until sold.
      USA - For Sale By Owner.com Starts from US$89.95 per month or US$199 until sold up to their US$899 platinum deal that includes a homepage featured listing.
      UK - Homes On Sale. This site requires membership before seeing prices.
      

   
   
   
   
4. Maintain you home - Once you've done the big cleanup the next challenge is to maintain that level during the advertising period and even through settlement. It would be devastating to have a prospective buyer phone and ask if they could drop over in the next 20 minutes and your house now looks nothing like the advert you worked so hard to procure.

   This is an area where many owners fail to sell their own home because they do the initial clean well but forget to maintain it.
   



5. Prepare for an open house - With a traditional real estate they would host the prospective buyer while you and your family make yourselves scarce. Unfortunately, you don't have the option to do this so greeting, hosting and answering the buyers questions will all need to be done by you.

   Think again how you would want to be treated if you were looking through a house you were thinking of buying. Give the visitor space to discuss their thoughts without you listening in or adding your opinions. Be available to answer their queries by telling them where you will be waiting after their tour but resist the temptation to guide them through every area.
   



6. Negotiate - don't feel you have to accept the first offer that's thrown your way. If the buyer forwards an offer lower than your requested price then make a counter-offer. Continue this process until you have achieved a suitable price for both you and the buyer.

   Also, you can walk away from an offer. If the buyer isn't going to budge or the offer is unrealistic then feel free to say your not willing to sell at that price. If the buyer wants it and the market is strong don't settle for a price you know you will regret.
   



7. Settle well - The contract that was created at the start of the process should cover all the necessary terms and dates of payment etc. Make sure that you follow through on the things that you and the buyer have agreed upon making the transition as smooth as possible.

   Some buyers may request as part of the sale for consultants to check some areas of your house. Be accomodating with these requests, provided they are part of the sale agreement, and hospitable to these consultants inspections.
   

If you follow these steps your chances of selling your own home are greatly increased and the process shouldn't be overly stressful.