Research is key when it comes to selling your home–and sometimes that means logging off and cracking a book. (Or firing up your Kindle — we’re not particular.) Here are some recommendations for choosing reading material to help you with your home sale, no matter the route you’ve chosen to take.
Books For Home Sellers
Of course, Sold.com is the very best resource for this sort of information, but we also understand that there are times you need to wander to the printed page. That’s why we’ve pulled together some suggestions for your reading pleasure.
Choosing the Right Book for Your Needs
It doesn’t take a lot of time before you realize that there are tons of real estate books out there. However, quantity rarely signals quality. A few hints on thinning the considerable herd:
- Look for books that go beyond the clichéd cleaning and decluttering advice to offer concrete, specific suggestions on preparing your home for sale.
- Find fresh angles on typical words of wisdom, complete with actionable ideas.
- Authors should have significant standing in the real-estate field.
- The book should be recent. Advice from 10 years ago won’t have nearly so much bearing on your situation today.
Ask your friends for reading suggestions. Talk to people you trust. Borrow books (just make sure to return them!).
What Should I Read?
That’s your choice, of course, but we’ve pulled together a few suggestions. For your consideration:
- The For Sale by Owner Handbook by Piper Nichole. Sourcing material from a team of nationwide experts, this comprehensive volume addresses both novice and experienced homeowners seeking to sell outside the bounds of a traditional agency.
- Selling Your House: Nolo’s Essential Guide by Ilona Bray. This well-organized tome gives you a step-by-step look at what you need to know – in the order that you need to know it.
- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham. This industry classic is more generalized, covering a world that only partly includes real estate, but it will give you a good grounding in the principles of investment strategy.
- Your Amazing Itty Bitty Sell Your Home Book: 15 Simple Steps on How to Stage and Sell Your Home by Eduardo Mendoza. Think staging doesn’t matter? This book will change your mind. Moreover, if you think you can’t stage your home yourself, this book will also change your mind. It’s simple, straightforward, and to the point.
- SOLD! Listing to Closing: The Ultimate Home Sellers Guide by John Salkowski. Broker-owner Salkowski covers topics ranging from pricing trends to home improvements to issues related to closing – in other words, soup to nuts in real estate terms.
Remember that many of these books – even the best ones – are written as part of a marketing strategy. There may be sections that you’ll have to take with a grain of salt.
Your Own Strategy
No one book is likely to represent your entire approach to selling your home. That’s why you need to read as widely as you can manage – this will help you piece together a method that works given your individual situation, needs, strengths, and weaknesses.
While you’re reading, keep in mind that these books are written to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. After all, the authors would like them to sell! For your purposes, however, it’s best to pick out the wisdom that works for you as an individual and toss the rest.
It’s important to remember that no one book is going to cover everything you need to know. That’s the reason that we work to provide the most comprehensive body of information out there for sellers like you. Check out our advice on traditional selling, selling at auction, selling to an investor, and selling as a FSBO.
