Their Homes: Be Creative (NAPSA)—If youre still having trouble selling your house, it may be time to think outside the box. We're not talking about renting out your property until the mar- ket improves—something even Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner was reportedly forced to do more than a year ago when there were no takers for the five-bedroom Tudorin upscale Larchmont, N-Y., that he’d paid $1.602 million for in 2004. Although, if you absolutely need to relocate for job reasons, say, that could be one wayto go. No, we’re talking creative ways that Bankrate.com and others say help “stressed-out sellers”—sound familiar?—make their homes stand out from all the others on the market. Read on for sometips: Sweeten the Deal. In an effort to weed out sketchy borrowers, the Federal Housing Adminis- tration, which backs the bulk of all new mortgages these days, recently lowered the ceiling on the monetary “concessions”sellers can offer buyers to help cover expenses like loan fees and closing costs. But that doesn’t mean you can’t try sealing the deal by throwing in a 3-D TV. . .Or a country club membership. . .Or a car, a la the Prius that one real-estate agent justified to CNN by saying: “In this market, you have to learn to do things differently.” * Go Viral. “The Internet has essentially leveled the playing field across the real-estate market,” proclaims ForSaleByOwner. com’s Greg Healy. True. But don’t limit your thinking to just eBay or Craig’s List. If a YouTube video of a cat bouncing off a mirror can garner gazillions of views across the world, surely you can think of some novel way to show off your home’s assets. “Gift Box” Your Roof. One of the questions that potential buyers routinely ask, according to MarketWatch.com, is how old is the roof? One nice touch is to present your documentation tied in a bow with a box of chocolate-cov- Selling your house these days requires some ingenuity, but it can be done. ered strawberries. That’s assuming, of course, your roof is new and attractive enough to have even gotten you to the walk-throughstage. If not, and you want to replace it with one that practically screams “curb appeal,” check out GAF’s Lifetime Designer Shingles Value Collection at www.gaf.com. These shingles from North America’s largest roofing manufacturer are designed to add style to your home—at a very affordable price. (Strawberry-Boxing Alert: All the company’s laminated shingles now come with a lifetime limited warranty that’s transferable to new owners, which can be another powerful selling point.) Enlist Your Neighbors. Sure, some would help spread the word out of the kindness of their hearts. But human nature being what it is, offering a $200 gift card to anyone who brings you a real, live serious buyer can work wonders. Oh, and for those questioning whether any of this works, the award for the “Most Out-of-theBox Thinking” goes to Bob and Ricki Husick of Wexford, Pa. They gained international attention a while back after advertising that the buyer of their two-story Colonial would receive the full purchase price back after they die. The house, originally listed for $399,999, sold soon after for $377,000. Not bad, these days.
