Many home sellers around the nation have been offering extra incentives to attract buyers to a contract--a free plasma TV, car, lawn service for a year, home warranty, etc. In some cases, these types of incentives do attract buyer interest. In other cases, the buyer would just as soon pay a lower price for the home. Either way, the seller’s net is reduced by the amount of the incentive or price reduction.

If you’re interested in adding an incentive to your home sale, think about what you could offer that won’t cost you anything, but that many buyers would value. For example, do you own a vacation home or time share? If so, you could offer buyers a free week-long "Relocation and Recovery" (R&R) vacation as incentive to purchase your home.

Perhaps you or someone in your family has a skill that could be turned into an incentive. A Masters swimmer might offer a series of free swim lessons for the buyers or their children. If you are an artist or photographer, you could offer a portrait of the buyer or the home itself. A financial planner might offer free consulting for a project. An architect could offer to design a room addition of choice. What’s in your imagination?

Other incentives might include conveying items that don’t normally transfer with a home (but ones you don’t really want to take to your new home), e.g., a room-sized oriental carpet or a stone garden bench or custom window treatments.

Start thinking creatively and you’re likely to find something of value you can offer to spark interest in your home. Ask us for more ideas