There is a lot of advice on how to sell a home. Yet there are numerous ways that Sellers prevent the sale of their home. Four years ago I wrote a blog about how not to sell your. Here's a refreshed versions. Understanding what hurts the sale of a home will help in making a sale.
- Who cares about curb appeal, that's for the weak hearted. The taller the weeds, the more fertile the ground, right? As bad as the market is there aren't any decent homes out there anyway, so why try? The weeds hide the old couch in the front yard anyway. Oil stains in the driveway are like a Rorschach blot. It shows imagination.
- Let the outside paint go on the house so buyers can see the wood or stucco underneath. Painting is over rated anyway. A fresh coat of paint can't possibly add value can it?
- Leave fingerprints on all the walls and light switches to give the house character.
- Listen to colleagues, relatives and bartenders for determining the price and best way to sell your home. What do Realtors know about real estate anyway?
- Ignore what homes around you are selling for. Ask for the highest price ever for your neighborhood. Be the leader for increasing prices by insisting on more than Buyers are willing to pay. Ignore the foreclosures and short sales in your community, they're not real anyway.
- Refuse to allow a sign in your front yard or to put your home on the Internet. It's not true that 87% of all buyers start looking for their homes on the Internet. People driving by will know your home is for sale because you are selling it.
- Don't allow any pictures of your home. They can see what it looks like when the come to see it.
- Insist that Buyers come to see your home when it's convenient for you. Don't let your Realtor put a lock box on your home. There are tons of buyers out their dying to buy your house. Who cares if a few can't see it?
- Make sure you stay home when Buyers come. Insure that you follow them everywhere and point out everything you feel they should know about your home and then some. Don't let them talk in private. They need to hear what you have to say about your home.
- Keep the house as cluttered as possible to give it more character and make your home feel small. Buyers don't need to imagine what their furniture will look like in your home anyway.
All of this may seem like nonsense. It is, but, I see it happen all the time. Sellers following Buyers around the house and not letting them talk. Once the Buyers leave they trash the MLS sheets for that house. Trashy looking yards to a home that is overpriced for the neighborhood. Unable to access a home when Buyers are looking. Especially when Buyers are from out of town and have limited time to see. They get to see all the competition. With so much competition to sell homes it is more important than ever to be on your game and ahead of the competition.
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