5 Things You May be Doing to Sabotage the Sale of your Home. (Perspectives on Real Estate and More From a Home Staging Pro
The Seller was very anxious to sell his house (at least that is what he kept telling me). The Agent and I were working very hard to sell the house; the Seller; not so much. The Seller finally did accept an offer after the Agent convinced him that to do otherwise would result in a very long wait for another.
This client had taken the time find a top notch Agent and brought me on because he really believed that Home Staging would speed the sale of his house. So why would someone go to all that trouble and expense only to undermine the process? As I was thinking back on my experience with this client, I thought I would share with Sellers everywhere (or at least the ones that read this blog) the 5 things you may be doing to sabotage the sale of your home.
1. Refusing to have the house professionally cleaned (or clean it yourself like a professional) - According to HomeGain.com, Buyers can expect, on average, a 586% return on their investment in a really clean house.
I can tell when the house has not been thoroughly cleaned if there are cob webs in the corners and dust around ceiling fan blades. Buyers notice too.
2. Leaving shoes in the middle of the floor – This is the same as leaving breakfast dishes in the sink, or laundry piled in the corner or any number of other things we may do from time to time. When the house is not tidy for Buyers that may drop by, they may begin to wonder what problems there are that they can’t see.
3. Refusing to paint – You hired a Home Stager to help you make your house appealing to the largest number of Buyers. The bright colored bedroom has to 
go. Hey, I like purple too but if you want everybody to like the room, a more neutral color would be more appropriate.
4. Allowing neighbors to interfere with Buyers - Yes, I know, your neighbors love you and they’re sorry to see you go, but they shouldn’t pester the Buyers that stop by to see your house to determine their suitability as neighbors. Give your neighbors your thanks and then, ask them to stop.
5. Refuse to budge on the price – If a lot of people are seeing your house and no one has extended an offer, something needs to change. Your agent will share Buyer comments with you. If your house is getting comments like, “needs a lot of updating”, and you’re not willing to update, the price of the house is too high.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but they make my point. If you are going to surround yourself with experts in order to sell your house, do not do anything to sabotage your efforts.
Wishing you a quick sale!
Kathy Strader, ASP
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