Home > Blogs > Liz and Bill Spear > BLiz Biz: Warren County Ohio Area Real Estate

Use Some Social Media Discretion For Your Own Good When Selling Your Home

By Liz and Bill Spear

Real Estate Agent with Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com SAL.2002007747

July 13, 2015 07:39 AM

Use Some Social Media Discretion For Your Own Good When Selling Your Home

I love social media, but it's truly a double edged sword! We're connected to people all across the nation (and that can be good OR bad depending on your outlook, especially with another presidential election cycle on the horizon!).

And what social media giveth, it can also taketh away! When I work with buyers I "read" a house to find leverage for my clients. Business cards out on the desk, pictures on the wall, clothes present (or missing) from a closet, etc. I don't have to open anything, it's all out there in plain sight. Read the tea leaves right and we gain an edge during negotiations.

And sometimes the sellers make it REALLY easy for us, basically advertising everything we need to know across social media! Unless your name is John Smith or Sue Johnson, chances are a quick Google search can tell me a fair amount about you, and it's all free and public information.

You updated your LinkedIn account and now I know you have a job in Houston? Thank you very much!

Your Facebook page is wide open and you've told everyone you're getting married and moving to Florida? Again, I thank you.

You're in the neighborhood forum talking about your vacation next week? Meh, that doesn't really help me, but the home burglar who also belongs to the group appreciates the info!

Do you see where we're heading with this? In the military we called it OpSec, short for Operational Security. You didn't want the other side to know your schedule, how many of us there would be, etc. Giving up that information could be costly and we're not talking about just dollars.

And if you give up OpSec on the sale of your home, you could potentially lose a significant stack of dollars because what you needed to keep to yourself wasn't kept to yourself.

So do yourself a favor, make it hard for buyers and their agents to know WHY you're selling your home, how soon it needs to happen, etc. Be aware of how your home tells a story AND watch your social media use. Keep it to yourself and you might just keep a lot more money with the sale of your home.

Serving Warren County home buyers and sellers,
Liz and Bill aka BLiz

Re-Blog

Comments(17)

Comment

Show All Comments

Sort:

Steve Loynd

Alpine Lakes Real Estate Inc., - Lincoln, NH

800-926-5653, White Mountains NH

Give a seller enough rope and they just may hang themselves...

the wedding picture with the him side torn off is a sure sign...the price and terms could work in your buyers favor.

Jul 13, 2015 07:47 AM

Kathy Streib

Cypress, TX
Nina Hollander, Broker

Charlotte, NC
Hannah Williams

Philadelphia, PA
Liz and Bill Spear

Mason, OH

Hannah Williams

HomeStarr Realty - Philadelphia, PA

Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376

Liz and Bill Spear It always floors me when people post on their Facebook page "on the way down the Sea shore" . When asked they say I only post to friends Well your friends may have unsavory family members or sorry to say people on drugs that need money . Why post this information ??? If these people are your good friends they know you are on your way to vacation. Why invite a Break in to your Home

Jul 13, 2015 07:55 AM

Nina Hollander, Broker

Charlotte, NC

Nina Hollander, Broker

Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC

Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

We can't stress this enough to our clients. I personally don't understand the impulse to just put all my personal stuff out there in social media (I know it's my age speaking here). But doing so can hurt way more than help in the long run.

Jul 13, 2015 07:58 AM

Michele Milic

Realty ONE Group ~ 702.419.5359 - Las Vegas, NV

Great point. People become accustomed to daily interactions on social media platforms, making it difficult to curb habits which are exposing them.

Just another thing worth mentioning to our future clients.

Have a great week.

Jul 13, 2015 08:34 AM

Anita Clark

Coldwell Banker Access Realty ~ 478.960.8055 - Warner Robins, GA

Realtor - Homes for Sale in Warner Robins GA

BLiz: If it does not need to be said on social media, it should not be. Unfortunately some sellers do not understand they are tipping their hand when sharing too much information.

Jul 13, 2015 08:40 AM

Michael Jacobs

Pasadena, CA

Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hi Bill -- social media can be like opening a closet door -- you never know what may fall out or come out.

Jul 13, 2015 08:44 AM

David Barr

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty - Sarasota, FL

This might be more relevant to a buyer's market. A lot of things can give tips as to the seller's status, but when they know they have the upper hand, it doesn't matter if they've already moved or are planning on downsizing.

Jul 13, 2015 09:07 AM

Jenna Dixon

Momentum Real Estate Group LLC - Marietta, GA

55 & Over | New Constructions | Horse Farms

Mum's the word, you never know who is watching (or reading). I daresay with the next Presidential Election looming, I will be un-friending some of the more divisive individuals on my social platforms.

Jul 13, 2015 09:34 AM

Kathy Streib

Cypress, TX

Home Stager/Redesign

BLiz- Mankind is always playing catch-up with technology. When will we learn that we are in no way obligated to tell the public everything going on in our lives, or what we had for dinner just because we can.

Jul 13, 2015 11:00 AM

Tammy Lankford,

Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA

Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

I get more info about buyers than sellers on line. I have so many sellers who don't use a computer much less have a social media account.

But it's very good advice to keep your fingers in your pockets on your social media accounts when on either side, buyers or sellers.

Jul 13, 2015 01:40 PM

Liz and Bill Spear

Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH

Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

Steve, That would be a sure giveaway! I ususally don't see something quite so blatant, but often the clothes missing out of the master closet followed by a Clerk of Courts search for divorce filings will confirm a suspicion.

Hannah, I hate to be paranoid, but fact is you do never know who is watching. We've had buyers be friends with neighbors and other friends of the seller without the seller knowing. The information doesn't stay in as small a circle as might be hoped.

Nina, I tend not to post very often on Facebook. I'll participate with others but most of my personal status updates are pretty benign (stuff about our flower garden, pets, US Soccer, etc.).

Michele, It's a conversation we have with our sellers at listing.

Anita, It's just too easy to give away a piece of critical information.

Michael, Right on the mark with that one!

David, Our local market is fairly balanced with a few exceptions that are heavy in the seller's behalf.

Jenna, I'm still waiting for the first person on the political spectrum to go "You know because of your Facebook posts I decided to switch parties!!".

Kathy, We see the whole spectrum, from those that don't use it to those you can track almost every step of the day.

Tammy, I tend to do a little investigation on my own behalf when I get a contact from a potential client just in case there are any red flags.

Jul 13, 2015 10:09 PM

Chris and Dick Dovorany

Homes for Sale in Naples, Bonita Springs and Estero, Florida - Naples, FL

Broker/Associate at Premiere Plus Realty

Oh yes, the trolls are doing their job by trying to find out all about what we are doing. If we give them the ammunition it's their "job" to take over our lives. Pictures of your white water rafting trip are great but post them after the fact and not during.

Jul 13, 2015 11:27 PM

Roger D. Mucci

Shaken...with a Twist 216.633.2092 - Euclid, OH

Lets shake things up at your home today!

Amazing how many people "put it all out there" and then wonder how we all found out.

Jul 13, 2015 11:39 PM

John Meussner

Mortgages in AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, IN, MD, MN, MT, NC, NJ, NV, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI - Fair Oaks, CA

#MortgageMadeEasy Fair Oaks, CA 484-680-4852

This is why buyers and sellers need an expert like team BLiz helping them along the way. This kind of information is invaluable in protecting info that could be 'vital' to another party's intentions.

Jul 14, 2015 03:11 AM

Chris Ann Cleland

Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA

Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

I don't think folks truly understand how the profiles and the information they feed to social media daily can bite them during negotiations.

Jul 14, 2015 03:57 AM

Chris Ann Cleland

Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA

Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

Featured in the group: BARTENDER, MAKE IT A DOUBLE.

Jul 14, 2015 03:59 AM

Liz and Bill Spear

Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH

Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

Chris, It's just risky behavior in my opinion to put so much out there.

John, It's something we have the conversation about. We want our clients protected.

Chris Ann, Thanks for the group feature! After some recent digging, I believe sellers shouldn't update their LinkedIn profile until after their home is under contract.

Jul 14, 2015 04:46 AM