5 Cardinal Sins of Home Selling!
It's August. The buyers are going on vacation! Our sellers all want to be gone by next week! What to do? Are any of your listings guilty of one of these 5 Cardinal Sins? This is probably the toughest market of the year for Realtors because buyers are taking the month off (please don't tell me your market is different!) and the sellers are still anxious and seriously motivated. At least in January sellers know that it is the winter and they are more patient! Make sure your listing is on its A game and not guilty of one of these sins! This is the time to get that listing sold!
5 Cardinal Sins of Home Selling!
We see a lot of homes over the course of a year and there are some big reasons buyers will spin on their heels, look at us and say "NEXT!".
As a general rule, home buyers expect to see what was advertised, and the only surprises they want to see involve a home being even BETTER than the pictures indicated, or that phone call just before the showing that mentions "we just dropped price today!".
So you want to get that SOLD sign in your yard, here are some key DON'Ts if you want to get your home sold.
1. Don't lie to the buyer! You might think you're just stretching the truth slightly, but that's not the way a buyer sees it. You call that room in the basement a bedroom when there's only a small window up high that no one could get out?? And the same applies for other features. That ring of cinderblocks isn't a "charming outdoor firepit" and a tile backsplash doesn't by itself make a kitchen gourmet.
2. Don't make your home hard to show. We can't sell it if we can't get in. We understand some level of restrictions (religious, kids, etc.), but when you make it tough to get in, we start thinking you're just going to be all around difficult to deal with if the buyers like the home.
3. Don't be smelly. Pet stained stinky carpets are bad. 45 Glade scented wall plug-ins are bad too. ANY strong smell can be a problem. A LOT of buyers have allergies. The only smell that might be okay? Hot chocolate chip cookies left out for us to eat. That's okay :)
4. Don't be home. We've yet to meet a buyer who wants you at the house when they look. We can't talk about the home with you anywhere within earshot, so we tend to rush and leave. Again, there are exceptions, but they're called exceptions for a reason.
5. Don't overprice for your home's condition. Unless no other homes are on the market, you can't get top dollar when your home doesn't look top dollar. If the home two doors down got the price you want and they'd spiffed and updated everything and you haven't? That's a big NO SALE to buyers. Chances are the buyers have looked at more than a few homes and know what SHOULD be expected at their price point. And if they don't (yet), you can bet their agent does.
There's plenty more than can go wrong with selling a home, we're just pulling back the curtain and letting you know some of the key offenses.
Need more info about successfully selling a Warren County area home? Just give The Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite a call at 513-520-5305!
Serving Warren County's residential real estate needs,
Liz and Bill aka BLiz
REALTORS(S) Serving Warren County Ohio & Adjacent Areas
The Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite
Elizabeth & William Spear
Ask for us by name if you visit the office!Two locations: Lebanon & Mason, OH
Direct: 513-520-5305
Direct #2: 513-265-3004
Fax: 866-302-8418
MailTo: LizSpear@Go-Concepts.com
Our Website: www.LizTour.com
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