Many agents and sellers think that one of the ways to create interest is to give the listing an "air of mystery" by tightly controlling how much info they release... thinking less is better.
Let me tell you... that isn't a good idea, unless there is a VERY small group of inventory. Like "potential buyer able to see everything" kind of group. Perhaps if you have a log home on Lake Lanier... there might only be a couple, but then comes the other variable... NONE of the others can be stunners.
So, there are almost no circumstances where playing the "keeping it a mystery" game works to the advantage of sellers.
Let's look at the real situation. Here in Lilburn there are 406 properties. In every price category over $500k, there are 19 listings. But... there are surrounding communities, too. So, there are still plenty of homes competing for buyers. So, that lays out the question:
Why would they look at your (unknown) home when there are 24 that look interesting in the pictures?
The simple fact is that they won't.
And furthermore...
The same holds true with a myriad of other things. I have seen agents withhold flyers in order to "create a need to call about the property." And virtual tours... and websites... and pricing... and information. I have sat through the "gurus" that say that we should never answer questions. When a buyer calls and says "Is it a 3 bedroom house?" We should reply "Do you want 3 bedrooms?" As a customer, when I ask a question, I want an answer...
What it comes down to is that consumers want, expect, deserve and know where to find information. So... withholding that information only pushes that consumer to another outlet.
But what about ugly houses?
This is the tough one... and there is more room for debate, but personally, I think that the rule still applies. Again, put yourself in the shoes of the buyer. A buyer that sees real pictures of an ugly house and still comes to see it is cool with ugly houses... or it reasonably meets their expectations. Failing to show the reality only yields two results:
- Buyers that are disappointed when they see the house
- Buyers that just don't come to see it because they think it is uglier than it really is
I have been in a few houses that were truly terrible, too. And I've had really upset buyers. I've also had buyers that were looking for those fixer-uppers.
from LilburnDwellings.com
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