Story # 1
A friend was telling me a story about buying a used car from a dealer. The car had the Inspected and Certified Used Car sticker on it, and the dealership represented that the car was in good working order. Nonetheless, the buyers wanted to have it checked out by their mechanic before putting down the money and driving it off the lot. Upon inspection, the mechanic told these would-be buyers that the car needed a new fuel pump as well as a new timing belt.
The buyers went back to the dealership and told them what the mechanic found, but the dealership was not cooperative. They disagreed with the mechanic’s assessment and they refused to replace the items before selling the car. Obviously, the buyers did not go through with the purchase.
Story #2
Some friends wanted to go on a vacation and they planned to book it online. The pictures and reviews of the hotel were fantastic, but since they had never been to this area before, they wanted to do a little extra checking. They decided to use Oyster.com which is like the “travel police.” They check out all the claims that a resort may be making, they look at potentially fraudulent reviews, and they go to the resorts and take real pictures of the rooms. Then you can compare the real pictures from Oyster to the pictures that the resort is advertising on their website. Good thing that they did their homework because the real pictures did not look anything like the website’s advertised photos.
Story #3
A friend was selling his home and did some fix up work. I asked him if he replaced the roof. He said, “No, if it comes up on inspection and someone really makes a fuss about it, I’ll fix it.” I told him it would and it did. The buyer requested a new roof and the seller was forced to replace it or lose the deal.
What do all three of these stories have in common? Buyers are smart, they do their homework, they check, and triple check. You will not be able to fool anyone these days. It doesn’t matter if you are selling a car, selling a room, or selling a home. Be honest, be up front, do what you need to do to make it right, and you’ll not only have a smooth sale, but a good reputation as well.
Dan Polimino is a Realtor with Fuller Sotheby’s International Realty. He can be reached at DPolimino@fullerproperties.com and www.coloradodreamhouse.com/denverpost
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