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Buyer Agent Advice on How To Sell A Home

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with HomeBuyer Brokerage

What Do Buyer Agents Know About Selling Homes

 

Turns out-quite a lot!  As Exclusive Buyer Agents with Buyer's Edge, we tour lots and lots of houses. We walk to Metro with our clients to understand their daily commute. We visit farmers markets and local restaurants to get the feel of the community. And we tell our home buyers to write a Needs & Wants List .  

Stone house in Baltimore MD
We know the floorplan and design of colonials, raised ramblers, ranch style ramblers and contemporary style homes. Since we are Exclusive Buyer Agents, we evaluate homes and property with our clients.

In our humble, yet well-traveled opinion, we have advice for home sellers. 

  • Clean Your House-We understand you live in the house you're selling but try to make the bed, flush the toilet and put the dishes away before buyers take a tour
  • Tone Down the Colors-Lime green living room walls may brighten your mood but it's a big turn off to most Home Buyers. Consider painting walls in neutral colors. If you leave the walls as-is, consider touching up colors so they have neat edges along the ceiling and trim.
  • Continuity in Style-We toured a house that looked like the circus had come to town! The kitchen had two different style & color wood cabinets with another wood for flooring. The dining room had a yellow wall to wall carpet with gray and yellow walls.  The adjoining family room had an orange carpet and beige/brown walls. This "theme" went on and on throughout the house. 
  • Clear Out the Excess-I mean pictures & papers on the refrigerator, tooth & hair brushes on the sink counter and shoes piled in heaps around doorways. If you are moving anyway, why not clear out now?

Some home buyers want a fixer-upper home. They do not mind painting, changing cabinets and fixtures and sanding floors. However, this is not the typical attitude of home buyers in the Washington DC area.  

Home Buyers Want to Fall in Love with a Home

If you are selling your home, why not make it easy for them? 

 

Victoria & Marshall Henderson are Exclusive Buyer Agents with Buyer's Edge in Bethesda Maryland

Licensed Realtors in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC and members of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents

Advocates for Home Buyers in the Greater Washington DC 

 

office 301.657.1475 cell 301.922.1677

 

 

 

Posted by

Victoria Lynne Henderson

Real estate broker and business owner of HomeBuyer Brokerage serving buyers in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Victoria was born in Washington D.C. and loves her hometown!

Learn more about exclusive buyer brokers & agents at HomeBuyer Brokerage

 

 

Certified Negotiation Expert

Serving home buyers in Washington D.C., Maryland & Virginia 

Comments (37)

Victoria Ray Henderson
HomeBuyer Brokerage - Washington, DC
Washington DC Real Estate

Glad that works for you Nina Hollander. Hope you have a great spring!

Jan 21, 2015 09:34 PM
Victoria Ray Henderson
HomeBuyer Brokerage - Washington, DC
Washington DC Real Estate

Funny observation about clearance items Mike & Eve Alexander! I know just what you mean. 

and Raul Rodriguez-I agree. Being in the real estate business gives us the chance to see what we would and would not do in our own homes. 

Have a wonderful week in beautiful San Antonio!

Jan 21, 2015 09:37 PM
Russ Ravary ~ Metro Detroit Realtor call (248) 310-6239
Real Estate One - Commerce, MI
Michigan homes for sale ~ yesmyrealtor@gmail.com

Great title and article. Who knows better than a buyer

Jan 21, 2015 09:43 PM
Victoria Ray Henderson
HomeBuyer Brokerage - Washington, DC
Washington DC Real Estate

Thank you Russ! Hope you have a busy Spring!

Jan 21, 2015 10:01 PM
Dana Hollish Hill
Hollish Hill Group, JPAR Stellar Living - Bethesda, MD
REALTOR * Broker * Coach

Congratulations on the Feature. Great Post as always. It's amazing what we know about what buyers want after working with them for so long. 

Jan 21, 2015 10:02 PM
Victoria Ray Henderson
HomeBuyer Brokerage - Washington, DC
Washington DC Real Estate

Thank you Dana! Have a great Spring!!

Jan 21, 2015 10:22 PM
Tammie White, Broker
Franklin Homes Realty LLC - Franklin, TN
Franklin TN Homes for Sale

I actually think buyer's agents make the best listing agents. I work both but the majority of my business comes from buyers. I know what they like and what they are looking for. When it comes time for a seller to list, I'm going to tell him the ways to get the largest number of buyers through his home.

Jan 22, 2015 12:39 AM
Victoria Ray Henderson
HomeBuyer Brokerage - Washington, DC
Washington DC Real Estate

Glad it works for you Tammie. We  choose to work for an  Exclusive Buyer Brokerage  so we can provide uncompromised service to our clients. We bought our home with an exclusive buyer agent with Buyers Edge. We love the business model.

Have a great week and best of luck this Spring!

Jan 22, 2015 01:32 AM
Kevin Mackessy
Blue Olive Properties, LLC - Highlands Ranch, CO
Dedicated. Qualified. Local.

The home decor should be consistent from room to room.  Same with remodels done in one area but not another.  Aesthetics should match as you continue through the home. 

Jan 22, 2015 03:36 AM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Why not make it easy for buyers? Because sellers are incredibly stubborn and lived in their homes for so long they think it's perfectly fine and they don't notice the oddball stuff, and they don't want to believe their agent when they're informed. Some have to learn the hard way.

Jan 22, 2015 10:54 AM
Joan Whitebook
BHG The Masiello Group - Nashua, NH
Consumer Focused Real Estate Services

For many years I was an EBA.  Things changed and I began working in a designated agency firms.  I thought it would be a challenge working with sellers,  However, I found it easy due to the fact, I knew exactly how a buyer would react to their home.  

Jan 22, 2015 11:34 AM
Victoria Ray Henderson
HomeBuyer Brokerage - Washington, DC
Washington DC Real Estate

Thanks Kevin Mackessy you're right the interior should flow from room to room.

Thank you Elizabeth Weintrau! Listing agent really have their work cut out for them

Jan 22, 2015 11:49 AM
Victoria Ray Henderson
HomeBuyer Brokerage - Washington, DC
Washington DC Real Estate

Glad it works for you Joan Whitebook! We hope you have a great spring and the market is good to you

 

Jan 22, 2015 11:51 AM
Cara Marcelle Mancuso
Golden Girls with SW Desert Homes - Tucson, AZ
Call a Marana neighbor, I'm THERE!

It is funny that as much as sellers are told this...they often think their way is still just fine.  And of course, their home is a slow sell.

Jan 24, 2015 05:25 AM
Patricia Kennedy
RLAH@Properties - Washington, DC
Home in the Capital

Hi, Victoria and Marshall!  You can find this post on today's "Last Week's Favorites". 

Jan 24, 2015 11:03 PM
Nick Vandekar, 610-203-4543
Realty ONE Group Advocates 484-237-2055 - Downingtown, PA
Selling the Main Line & Chester County

Good advice for sellers who want to sell.

Jan 25, 2015 12:54 AM
Victoria Ray Henderson
HomeBuyer Brokerage - Washington, DC
Washington DC Real Estate

Thank you Patricia Kennedy! Appreciate the support:)

Thank you Nick and Trudy Vandekar-looking forward to a busy spring!

Jan 25, 2015 04:54 AM
Victoria Ray Henderson
HomeBuyer Brokerage - Washington, DC
Washington DC Real Estate

Thank you Cara Marcelle Mancuso! It's funny how often this story is told and how little it sinks in with sellers. Love Tucson Arizona! Enjoy!

Jan 25, 2015 04:56 AM
Karen Feltman
Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, IA KW Legacy Group - Cedar Rapids, IA
Relocation Specialist in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

You are so right.  Some of the best feedback is the common sense kind of things that most homeowners should already know.  During my listing consultation, I talk to the seller about all of the things that you noted, especially the cleanliness part of it.  Their home needs to stand out and sparkle from the competition.

Jan 25, 2015 08:14 AM
Victoria Ray Henderson
HomeBuyer Brokerage - Washington, DC
Washington DC Real Estate

Thanks Karen Feltman! Hope you have success with your sellers! It's hard work

Jan 25, 2015 08:27 AM