Report # 1 - How To Sell Your House for
the Highest Price ...
Sellers Beware! What sellers should avoid saying
to a potential buyer when showing your home?
The door bell rings there stands the prospective
buyers.
" Hi! ... How are you?... Come In."
You say.
Those are probably the last three unsolicited
comments that should pass your lips for the remainder of the visit.
The real estate field is littered with stories of potential sales that
were killed by sellers who inadvertently uttered the wrong thing.
Before continuing, you should understand
that the types of 'better left unsaid' things discussed here have nothing
to do with the Seller's Disclosure Addendum, or hiding anything from
a potential buyer. To the contrary, all of the suggested "DON'T
SAY IT!" topics presented here are based on personal preferences.
Being human, sellers often find it difficult, if not impossible, to
keep from offering opinions or information that they think makes them
appear credible to the buyer. Without knowing the life's experiences
and propensities of each buyer you see, how can you keep from opening
your mouth and inserting your foot?
Please don't talk about
the following:
- How many kids are or are not in the area. Even
if the buyer has children, you have no way of knowing whether or
not they want gangs of them banging down their door on Halloween.
- The huge stone birdbath in the backyard that is
visited by HUNDREDS of birds each year. How could you know the wife
is deathly afraid of birds?
- How great your church is. They might be of different
faith How quiet the neighborhood is. They may want a more social
atmosphere, and look forward to making new friends.
- The 'newness' of items in the home. New is most
definitely a relative term! What you consider 'new' , may be old
to others. For example, an item that is two years-old may be 'new'
to someone who has lived in the house for 15 years, but may be old
to a buyer who thinks of new as anything in place for less than
less 6 months.
- Information on existing warranties. They may expire
before the new owners close on the house, or they may not be non-transferable.
- How many 'showings' you've had. Buyers could interpret
this as "No one else wanted the home, why do I?" or "I
wonder what's wrong with this house?"
Please don't OFFER the following statements as
the reason you are selling:
- The death of a family member. Some people have
a phobia about moving into a home where someone died. How you've
outgrown the house. If buyers has the same number in their family,
they may have second thoughts about their need for such a large
home.
- How the home is too small for you. The buyer might
feel that your home is 'plenty big', until you tell them how small
it is for you. Your comment may give them the push to look for more
expensive (bigger) homes.
- Your recent divorce. Potential buyers may be having
marital problems. This could easily turn them off. That you bought
another home. If a buyer knows there is urgency, this can be used
against you in negotiating.
If you get the distinct impression that
everything you say to a potential buyer could get you into trouble then
you have correctly interpreted this report.
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