Give Debby Your Listing, Then Pack Your Bags!

 

Try to avoid the biggest mistakes most sellers make. If your serious about selling your home it's more important now than ever to avoid the mistakes that other sellers are most likely to make.  Some of the most common mistakes are as follows: Wrong Price.........The right price sells a home faster than any other factor.  Buyers are always more educated as to pricing than sellers.   Remember that the buyer who is looking at your home has looked at many comparable homes while most sellers haven't looked at the house for sale down the street. Condition.........Most buyers won't even consider a house that needs fixing up.  Buyers who are able and willing to take on a project will subtract considerably  the cost of needed repairs. Dark, Dark, Dark.........The number one complaint that Realtors hear from potential buyers is "too dark."  Clean, paint, new carpet are the best investment you can make when selling your home.  Leave only your car in the garage.  Get rid of, or temporarily store all excess clutter.  Elbow grease can be as effective as cash to brighten your home.  Move or remove excess furniture.  Don't fall into the "Dark Trap." Curb appeal.........First impressions.  We've been told by our mothers since grade school about first impressions, but we don't always apply this to our homes.  Buyers are apt to fall into or out of love with your home at the curb.  If it looks warm and inviting, they go in with a good impression.  If it looks dreary and worn out, some buyers never leave the Realtors car.  Spruce up the view of your home.  Lawn, shrubs, windows, shutters should all be tended to.  Clean your driveway and repair any cracks.  Add a potted plant or a lighting fixture.  Take a fresh look from the curb and try to improve what you see. Going it alone.........While the thought of increasing your net profit is appealing the likelihood of actually selling your home for more money than a Realtor is an invitation for disaster.  You only have to ask yourself why any potential buyer would look for a home without a Realtor?  Over 90% of the available homes are listed with Realtors.  A Realtor has tools for finding a home that aren't available to the public.  A Realtor can help a buyer with pricing, terms, mortgage, contracts, inspections, repairs, and many other items.  A Realtor will not only locate various homes in the buyers price range, but will arrange for a showing and take the buyer to the home.  So why would a potential buyer want to go through the hassle of finding one of the available 10% of  "For Sale by Owner" homes and negotiating the sale with the seller?  TO SAVE THE COMMISSION.  The same reason that most "For Sale by Owner" sellers have for trying to sell themselves.  Well, there is only ONE COMMISSION, and you both can't save the same commission.  So, invariably the home sells for less than what a Realtor could have sold it for and the seller is stuck with showing unqualified buyers his home on days when they would rather have been doing something else.  When a buyer is found, the "For Sale by Owner" has to negotiate a contract for something that they have a lot of emotional attachment to and can easily become an adversary rather than a willing seller to the potential buyer.  Nobody wins.  Putting someone who is experienced in the middle of this process can alone help more than any other single thing a Realtor does for you. When Your Selling Price is too High, Beware! Meeting With Realtors So you’ve decided to sell your home and have a fairly good idea of what you think it is worth. Being a sensible home seller, you schedule appointments with three local listing agents who’ve been hanging stuff on your front doorknob for years. Each Realtor comes prepared with a "Competitive Market Analysis" on fancy paper and they each recommend a specific sales price. Amazingly, a couple of the Realtors have come up with prices that are lower than you expected. Although they back up their recommendations with recent sales data of similar homes, you remain convinced your house is worth more. When you interview the third agent’s figures, they are much more in line with your own anticipated value, or maybe even higher. Suddenly, you are a happy and excited home seller, already counting the money. Which Realtor do you choose? If you’re like many people, you pick Realtor number three. This is an agent who seems willing to listen to your input and work with you. This is an agent that cares about putting the most money in your pocket. This is an agent that is willing to start out at your price and if you need to drop the price later, you can do that easily, right? After all, everyone else does it! The truth is that you may have just met an agent engaging in a questionable sales practice called "buying a listing." He "bought" the listing by suggesting you might be able to get a higher sales price than the other agents recommended. Most likely, he is quite doubtful that your home will actually sell at that price. The intention from the beginning is to eventually talk you into lowering the price. Why do agents "buy" listings? There are basically two reasons. A well-meaning and hard working agent can feel pressure from a homeowner who has an inflated perception of his home’s value. On the other hand, there are some agents who engage in this sales practice routinely. I will work with you.   Let me help you sell your home without a mishap.  working together we can avoid these and other common, and not so common, mistakes.  I can also advise you on the purchase of a new home.  I will make it my business to get you the very best deal possible.  Call me today toll free at 1-866-813-3558.