Your Realtor will work hard to attract a buyer to make an offer to buy your home. And that should make you happy because the last thing most sellers tell me they want is to lose a ready-willing-and able buyer. Most Sellers say they want to sell their home!
Now, if you’d like to be different from most sellers and make sure your agent never forgets you, here are 5 sure fire ways you can sabotage a sale and lose what may be a motivated buyer for your home:
1. STAY CLOSE BY AND POINT OUT ALL OF YOUR HOME’S GREAT FEATURES. Don’t give those buyers room to breathe. When Sellers aren't home, buyer feel free to linger awhile and often fall in love with the house. A buyer in love is much more willing to pay top dollar. You wouldn’t want a quick sale at full market value... Right?
2. DEMONSTRATE THAT YOUR KITCHEN IS POPULAR AND GETS A LOT OF USE BY LEAVING DIRTY DISHES IN THE SINK, DISHWASHER, AND ON THE COUNTERS. You might also want to show off all your small kitchen appliances by filling up all the counter tops with coffee pots, toasters, microwave ovens and, of course, George Foreman’s latest grill. While you are at it, do the same to the bathrooms. Leave out the curling irons, hairdryers, toothpaste tubes (try to leave them uncapped, with a little paste drip on the counter. It's more realistic that way), shampoo and conditioner bottles, and don’t forget to leave all your towels on the bathroom floor so the buyers can get a good look at your fancy empty towel bars.
3. PROVE YOUR CLOSETS CAN HOLD A LOT OF GARMENTS BY OVER STUFFING THE RODS WITH HEAVY COATS AND JACKETS. AND IF YOU HAVE A WALK-IN CLOSET, BE SURE TO FILL UP EVERY SHELF AND LET THAT LAUNDRY BASKET OVERFLOW ONTO THE FLOOR. It's a fact: Buyers always look into closets to see if they can hold all their stuff. Nothing says, “ROOMY” like a closet stuffed to the brim!
4. DO OVERPRICE YOUR HOME. YOU NEED TO LEAVE ROOM TO NEGOTIATE. And if one of your neighbors is trying to sell their home, I guarantee they will be mighty grateful that you overpriced yours.
Shhh!!! Here’s some Industry Insider Information: real estate agents love to disappoint their buyers by showing them homes they cannot afford. Agents seldom look at the price range their buyers can actually afford. That would make their job way too easy and their buyers way too happy.
and finally…
5. ASK YOUR AGENT TO CUT COMMISSION BECAUSE YOU HAD TO DISCOUNT YOUR PRICE. It's not your fault that the market value is so low. Have you ever wonder why banks pay 6% to their listing agents? Hint: they aren't looking to decrease their profit. In fact, they actually want to get top dollar. And while they know that 6% won’t sell an over-priced house, it does tend to attract more showings. That's because agents are greedy and lazy. They have learned that when sellers offer reasonable compensation, they also tend to listen to their agent’s advice. And that leads to escrows that successfully close so that they get paid. And none of us want that to happen, right?
Now, if you’d like to be different from most sellers and make sure your agent never forgets you, here are 5 sure fire ways you can sabotage a sale and lose what may be a motivated buyer for your home:
1. STAY CLOSE BY AND POINT OUT ALL OF YOUR HOME’S GREAT FEATURES. Don’t give those buyers room to breathe. When Sellers aren't home, buyer feel free to linger awhile and often fall in love with the house. A buyer in love is much more willing to pay top dollar. You wouldn’t want a quick sale at full market value... Right?
2. DEMONSTRATE THAT YOUR KITCHEN IS POPULAR AND GETS A LOT OF USE BY LEAVING DIRTY DISHES IN THE SINK, DISHWASHER, AND ON THE COUNTERS. You might also want to show off all your small kitchen appliances by filling up all the counter tops with coffee pots, toasters, microwave ovens and, of course, George Foreman’s latest grill. While you are at it, do the same to the bathrooms. Leave out the curling irons, hairdryers, toothpaste tubes (try to leave them uncapped, with a little paste drip on the counter. It's more realistic that way), shampoo and conditioner bottles, and don’t forget to leave all your towels on the bathroom floor so the buyers can get a good look at your fancy empty towel bars.
3. PROVE YOUR CLOSETS CAN HOLD A LOT OF GARMENTS BY OVER STUFFING THE RODS WITH HEAVY COATS AND JACKETS. AND IF YOU HAVE A WALK-IN CLOSET, BE SURE TO FILL UP EVERY SHELF AND LET THAT LAUNDRY BASKET OVERFLOW ONTO THE FLOOR. It's a fact: Buyers always look into closets to see if they can hold all their stuff. Nothing says, “ROOMY” like a closet stuffed to the brim!
4. DO OVERPRICE YOUR HOME. YOU NEED TO LEAVE ROOM TO NEGOTIATE. And if one of your neighbors is trying to sell their home, I guarantee they will be mighty grateful that you overpriced yours.
Shhh!!! Here’s some Industry Insider Information: real estate agents love to disappoint their buyers by showing them homes they cannot afford. Agents seldom look at the price range their buyers can actually afford. That would make their job way too easy and their buyers way too happy.
and finally…
5. ASK YOUR AGENT TO CUT COMMISSION BECAUSE YOU HAD TO DISCOUNT YOUR PRICE. It's not your fault that the market value is so low. Have you ever wonder why banks pay 6% to their listing agents? Hint: they aren't looking to decrease their profit. In fact, they actually want to get top dollar. And while they know that 6% won’t sell an over-priced house, it does tend to attract more showings. That's because agents are greedy and lazy. They have learned that when sellers offer reasonable compensation, they also tend to listen to their agent’s advice. And that leads to escrows that successfully close so that they get paid. And none of us want that to happen, right?
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