Selling a home can be a challenge, even in a very active real estate market. Unless you list a property below market value and it’s completely renovated inside while offering super beautiful landscaping, you’ll face obstacles here and there. The fact of the matter is, selling a home requires a lot of forethought, time, and effort. The selling process actually begins well before placing a property on the local multiple listing service. You’ve got to get the residence ready to show and it’s a good policy for sellers to keep quiet about certain things around potential buyers.
What Sellers should not Tell Buyers
It’s no secret that about 9 out of 10 home searches begin online. That means you’ve got to make a real impression to set your property apart from your competition. You’ll be up against other sellers who will happily spend the time and effort to gain an advantage. It starts with decluttering and depersonalizing and this goes for every room in the home. By removing clutter and taking down personal items, the house looks more like a good fit for home buyers.
“Whether you have owned your home for a few years or a few decades, you know its quirks, best features and flaws. When you morph from homeowner to home seller you need to be aware that your experience with your home is something you may have to share with potential buyers. Most buyers opt to have a home inspection before they finalize their purchase, but you as the seller must also follow state and federal regulations regarding disclosure of known facts about your property’s condition.” —Realtor.com
Be sure to open the window treatments and let in the light for all your listing pictures. Speaking of listing pictures, take a plethora of photographs from different room angles in each room and then select the best among these. You should also give the curb appeal a little attention and try to keep the home in “staged” condition because you don’t know when you’ll get a showing request. All of this is in the furtherance of projecting a positive image. So, you don’t want to spoil a possible deal and that’s why you should follow these suggestions:
- Don’t brag about its perfect condition. This is an open invitation for Murphy and the infamous bearer of bad luck will make an untimely appearance if you tell anyone about how perfect the home has been to live in. It’s just a completely unnecessary risk that could reign down trouble with one problem detailed in the home inspection report.
- Do not tell potential buyers you’ve never experienced this or that. Alongside “perfect,” is bragging or just talking about how this or that has amazingly never given you a problem. While it might be true, time isn’t on your side and this is the most inopportune time to be proven wrong.
- Never wax nostalgic about improvements you always wanted to make. Plain and simple, potential buyers aren’t going to be interested in the least in hearing about your plans. After all, you’re selling the property, so why even bring it up? It doesn’t make any sense to speak about something that’s very unlikely to happen.
- Keep any monetary and timeline details about improvements to yourself. It’s perfectly understandable that you’re proud of the wonderful deck and outdoor kitchen you’ve managed to put together yourself. It’s also commendable you were able to remove the popcorn texture from the ceiling when you first bought the place. Now is not the time to bring any of this up because it will get potential buyers thinking you’re not asking enough or their offers will be insufficient.
- Do not go into a long and emotional explanation as to why you are selling the home. There are so many reasons people sell their homes: job relocation, needing to upsize or downsize, and the list goes on and on. You run the risk of appearing obtuse and that selling is your only option.