Selling your home? 3 simple things, NOT TO DO.
2)
Do not leave your home messy. De-personalize your home.
3)
Do not over price your home.
A prime example of all 3 of these issues happened to me on a recent
listing. I was not able to successfully sell a listed condo. Yes, that does
happen (even to the best of agents) that one agent cannot successfully sell a
home and the next agent that list the home sells it.
This home is a Ocean Condo that had been on and off the market
several times over the last two years. The sellers hung out when I or other
agents showed the condo. In addition at the seller’s request, I had to
accompany all showings even when the buyers had a Real Estate agent present. I
firmly believe in leaving sellers alone with their agent, the reason is simple.
People do not always tell you the truth, maybe they don’t want to hurt your
feeling or they don’t want to get into a fight with the sellers or their agent
over features or price or politics.
The listed condo is relatively small a 2/2 under 1000 sq feet,
anything more than a coffee table and chair will make a small condo look even
smaller. The seller blew a fuse when I told them the condo will sell once they
move into their new home and the condo was empty. No matter how many times I suggested
to sellers to de-personalize the condo, they didn’t want to listen. The condo
had way to many personal pictures and furniture.
Price, the condo finally sold (with a different agent) for
$168,000 two years after it was listed for close to $60,000.00 more. For the
most part, buyers do not like to bid on Real Estate that is overpriced, the
thinking is that “they will never come down to what I think it’s worth.
Had the sellers took the advise that I gave them and first de-personalized the
unit, took off when there was a showing and priced it at a price the market was
telling them to price it at. I personally feel they would have got closer to
$185,000.
