Considerations

A - House Selling Situations: Got a problem?

Is this a divorce sale? 

Never appear as if you have to move. Rooms void of furniture and the absence of clothes in the master closet are giveaways that you must move or are desperate. Borrow furniture and clothes if necessary.

An estate sale? 

Heirs to a home are often motivated by a maximum selling price that they "think" a property can generate. This results in a property that sits, accumulates taxes, uses utilities, requires maintenance and insurance (which could be cancelled on a vacant house).   

Get agreement that one or two heirs will have authority to negotiate the purchase offer. Hire services to maintain the property. Heirs often take favorite furniture, leaving a forlorn look leading to a lower selling price - a no-no.

 Have children? 

From about junior high age and up, a move outside the area is hard on a child. They may be apathetic to the stress you’re going through. Make them a part of the sell and buy process.  

However, bedrooms must be ready at all times for a showing (this means before going to school) including removing posters that may be perceived as offensive.   

Selling due to illness? 

Buyers cut the appointment short when they tour an “unhappy” house with a bedridden resident. If the marketing period drags on it will induce vulnerability to just "getting it over with". 

Move the patient to another residence. Get the price down to the lower end of an intended range. It will sell quicker and for more money. 

Never use your front door? 

Most homeowners enter their home through the garage or a side door. Buyers come through the front door. If not, they'll enter from an unnatural starting point, often feeling disoriented. 

Lost the key to the main entrance? Contact a locksmith. Sometimes owners arrange furnishings that block the front entrance. Time to rearrange for the public.

Time to depersonalize? 

Pack up personal photos - neutralize your home. Builder model-homes lack personalization. No personalizing, no distractions. 

Guilty of older homeowner syndrome?

Seniors let maintenance issues slide. They're comfortable with their world and accept the obvious flaws: the squeaky door, the cabinet that won't close correctly, sunken doorsteps, numerous little things that become easily overlooked–except by buyers.  

Long-time owners need their children, trusted friends or a third party to point out problem areas. Every home has them; just fix them.  

Feel hurried and missing buyers right now? 

Put your home on the market only when everything is repaired, clean and ready. Fixing things after you go on the market is terrible.

Active buyers will view your home because it meets their criteria. If it doesn’t create interest because of cleanliness, repair or disorganization issues, then you've just lost the current crop of buyers. Kiss a quick sale goodbye.

Buyers don’t come back for a second look if they’ve formed a negative opinion. 

It could take months for an equivalent number of new buyers to eventually enter the market in search of a home where yours is targeted.

Have a product that can sell–BEFORE you put it up for sale. 

Exclude items from your sale? 

Keep exclusions to a minimum. If you can't part with a favorite chandelier or whatever, replace it now. If the buyers never see it, obviously they won't want it. 

If unable to replace it now, provide every prospect with an info sheet, specifying that the item was a gift that has sentimental value. Since you’re going to take it with you, replace it and eliminate this potential issue.  

Window treatments should stay. Anything attached (bolted, nailed or screwed down) is included in the sale. Detach anything you can’t part with, including mirrors, shelving, accessories, etc.  

Worried about time/effort needed to sell?

As a by-owner, the time you spend on promotion will take one to two hours a week. However, you'll spend as much time on everything else related to selling your home whether or not you're using an agent. 

The seller, not the agent, is responsible for the condition and presentation of the property. This is THE time consuming chore for selling a home that's being lived in. It takes time and effort to be in top condition for showings and open houses.   

 More Considerations