5 Things A Home Seller Should Never Say to a Buyer. Remember the expression, loose lips sink ships? The same holds true when selling your home.
Yes, we have material fact disclosures that home sellers are required to disclose to buyers, but there’s plenty more you might volunteer when you would be better off keeping your mouth strategically shut.
“Our House is in Perfect Condition”… Your house is your castle and in your eyes it may seem perfect, BUT the home inspection may reveal something different and you don’t want to end up with the proverbial foot in mouth. There’s simply no such thing as perfect. Every house whether brand new or resale has something that needs to be fixed, adjusted, replaced or improved upon.
“We’ve been trying to sell for”… Never discuss how long your home has been on the market with a prospective buyer. While this info is often available online, bringing it up, especially if it’s been a while, can send the wrong message to Buyers. No one wants to buy a white elephant. This information signals you may be desperate and willing to take a low-ball offer. Alternatively, they may think there’s something wrong with the house and the reason it’s been sitting on the market.
“We always wanted to”… renovate the bathrooms, remodel the Kitchen or knock down that wall between the Kitchen and Family Room. Mum’s the word when it comes to fixes you intended to do. The Buyer may have been perfectly happy with the house the way it is and never thought about any of those renovations, but now they are!
“We spent a ton of money on”… Just because you love the Brazilian Koa wood flooring you installed throughout, doesn’t mean prospective buyers will be willing to pay more for the house. The buyer doesn’t care what you spent on that cool flooring or the new kitchen, they will only offer what they feel the home is worth in relation to the comparable sales.
“We made an offer on our Dream Home, or We can’t wait to move”… Don’t let buyers know you’ve already found your next perfect home and your offer depends on selling this one. The same goes if you’ve already bought your next place and can’t wait to make the move. These situations are pretty common, but sharing this information can make buyers think you’re in a hurry to sell, leading them to make lowball offers.
More than the 5 Things A Home Seller Should Never Say to a Buyer
It’s generally not a great idea for a home seller to be around during showings. However, it’s not un-common for a buyer’s agent to arrive a bit early with their clients while you’re still at home. In those brief moments before you head out the door, buyers can ask questions like; “Why are you selling?” or “How long has the house been on the market?”
It’s natural to be friendly and answer, but you might unintentionally reveal information that could weaken your negotiating position or even jeopardize the sale.
“We haven’t had any offers!”… When a buyer casually asks, “Have you had any offers yet?” the best responses are something like, “We’ve had a lot of interest” or “We’re expecting an offer soon.” No need to share how many offers you’ve received, or that you haven’t had any offers yet. Some details are best kept between you and your listing agent.
“I’m not taking less than” …You want top dollar of course, but it’s important to be open to offers and realistic. If you send a message before an offer has been made that you’re firm on your price, the message they hear is don’t even try. They may think you’ll be difficult or impossible to negotiate with and just simply move on to another house where they feel they’ll have a better chance for winning.
If you would like to know more about our successful home selling strategies; reach out today, let’s chat about how your real estate goals fit in this market,
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