Thou Shalt Not | Seller Edition
Recently, an article I wrote back in the yesteryear of 2007 resurfaced. Aside from the writing, which causes my skin to crawl, there are some good pointers for sellers.
11 Things Seller Should Never Do
- “Test the Market” or “Tell them to bring offers”
- Hire an agent without a strong marketing plan (ed.- or professional marketing system)
- Make showings inconvenient for the buyer
- Ask your real estate agent to cut his commission
- Leave your Star Trek action figure collection set up in the den
- Hire your mom’s best friend Sally to represent you
- Listen to your neighbors when they tell you to price your home a little higher
- Leave “updates” like removing gold flocked wallpaper to the buyer so that they can “put in what they want”
- Defer maintenance items
- Try to sell “By Owner”
- Think that your home is listed – believe that your home is for sale. The sooner you recognize that your home is going on the open market to be sold, and accept that your home will one day soon be someone else’s home, you will not see these points as mere suggestions, but as the genetic code necessary for causing a home to be sold!
There are a few additional points that I would add to the list, for anyone considering selling their home soon.
Seller, Thou Shalt Not…
- Allow your agent to use cell phone images to market your property;
- Overvalue your home
- Trust the online valuations of your home
Are there other items that you think sellers should not do when selling their home?
