The four most common mistakes sellers make can all be avoided.
As a seller, you work hard to get buyers IN … You definitely want to keep them interested.
Over the past month we previewed countless properties … and it seems to me that sellers often make easily avoidable mistakes. You want to make a home sell-able …
As a seller, you have two crucial moments as far as getting a buyer inside:
1) Your online photographs and description
2) Your curb appeal
What happens once the buyer arrives can make or break a deal. Regardless of how beautiful your intial presentation, what happens when the buyer steps inside is CRUCIAL.
I’m writing this blog because it isn’t hard to make a house sell-able. We showed dozens of properties this past weekend to our buyers in both Coral Gables and Pinecrest… previewed another 9 homes for two other families relocating to Miami…. and after seeing 8 more at BROKER’S OPENS yesterday, I thought I’d share 4 recurring mistakes that recur and repeat … that will send a buyer running.
From the perspective of the buyers we showed property to … the issues are odors … owners … and secrecy
1) I love pets, and have several. And your buyer may well love pets. But … Pet odors? We’ve had a lot of rain recently, and that may account for why 4 of the broker’s open houses we visited yesterday had that wet-dog smell. It wasn’t just a slight smell … but an overpowering one. One Realtor holding an open house, continuously sprayed Febreze the entire time we were in the house … at the front door, through the living areas, around the dog beds, dog bowls full of food … while graciously offering lunch to all of the real estate agents previewing the open house.
2) This weekend the signature trademark of one listing agent was one I, personall, found to be intoxicatingly welcoming. But my buyers cringed. In each of several listings that we were seeing… that agent had scented candles burning. I’m mentioning because (as much as I like scented candles) my buyers was quick to retreat … from each that had candles burning … and in the car mentioned A) The family had allergies … B) They were concerned as to what the homeowner might be “masking” . (I use scented candles in properties I list and sell … but for the sake of visitors … on the subtle side. My mom reacts strongly to scented candles… and will high tail it out of anywhere where there’s incense or scented candles…. and when she visits us, we avoid lighting ours.)
3) Owners present during showings. Try and avoid making your buyer feel as though they are a guest in your house … Instead, allow your buyer to emotionally move in and feel as though this is IT… by leaving the showing to YOUR Realtor. You want the buyer to begin picturing themselves living there…. imagining where their furniture will go. That’s not easy when the owner hovering.
4) We just showed a multi-million dollar home … with a locked room. The buyers wanted to see it… and the fact that it was locked just created question marks. Uncertainty, concern … curiosity. Personally, I would be reluctant to put an offer in on a house if there were rooms I couldn’t see. You want you buyer to make and offer… sign on the dotted line … So avoid raising question marks, and making a second visit a necessity. (No, not everyone needs to see each and every room, or every cupboard. I have had the rare buyer whip through one of my listings in less than 30 seconds, and buy the house. That buyer opened nothing. Didn’t see the bathrooms. Two hours later though, he bought the house – for cash. Sellers were happy!) Whatever valuables you have … remove them… or put them in a safe. Allow the potential buyer to look around, open kitchen cabinets and closets. Locked, secret rooms just raise question marks (Was there a water leak … damage of some sort … problem?).
When you’re ready to sell, the Restivo Team will be more than happy to make it a smooth and pleasant experience for you… You are welcome to contact our team, any time at 305 793-1365 or 305 632-0164 (cellulars) or send us a note here … or drop us an email restivo.v@ewm.com. We look forward to working with you !
