As a home seller, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” At all times, you must put “your best foot forward” because “even the little things mean a lot.” Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to help your home pass the prospect’s scrutiny and put on a good show. You will find the time, effort and “elbow grease” you put into each home showing will be well worth it. It will help you portray a feeling of pride in ownership, which is one of the main features prospective buyers are seeking
Under the looking glass. Imagine the home buyer walking into your home with a large magnifying glass ready to examine every nook and cranny. Even if the magnifying glass may not be physically visible, it is present to every prospective home buyer. That’s why it is up to you, the home seller, to present your home in the most appealing way possible in order to gain that competitive edge. Look at it like this: the prospect is not there to buy your home – the prospect is there to eliminate it. They buy the home they can’t eliminate. This blog may help you in passing each critical examination by your prospective buyers. Click here to learn the details.
Let’s look at some specific questions sent in by DearMonty readers from across the country. Read more Q&A articles about the “Marketing and Showing” stage of the Home Selling process:
Dear Monty: I recently listed my home for sale. There have been several showings. Yesterday I had a showing that made me worry about safety. A couple came through with their agent. I thought it was unusual the way they looked at the house. While the agent asked me questions, they took it upon themselves […]
Reader Question: We need help comparing three home-selling options. We are going to downsize and buy a smaller home. We are considering three options; engaging a single agent, hiring a team of agents, or selling on our own. We have kept our home up well, and houses in our neighborhood seem to sell quickly, which […]
Home seller’s agent advises seller the home is losing to new construction. Seller is asking how to win against new construction. The article has some excellent tips about how to win against new construction.
Reader Question: Can a Seller Contact a Prospective Buyer Directly? Is it OK to reach out to the prospective buyer and see if they have any questions about my house? They came and looked and appeared interested. My real estate agent will not communicate with us, so we do not know the status. Monty’s Answer: […]
Reader Question: We want to sell our house to move closer to our families. Our home was listed two months ago. We interviewed multiple agents, and all agreed the house would sell fast because of the price range and the excellent neighborhood. We set the price toward the low end to sell quickly. Several people […]
Reader Question: I have packaged a duplex and three single-family homes together and listed them for sale as a packaged real estate investment. These are C+ to B- cash flow homes in the midwest which are attractive to out of state investors. All currently have tenants in them with rental history available and are priced […]
Reader Question: I’m the homeowner. I listed my home with a real estate agent; however, I found an interested buyer on my own. If that buyer purchases my house with no help from the listing agent, “Who gets or keeps the commission? ” Monty’s Answer: Your question is one that someone else in America […]
Reader Question: We are experiencing home seller anxiety. We have a contract on our home pending only an appraisal. Our closing date is two weeks away. The buyer asked for an inspection of the property. We also granted his request for an engineering inspection. Both of these inspections were satisfactory. He has had an hour-long, […]
Reader Question: It has been many years since we last sold a home. We have agreed to an open house if it is still on the market after 30 days. Are there any specific open house tips you can offer? Don and Martha G. Monty’s Answer: Without having seen the house or knowing the […]
Reader Question: We recently put our home on the market and our first showing is scheduled for tomorrow. We asked our agent what we should do to get ready and the response was, “Just make sure to tidy up a bit.” It seemed to us that there must be more to home showings. Is that […]
Reader Question: We need some advice for our son who has been trying to sell his home in an older neighborhood for almost a year. The biggest problem is the neighbors. Since he has left, there seems to be a feud between them. On several occasions, the real estate agent has had a prospective buyer […]
Reader Question: We have a good house in a distressed neighborhood. The other homes are not as nice and people have junk cars and other stuff in their yards. We have not been able to sell. What can we do? Ashley C. Monty’s Answer: Hello Ashley, and thanks for your question, and thanks for sending me your […]
Q: What are the pros and cons regarding selling as a fixer-upper in a very desirable building and neighborhood?
A: Hello Mary, and thanks for your question. This question will generate a variety of answers from anyone you ask. Most opinions will boil down to this: Two homes are virtually identical. They are both the same price and in the same neighborhood. Except, one of them needs remodeling
Reader Question: Monty, we are going to be selling our home soon. The word has gotten out in the neighborhood, and conflicting advice is pouring in about which agent to use and how to go about selling the house. How do we sort this out without upsetting the neighbors? Randy and Susan P. Monty’s Answer: Hello Randy and Susan, […]
Reader Question: My garage floods due to driveway runoff during heavy rains. I am getting ready to put the house on the market as I am relocating to a different state. Do I need to disclose this as a drainage issue on my seller’s disclosure? Thanks. Brad W. Monty’s Answer: Hello Brad, and thanks for […]