The Four Deadly Sins That Block Offers

Avoiding the Wrath of the Four Deadly SinsIt’s been a crazy early spring sales season in North Texas so far. Inventories are at near record lows and buyers are pouncing on almost every new listing. Many sellers are enjoying multiple offers in a matter of days. That said, there are listings that just will not sell leaving those sellers looking for answers.

There are four deadly sins that block offers and the good news is that sellers can avoid their wrath and get their home sold!

Cleanliness and Odors

There almost nothing worse than walking into a showing only to find the home is a mess, there are some really strong odors, or both. I love to cook but not everybody appreciates the smell of caramelized onions in balsamic vinegar or the smell of the cat’s litter box! Part of selling a home is to create emotion. Taking the time or spending a few hundred dollars to have the home deep cleaned is money well spent.

Clutter and Too Much Furniture

Many of us simply outgrow our homes and we are looking to sell in order to purchase a larger home. When your home is cluttered or has way too much furniture it makes the home look small and dark. Both of these turn off buyers and block offers. Want to know how it is supposed to look? Visit some new home builders model homes and try to do it yourself. Our best advice is to hire a stager. We think it’s so important that we pay for two hours of consultation with one of the best stagers in the area for our listing clients.

Deferred Maintenance

While you may have tolerated that dripping faucet for the past four years, it really sends the wrong message to potential buyers. While most people understand that a home has been lived in, lots of deferred maintenance will have them running for the door. Take some time to lubricate squeaking doors, replace the flapper valves on the running toilet, and repair that dripping faucet. Many of these tasks can be completed by the sellers or a local handyman.

Grossly Overpriced

If you do not feel like dealing with the first three sins, you can make up for it here by correctly pricing the home. Want top dollar? You need to have the home properly prepared, staged, and show-ready. If you don’t want to do these things, you can always reduce the price to offset.

There you go. As sellers you always have a choice. Our advice: avoid the four deadly sins and get your home sold quickly and for top-dollar

Want to work with a Dallas Real Estate team named as Residential Top Producers by D Magazine? Contact us at 214-227-6626.

Tom and Gina Signatures

Photo: Licensed from iStockPhoto

Lots of Showings But No Offers

Staged Home For Sale“I had lots of showings but no offers.” I hear those words time and time again as I talk to sellers with recently expired listings. Most of the time they blame their agent for not generating an offer.

One of the primary roles of a listing agent is to market the property and drive traffic into the home. In my opinion it starts with great photography and getting all the details of the property into the marketing machine.

When I look at many expired listings I see poor or no photos and incomplete or minimal details available online. Most of the time the sellers of those properties are not complaining about a lack of an offer but a lack of showings as well.

Show me a home with lots of showings but no offers and I’ll argue its simply overpriced or not properly prepared. Lowering the price is one way to overcome this issue but it may not be the only way.

Purchasing a home is an emotional decision. While the marketing may be driving traffic in the door, the home may not create the emotion needed to generate an offer. Creating emotion means appealing to the senses–sight, smell, and sound. New home builders model homes are a great example of the ability to create emotion. They appeal to all the senses.

While many sellers may be able to recreate the look of a new home model, many people should consider professional staging. In the Dallas market, the cost is often under $300 for a few hours of a stager’s time. $300 is nothing compared to your first price reduction and can make the difference in getting the property sold.

Locally, the first part of 2012 has seen a return to a seller’s market with less than 3.5 months of inventory of homes under $500k. Homes that are properly prepared, show-ready, and priced correctly are flying off the market.

If you’re on the market and getting lots of showings but no offers, it’s not marketing…

Photo Copyright 2009 The Branch Team

Are You Show-Ready?

Are You Show-Ready?

I was reading a blog post written by Leslie Ebersole titled, “Is Your Home Listed to Sell or Listed to Sit?” Leslie writes about making the most of every showing.

I often talk about having your home in Show-Ready condition. What is “Show-Ready”? Here’s a little background before we answer the question.

Homes sell on either emotion or price. Homes that create emotion with buyers sell faster and at a higher price. Many sellers hire a professional stager to help create that warm and inviting atmosphere. While professional staging is a great idea, we’ve seen staged homes that would look even better if they were “show-ready.”

Most sellers know in advance that their home will be showing. When you get that call, it’s almost show time! Have a plan of action to get your home in show-ready shape:

• Open all the blinds and turn on all the lights including the garage and walk-in attic. Homes that are light and bright appear larger and more inviting. If you have ceiling fans, turn them all on low.

• Have some soft music playing. If you have a media room, leave a movie playing with the sound turned down low.

• Scents are important to creating emotion. In years past, we would leave a drop of vanilla on a light bulb. When the agent turned on the light, the heat would release the vanilla fragrance into the air. Times have changed and now we can simply purchase small air fresheners. While some fragrance is good, too much can be overpowering. If you can, burn a candle until you have to leave. Candles often smell more natural than the artificial air fresheners.

• If you have time, run the vacuum cleaner over the carpets. Buyers notice when the carpets look like nobody has walked on them.

• While you may love your pets, many people are afraid of them and they often get in the way. Taking your pet with you during the showing is the best idea. Some dogs are crate-trained and sit quietly in their crate. However, there’s nothing more annoying than listening to a dog bark the whole time you’re viewing a home.

• Don’t be there when the agent and buyers arrive. It’s awkward and makes the buyers uncomfortable. Buyers want to be able to peek into closets and kitchen cabinets. They want to be able to discuss what they like and don’t like with their agent and each other. If you’re there, it will be a short showing! Leave the selling to the agent.

Many sellers assume the showing agent will arrive ahead of time to get the home show-ready. If I’m only showing one home, I often arrive early and get the lights on. However, if I’m showing 10 homes, I have the buyers with me and we both walk in at the same time for that important first impresion.

Buyers decide in the first 60 seconds if they like the home. Get your home show-ready and make the most of that minute!