Don't Show Your Hand When Selling Your Home

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As a seller, there are certain things you should never say when selling your home.

For starters, I always encourage my sellers to leave their home when a buyer is coming to see it. I do caution, not to leave until the buyer arrives, because sometimes they don't show up. When I was selling my house, for example, when a buyer showed up for a viewing, they'd come in one door and I'd leave out another.

If you happen to be there, you have to be cautious as a seller. Most of the questions they'll ask are public information, but they're also there with an agent, who will also be asking questions. If you answer certain questions, you may not realize you're giving away information. They may ask about sales price, and how long the home has been for sale. That's public information, but you don't need to give that out. A seller might say "It's been on the market for sale for X amount of time and I really wish this house would sell," giving the agent leverage.

The standard answer should be, "You need to talk to my Realtor."

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Don't say anything that
gives away your position.

”

It's the same with questions about your motivation to sell. It might be a divorce, or job transfer, or anything really - the agent is fishing for information. They'll take these things into consideration when writing their offer. Another common question agents will ask is if you're considering any price reductions. Can you believe they even ask this? You'd be surprised what buyers ask. Again, your standard answer should be, "You need to talk to my Realtor." Remember, they're working for their buyer.

You may also be asked how many offers you've received. You don't want to give your position away, because we want to get the highest possible price for your home.

Those are just a few things to avoid saying when you sell your home. There are many more things that could jeopardize your sale. For a full rundown of ways to protect yourself when listing a home, give us a call. We'd love to talk to you about the rest of our tips.