Real Estate
Why Sellers Shouldn't Talk to Buyers OR Buyer Agents
There are lots of reasons you think you should talk to the buyers. You are proud of your home. You want to be helpful. DON'T DO IT!
You are selling your home and you know it better than anyone else. You want to make sure that the buyer knows all the special details about your home. You want to share all the wonderful facts about your neighborhood from the school down the street to the basketball hoop at the cul de sac.
Should you be talking to the buyer or the buyer agent? Sometimes you may be walking out the door as the buyer and the buyer agent arrive for their appointment. You might be doing yardwork as the buyer drives by and they buyer just stops to ask a few questions. It is really tempting to share your special memories of your house, but you may be sharing other information too.
That casual conversation with the buyer or buyer agent may reveal your time frame or motivation to sell. A conversation about the basketball hoop at the cul de sac may lead to a discussion about your son who used to shoot hoops there for hours on end, but now he lives in California and you are selling to move to California to help him as he goes through a family crisis. Suddenly, the buyer or the buyer's agent has a lot more information about you than you intended.
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When you welcome the buyer into your home and offer to give them a tour of your home, you are interrupting their time in your house to try it on and imagine themselves in their new home. As long as you are there talking to them and sharing your anecdotes, it is not their future home. It is your home and they are uncomfortable guests.
If there are lots of special details about your home that you think they will miss, talk to your Realtor about making a fact sheet that highlights that information. Get a few stand up plastic fact sheet holders to put in visible spots around your home, like the kitchen counter or the entry table, that highlight important features of your home.
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If you know that you have a showing at a certain time, turn on all the lights, open the blinds and curtains, put down the toilet seats, make sure the sinks are wiped down and towels are neatly folded, fluff up the pillows on the beds and sofas, pick up the clutter and leave. You should plan on leaving 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled showing so that you do not run into the buyers.
For additional questions about your role while your home is on the market, please feel free to give theLise Howe Group a call at 240-401-5577 with any questions or email us at Lise@lisehowe.com.