Control- Sellers What Can and Can’t You Control? Home Seller Advice

Are you a home seller getting ready to put your home on the market?  

It is important to know what you can and can’t control during the home selling process. As much as you want to control every aspect of the sale, its just not possible. While there are many aspect of selling a home that you can control there are equally just as many things as you can’t.

I recently had a home seller in Andover MA who had a hard time understanding that up to a certain point you have no control how a buyer perceives your home.  There are certain things that you can change like the price and the condition, but you cant change the layout or how the home functions or even how a home buyer will perceive your home.

What Can A Home Seller Control?

1. List Price– You, as the home seller have total control on how you price your home based on your competition and fair market value.  Price just right and things go well.  Over price your home and frustration will kick in.
2. Preparation and Condition–  You have a great deal of control over how the condition of you home and how it will show to the buying public.
3. Advertising– You, or you real estate agent have a fair amount of control over the exposure your home will get to the buying public in your price range.  This one really ties in with #4.  Great real estate photographs and good web exposure go a long way in marketing your home.
4. Providing access to your home.  Sometimes I have home sellers who deny half the showings on their home with excuses of inconvenience.  Yes, selling your home is inconvenient but we can’t sell homes where buyers can’t get in.  Everybody has schedule that need to be accommodated in in may be different than yours.
5. The agent you pick– You have complete control over the listing agent you choose.  Pick an agent based upon their history of success and their marketing plan, not based on the highest price they say they can sell your house for.

What a Home Seller Cannot Control 

1. Location- Location, Location, Location…. Its true!  Location is very important and definitely has a huge impact on what your home is worth and what buyers will be interested in the home.  You have absolutely no control over your homes location or more importantly what your buyers think of the location.
2. The appeal and functionality of your home– Lets face it a colonial built yesterday versus the same size colonial built in the 50’s will have a totally different appeal and functionality.  Today’s buyers want a more open floor plan than what an older home may offer.  Also amenities can differ greatly from an older home to a newer home.  You can’t control what a home buyer wants.
3. Buyers– This is a tough pill to swallow but you have absolutely no control over how a home buyer will perceive your home, will do or even think.  Don’t even try to control a home buyer, it is a huge turn off for a potential buyer.  You cannot make a buyer buy your home that doesn’t like it.
4. The overall real estate market– Yes we all know what your house was worth at the top of the market in 2006 but we are talking about selling your home in today’s real estate market.  The real estate market fluctuates and as a home seller you are merely along along for the ride.
5. The true fair market value of your home–  Your home is worth the highest amount a buyer is willing to pay for your home in a reasonable market time… period.  Just because you need more money doesn’t mean a buyer will pay it.

Sometimes home sellers want to control every aspect of a home sale and it is impossible for that to happen..  They especially want to take control when their home is not selling as fast as they would like.  This is time to look at what you can control!

You cannot force a home buyer to write an offer on your home.  

Reality

Really, it boils down to you want your home sold.  Calling your agent five minutes after a showing for feedback is not going to change anything.  Trust me if a buyer is going to make an offer you will know about it in a short period of time.

I recently had another home for sale in Andover MA.  The home was just off a very desirable location that demanded a premium….. except, this home overlooked a commercial garage with heavy equipment parked outside and piles of dirt.  The home seller only wanted the buyer to see the premium location but ignore the commercial property behind.  

Feedback from the buyers kept saying the commercial property was a turn off.  Unfortunately, the seller could not control the view.

Home sellers, know you do not have complete control over much of the home selling process. Understand you can control and what you can’t control and the home selling process and concentrate on what you can control.

Other Home Selling Resources 

• Bank Rate-  Thing Sellers do to Turn Off Home Buyers
• Kyle Hiscock-  10 Ways to Scare Away Potential Home Buyers