Never Say These Words When Selling Up

Any home seller would want to close a deal on their home FAST, so it is but natural for us to utter a few flowery words in the hopes of clinching a quick deal. However, selling up a home is one of the few situations when you might want to be extra careful with what you say, as you might not want to wind up putting your foot in your mouth. Cain Realty Group brings you 5 of the most common phrases you should NEVER say as a seller (Yes, we've heard 'em and we've seen the damage that can be done!):

Statement 1: "The house is perfect and ready for move in!" - Of course the house is perfect! Is there a lunatic who would agree to live in a flawed home? But what you see in your home may not be the reality for others. Whether the home is brand new or it is a resale, a buyer will always find things to fix, adjust, replace, and/or remove in order to fit their definition of what a perfect home is. It's better to share to your buyer what you think is the highlight of the home, and which ones might need a tweak to become the buyer's perfect new home.

Statement 2: "Good thing you're considering our house! It's been in the market for so long, like XX days!" - Admitting that your home isn't selling like hot cakes is an insult to your home, and one that unscrupulous buyers might think as the very reason why they are gonna get your home at a very low price. The days on market is indicated in the home's information sheet-- there is no need for you to bring it up when you could use the opportunity to point out what you love about your home to the buyers instead.

Statement 3: "Oh, that? We've never had problems with it." - if you're tempted to tell a few white lies to sell up fast, DONT. Things such as flooded basements, weird neighbors, and paranormal hauntings will eventually be found out. If you don't want the embarrassment and the potential risk of undergoing litigation, come clean with everything. After all, you wouldn't even survive the inspection with your white lie(s), so why risk?

Statement 4: "We meant to fix/renovate that, but..." - There is no need for you to make buyers aware about botched renovation plans. Pointing out the plans that never came to fruition just translates to additional cost for the buyers. If it's a renovation, leave it be; the new owners will renovate as they please. For repairs, you can either get it fixed before closing or negotiate the terms on how to address that (such as in a contingency).

Statement 5: "This is the finest quality you can find in the market. We spend thousands for that upgrade" - Saying this can make you either seem arrogant or desperate. The buyer will not care how much you invested for that upgrade. Their offer will be based on comparable market data, and not on the energy-saving imported tile you had shipped from Italy for $10,000. Save it and negotiate the final price of the home, not as how each item inside it was priced.

Statement 6: "The selling price is fixed. It can't get any better than that." - Who would even dare negotiate with you if you sound unaccommodating from the very beginning? Everybody wants top dollar when selling, but buyers want to save as much as they could, too. Meet halfway and you'll get somewhere; refuse to budge and you'll end up nowhere.

Need help selling your home quick? Cain Realty Group is ready to help! You can also check out our blog for useful home selling tips!