For Sale by Owner, what NOT to do...

Question: What are some thoughts that run through potential buyers minds when they’re on their way to see a “For Sale by Owner” property?

1. This house must be a deal since it’s not listed with a Realtor…
2. I wonder if the sellers are shy or pushy. Are they going to get one over on me? (Already their guard is up)
3. Do I need to hire someone to do paperwork?

So they are greeted at the door by the owner who starts showing them around the house.
What sorts of thoughts are they thinking now? “Wow, I hate this color granite,” or maybe “neon-green tiled bathroom??? I wonder how much this is going to cost to replace.”

Here’s the problem: the buyer is now forced to hold these thoughts inside their head because they do not want to hurt the seller’s feelings and they feel like they are obliged to say, “oh how nice!” So imagine how the potential buyer feels once he or she leaves the property? Well, they probably have a sense of relief since for the last 20 minutes they have not been able to say what they are really thinking and voice their concerns out loud.

This example is one of the main reasons that it’s so worth it have a buyer’s agent, if you are a buyer and have a seller’s agent, if you are seller.

Buyers don’t want to feel like you are selling your house to them; it leaves them feeling like you were being “pushy” which in turns creates a bad taste in their mouth and negative thoughts in their head.

In all actuality, if the seller would have listed their house with a Realtor, any potential buyers would have had to have a buyer’s agent take them thought the home without the sellers present.

Therefore, potential buyers are able to voice their true opinion and concerns out loud to their buyers agent who would be more apt to give them their honest opinion and tell them truthfully about how much it would cost them to fix this or change that, or just assure them that carpet and paint color are a very easy fix. Buyers need someone else there to share opinions and to hear them out loud for themselves and sellers need to understand that when they show the home themselves, they are oftentimes turning off potential buyers.

email: LizEtzel@KW.com for answers, advice and help