Feb. 10, 2006: The homeowner who blocks his own sale
I love this one: Not only is the home I'm showing occupied, the seller is right there. Blocking the doorway. Hovering over the buyers. And smoking - inside the house.
It's rare to find a seller this talented at obstructing the sale of his or her home. But many sellers manage to get in their own way despite themselves.
The most common way - and it probably seems harmless to you - is by making the house unavailable to show. I call at 10 a.m., seeking to show at 10:30. You entreat me to come at noon instead, which means you're asking me to backtrack a long way for one house. If my buyers find something else they like, your home may lose by default.
Ideally, the home should be vacant. If you can't afford to move, move everything you can. Buyers have to be able to mentally "place" their own furniture, and they can't do that if the house is too crowded.
Go out when the home is being shown. Don't hang around outside - take a walk. Absent yourself all day every Saturday and Sunday. Give the buyers the freedom to explore the house.
And don't give the buyers' Realtor the opportunity to probe you for your motivations and level of urgency - which will be used against you in negotiation.
Everything should be scrupulously clean all the time. You may be comfortable in a blur of chaos, but many buyers won't be.
If you have pets, board them elsewhere for the duration. If you have pet odors - and don't trust your nose, use a heavy-duty black light in absolute darkness - eliminate them, even if this means replacing the carpet. Odor is a subconsious cue that will induce buyers to reject your home without knowing why.
For the same reason, if you smoke, don't. Don't smoke inside your home, ever. If you have, scrub everything with bleach, replace the flooring and repaint the walls and ceilings with Kilz-brand paint.
If you want an easy, profitable sale, stay out of your own way.
Greg Swann is the designated broker for BloodhoundRealty.com, a full-service Metropolitan Phoenix real estate brokerage. This article originally appeared in the West Valley regional sections of the Arizona Republic.
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