4 things you really wish your sellers knew

CHICAGO – Sept. 21, 2017 – You don’t want to hurt your clients’ feelings, but there are a few things that often pop up in the course of transactions that you wish sellers already knew, so that you could avoid some awkward conversations. While the actual delivery would be far more diplomatic, these are the top difficult things Realtors wish they could easily tell sellers:

1. Your home decor isn’t perfect for selling.
   «While your home may be beautifully decorated, it still looks like your home, not the buyer’s,» says Teresa Stephenson, vice president of a residential brokerage at Platinum Properties in New York, to realtor.com. Clutter, in particular, can make a home feel cramped. «You don’t have to pay to have your home staged, but if you don’t buy into the concept that ‘less is more,’ you’ll pay when it comes time to sell,» Stephenson says.
2. Stop being so secretive with your agent.
   Sellers need to disclose any problems with the property, like a broken air conditioner, leaky faucets, water damage or termite infestation. «Don’t keep any of your home’s flaws from your agent because you are scared it might hurt your sale,» says Karen Elmir, founder and CEO of the Elmir Group in Miami. The listing agent is on the homeowner’s side, but she must be aware of what needs to be fixed or what could become an issue later and threaten the transaction.
3. Remodeling doesn’t guarantee a price uptick.
   While remodeling projects may enhance a property, the projects homeowners take on are never a guarantee of payback at resale. «An ROI, or return on a home’s upgrades, does not necessarily increase value,» says Michael Kelczewski, a real estate pro with Brandywine Fine Properties Sotheby’s International Realty in Delaware and Maryland. The payback will greatly depend on what type of home improvement was completed.
4. Be ready to fix some things.
   Sellers may have to spend a few bucks to get their home ready to sell. For example, they may need to «replace the trim the dogs scratched up,» says Katie Messenger, a real estate pro with Bello Dimora Real Estate Network in Kentucky and Cincinnati. «Clean the scuff marks off the walls. Power-wash the algae off the vinyl siding. To you, it’s totally normal because you’ve lived with these issues for years. To buyers, these will look like expensive repairs, which means they’ll have to lowball you, or not make an offer at all, because your house ‘needs a lot of work.'»

Source: «9 Things Every Real Estate Agent Wish You Knew About Selling Your Home,» realtor.com® (Sept. 20, 2017)

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