10 Ways You and Your Agent are Doing it Wrong!

 The home selling process can be long drawn out and downright painful if you or your agent are handling things incorrectly. I've outlined the ten most common and damaging mistakes sellers and their agents make when trying to get that golden sales contract.

10. Writing the ad copy in all caps

Number ten is probably my biggest pet peeve.   Humanity has had the internet long enough to realize that typing in all caps means the person on the other side is screaming at you.  Being yelled at by salespeople has to be one of the worst things in the world.  Why would anyone want to be yelled at across the net about a supposedly REALLY AWESOME DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

The better approach by far is to write the listing ad using proper grammatical lettering. If you or your agent feel something needs to be emphasized, put it in all caps and let the rest of the ad look normal. Also be sure to have your agent shy away from using too many exclamation points.  If one "!" can't convey the message, don't use more.

Here is an actual ad from an MLS listing in all caps:

BEAUTIFUL VINYL SIDED RANCH WITH MANY UPDATES! NEW LAMINATE FLOORING THROUGHOUT-NEW FURNACE AND A/C, NEW HWT-8 YR. ROOF- NEW CONCRETE PATIO IN REAR AND A LOVELY PROFESSIONALLY LANDSCAPED YARD. 4 FT. CRAWL IS CONCRETE AND COMPLETELY DRY. ANDERSON WINDOWS AND WOOD TRIM THROUGHOUT. LOVELY KITCHEN WITH OAK CABINETS, NEW COUNTERTOPS, NEW FAUCETS AND TRACK LIGHTING. GREAT 11X11 UTILITY ROOM OFF THE KITCHEN WHICH CONTAINS THE WASHER AND DRYER, TWO PANTRIES ADDING WORK SPACE TO THE KITCHEN! OFF THE DINING ROOM ARE FRENCH DOORS TO THE FAMILY ROOM WITH A WB STOVE. EVEN THE GARAGE HAS STORAGE CABINETS!

 

IT'S NOT FUN TO BE SHOUTED AT! D:

 

Here is the same ad using normal lettering:

Beautiful vinyl sided ranch with many updates! New laminate flooring throughout-new furnace and A/C, New HWT-8yr. Roof - New concrete patio in rear and a lovely professionally landscaped yard. 4 ft. crawl is concrete and completely dry. Anderson windows and wood trim throughout. Lovely kitchen with oak cabinets, new counter tops, new furnaces and track lighting. Great 11 x 11 utility room off the kitchen which contains the washer and dryer, two pantries adding work space to the kitchen! Off the dining room are french doors to the family room with a WB stove. Even the garage has storage cabinets!

 

The second version is much easier to read and comprehend.

Even the United States NAVY has finally abandoned using ALL CAPS.

 

9. Weird showing times

We live in a world of instant gratification.  With so much knowledge literally at the end of our fingertips, society has become really impatient. As my broker/mentor Mark always says, "Everything that you think should be done today, should have been done yesterday".  When working with people it's always important to keep this in mind.  If someone is interested in a property, they expect to see it now. As a home seller, it is best to make the house available to be seen as much as possible at any time. Buyer's may lose interest if they have to wait for too long. Worse, another better  house may come on the market between the time the buyer called and when they are able to see your house.  Surely, it's a hassle keeping your space 100% spotless all the time and having strangers walk through your home at a moment's notice, however, the faster you can show your home the faster someone will make an offer.

I believe in making the house available within reason and most sellers and buyers are agreeable to a schedule of anytime after work hours during the week (4pm) or anytime on weekends.  Still, there are some people who only want their home shown on one day of the week or only in the morning.  That is where problems arise and buyers become uninterested.

 

8. Not considering fighting your assessment

Let's face it, everyone hates paying taxes.  The higher your home's taxes are the more unattractive it looks to buyers. Sometimes taxes are the sole reason a home will not sell.  The assessment process varies between each municipality and is often a flimsy process including much guesswork on the part of the assessor.  Before putting your home on the market, take a good look at your property taxes and research your city's process for challenging your home's assessed value.  Chances are you may win a lower rate!  Forbes has a great article explaining the basics of "Talking Down Your House"

 

7. Neglecting to clean up

Have you ever walked into someone's home that was messy?  Remember that feeling of your skin crawling a bit when you had to use their bathroom or see their kitchen with dishes stacked sky high?  Giving the buyer those feelings is the easiest way to have your home sit on the market for months without end.

Keep in mind that what you think is clean and what the average person thinks is clean might be completely different.  Ask for your agent's honest opinion on the tidiness of your house and be open to feedback.

As a home seller, you should probably take it one step further and remove any clutter you may have as well.  Books, toys, knickknacks, discs, and anything that makes the house look more like a bird nest instead of a person's  home should be gone.

 

6. Using too many abbreviations in your ad

Just like number 10, using a ton of abbreviations is high on my list of worst practices for Realtors