Sunday, 29th of July 2012 at 07:41:10 AMAs agents, we often sit there and tell you what we’re going to do to sell your home and have some realistic expectations on pricing. Maybe we should take another step back and actually tell you what mindset you should have when selling your home to be the most successful. Selling your Phoenix home isn’t going to a step by step process, there is a lot that I can’t tell you about up front, but having the right mindset will help you be open and ready for just about anything.
Be Realistic
What your neighbor sold their home for doesn’t matter. What you “lost” because you didn’t sell your home at the peak of the market doesn’t matter. Those fancy granite counter tops you had installed? Yeah, you won’t recover every dollar you spent when you sell your home, and that holds true for any home improvement.
Selling a home ranks as a major cause of stress. But you have to be realistic about your home’s value, your neighborhood, and the real estate market you in. There are many factors that impact the potential sale of your home. Many you have no control over (market dynamics, economic conditions, the lending environment). But there are things you can control (home condition, cleanliness, curb appeal, availability). Address what you can control, and understand the impact of what your can’t.
Be Open to Suggestions
You hired a real estate agent to help you. Listen to what they have to say. You don’t sell a home every day. Your agent sells several homes a year. If you hired the right agent then you should listen to their professional advice. Sure, you may not be able to do everything they suggest, but at least listen and consider suggestions your agent may have for the best way to present, market and sell your home.
Be Available
You don’t necessarily have to be available to buyers interested in your home. In fact, you shouldn’t be present during showings – it makes buyers uncomfortable and they will rush through the home. But you do need to make your home as readily accessible to potential buyers as possible. In the Phoenix real estate market that means letting your agent install an electronic lockbox. It means you need to be able to vacate the premises with reasonable notice – and occasionally with unreasonable notice. Your home can not be sold if potential buyers can’t view it. “No showings on weekends” or “Showings only between 11:00am and 1:00pm on Thursdays and Fridays” won’t cut it.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions
This is your home you are trying to sell. You need to be comfortable with what is going on. If there is anything you don’t understand, ask your agent for clarification. Don’t be embarrassed that you don’t know what “escrow” means, or what a title company does. Again, you don’t sell a home every day. These terms aren’t important to you 99.9% of the time. But they are important now, and often agents tend to forget we frequently speak in a foreign language. There are no stupid questions.
I can’t prepare you for everything when it comes to selling your home, but helping you be ready for anything is possible with just the right mindset.
