The doorbell rings, and you’re expecting them, so you put on your best-winning smile and open the door. And there they stand looking slightly nervously uncomfortable, but still with bright, eager hope radiating from their faces – the prospective buyers of the home you’re trying to sell. Things go well for a bit, but then you mention one of the things sellers should never say in closing a home sale in Metro Atlanta.
The couple’s faces droop a little, and they cast anxious, sidelong glances at each other. And then, in your oblivious eagerness to make a sale, you say another of those things you shouldn’t. And then maybe another. In short order, that nice couple is hustling back out your door, making thin promises to call you and then striding briskly and determinedly toward their car. And then they’re gone – and so is the sale.
Don’t this happen to you!
4 Things Sellers Should Never Say When Closing a Home Sale in Metro Atlanta
1. Our house is in great/perfect/mint condition
Absolute statements, especially in the initial stages of transactional negotiations, are always usually best avoided. You may think your house is in perfect condition (or at least want the potential buyer to think that), but this is a big foot-in-the-mouth statement. The reality is that no home is in perfect condition. There is always something that needs to be repaired or replaced or improved.
2. You are our second/tenth/thirtieth showing
Of all the things you could say to a potential buyer in closing a home sale in Metro Atlanta, this is the one most open to interpretation.The buyer will take it to mean whatever she wants it to mean.
If, say, you’ve had only a handful of showings, the buyer will likely interpret that to mean that the price is too high. If, on the other hand, you’ve had numerous showings, the buyer might take that to mean that something pretty major is wrong with the house. So you shouldn’t voluntarily offer any information about the number of showings (or any offers made).
3. Sure, we can negotiate on price
Yes, being flexible and willing to negotiate is usually a good and necessary thing. But you don’t want to give the impression at the very outset that you are ready to give way on what was thought to be a pretty firm price.
Besides, the price is only one ingredient in a good offer. Giving way on price right out of the gate may mean that you lose money in other areas as well. You also don’t want to give a buyer any false hopes – because that can certainly backfire later on.
The best policy is, leave the showings and price negotiations to your agent. After all, that’s why you hired them, isn’t it? So here’s the best answer to buyers’ loaded questions about price: “You’ll need to speak to my real estate agent on that.”
4. I won’t take less than $xxx,xxx for home
And here’s the other side of that pricing-proposition coin. If you let it be known right up front that you are intransigent – that you are unwilling to be flexible and negotiate – well, then, you have pretty much made sure that there will be no sale.
Haggling and negotiating is just part of the process. It’s expected by most people and enjoyed by some. But with all possibility of negotiating shut down at the very beginning, potential buyers will feel defeated and just give up. And if word gets out that you’re inflexible on price, you may find that buyers are avoiding your home.
Be careful to avoid these four things you should never say in closing a home sale in [market city]. But you also need to say the right things to close a sale, and that’s where your agent comes in.