Buying or selling a home is a stressful and emotional process.
Buyers feel the disappointment when they're "outbid" for a house in a
multiple offer situation. Sellers feel the pain when they don't sell
their house right away. After all, it's the best house in the
neighborhood!
The trick is to minimize the emotional part of the process. One of
the hardest things for a seller to hear, either from their agent or
others, is what's wrong with their house. I always use the same example.
When I walk into my vet's office with one of my dogs and he says "Your
dog is fat", the first thing I say is "No he isn't!". Well, chances are
he is. The vet doesn't see him every day so he notices the difference.
The same thing with a seller getting their house ready for the market.
The small scratch in the hardwood that's been there is no big deal, you
see it every day, but to a potential buyer, they'll notice it. Any
needed repairs or improvements aren't evaluations of your house or you
as homeowners. They are the necessary steps needed to try and maximize
the price you get for your house. Replacing a solid brass and crystal
chandelier worth $5,000 with a $200 fixture from Home Depot doesn't make
much sense, but that's what today's buyers want, so you do it.
If a buyer gets to the point of writing an offer, they have
invested in the property emotionally. When their offer isn't accepted,
the feelings of rejection and disappointment are natural. Easier said
than done, but you need to move on. Things truly happen for a reason,
and we can't count the number of times a disappointed buyer ends up
finding the "dream home" a week later. If it wasn't meant to be, it
wasn't meant to be. Stay positive, the right one is out there.
One more potential emotional powder keg is the home inspection.
Sellers get annoyed because someone is "criticizing" their house and
their ability to care for it. Buyers get agitated because their "dream
home" isn't perfect. Remember, all houses have flaws, even brand new
ones. Keep things in perspective. Ask yourself if it's really important,
and proceed accordingly.
The
thing to remember, for buyers and sellers, is a house is four walls and
a roof, and everything in between. You make it a home. The love and
laughter of a home is what gives it value, and that doesn't convey. You
get to keep that forever.
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