3 Common Charlotte Home Seller Mistakes | Thoughts from the Buyers’ Perspective
Showing homes this beautiful Charlotte weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to pick the brains of savvy buyers with regards to home SELLING! Yes, because both sets of buyers are also sellers, we discussed seller strategies that just didn’t seem to be working for some of the homes that we viewed.
Here are our thoughts on three of the biggest seller mistakes that we saw:
1. Pricing: Why do sellers continue to price homes as though they were on sale at WalMart? Here’s an example of why you don’t want to use ‘999’ – These particular buyers are searching in the $700 – $800,000 price range. They’re savvy buyers; they do their own searches and work very little from a pre-set search that I’ve created for them. I jokingly call them ‘rogue’ buyers but, they still get the job done and some just prefer their own means of searching. As we were driving past one of the homes that I had sent them, I pointed out that this particular home could be a good fit and that it was priced at $699,000. At this point, it was too late to schedule a visit and my buyers had already agreed upon another home but, their comment was, “Had they just listed it at $700,000, it would have been at the bottom of our range in which we were searching and we’d have taken a look at it while we were in town!” BINGO!
Sellers, THOSE are the buyers that you want–those who are searching and find YOUR home at the BOTTOM of their range! If you’re not SEEN at the bottom of their range, they miss your home! The internet sites, where the VAST majority of buyers find their new home, do not allow ‘odd number searching’ – the searches are clean, even numbers. $599,000 $600,000 $699,999 $700,000 $799,990 $800,000
Why would you risk losing your most promising buyer pool?
2. Condition: Before you priced your home, did you compare it to others in your community or area? Just because a home that is the same square foot size, that is also in tip-top condition is priced for $750,000, yours may not compare! Is your kitchen upgraded? Are your bathrooms updated? Have you added hardscaping to your backyard? Have you finished the basement in your home? These things ADD value and without them, your home just doesn’t compare. If you haven’t upgraded, you MUST price your home to reflect the lack of upgrades.
3. Staging: Buyers are not searching for homes based solely upon the neighborhood or the design of the home but, they’re also focused on size. How much space do the main rooms have that they can work with? Our buyers felt that some of the homes that boasted the square footage and the large room sizes that they needed online, proved to be a disappointment when they viewed them in person. The homes that were noted as ‘too small for our needs’ were FILLED with large pieces of furniture–some wall-to-wall furniture. The oversized furniture completely prohibited the visualization of you home, leaving these buyers feeling that your home did not meet their needs.
If you’re planning a move, you’re going to have to pack your belongings away anyway--so, why not go ahead and show off the space that you have by eliminating larger pieces of furniture that make your rooms look smaller than they truly are.
I can tell that the master suite is 20‘ X 23’ but, I am not the one who is buying your home. With the enormous furniture, doggie crates and baby equipment in the room, my buyers felt that the master was just too small for them! No amount of explaining and attempts to visually place THEIR furniture convinced them. These buyers immediately fell in love with a well-staged, sparsely furnished home with a SMALLER master suite based upon the square footage!
Pricing, condition and staging your Charlotte home are top contenders for buyer critique during the home shopping process. To be the one that the buyers fall in love with, you must pay special attention to all three!
If you’re thinking of selling your Charlotte home, give me a call at (704) 491-3310 or email me at Broker@TheCharlotteScoop.com! I’m happy to walk you through the process and discuss getting your home SOLD!
(THE best Charlotte home search available - no kidding!)
Debe Maxwell, CRS/Realtor®/Broker
Broker@TheCharlotteScoop.com
Phone (704) 491-3310
