Setting the Stage for a Home Sale

More sellers are entering the market during the spring selling season, hoping to attract buyers lured by record-low interest rates and increased affordability. Some sellers examine the listing with a microscope, while others depend more on their real estate agents. Even though buyers and sellers both are more informed these days, agents still must “analyze all that data and summarize it in a way that provides useful information that can be utilized,” says Paul Leiser of Avalon Real Estate. To avoid confrontations with sellers, especially when it comes to the home’s value, agents need to keep sellers informed, providing comparable sales data and other information. Experts say today’s sellers need to price the home right, as well as have the home staged. Sellers also need to make the home available for showings and avoid talking to prospective buyers and their agents, appraisers, or inspectors. Buyers will not feel comfortable asking questions or will find it difficult to visualize themselves living in the home when the seller is present. Realtors must understand the emotional aspect of the process for sellers and do their best to advise and educate them, but they must remember that the seller makes the decisions. | Read More