What Not To Say To A Buyer

We all know that you don't want to appear too desperate to sell your home, but by telling potential buyers and agents that you "aren't in a big hurry to sell" is not a winning strategy.

You won't catch any fish if you don't learn how to set a hook.

I hear this all the time and it sends exactly the wrong message. You have decided you want to sell and if you aren't serious about it then don't bother. It is the body language equivalent of having your arms crossed in front of you and your fist clenched. Buyers want to talk to motivated sellers. Being motivated doesn't have to mean you will be a pushover. But telling everyone you aren't in a big hurry just discourages offers. If you can't attract offers your home won't sell.

You want to do everything you can to encourage offers. The inexperienced home seller's biggest fear seems to be the lowball offer. They think that if they appear to not be in a hurry they won't have to deal with the bad, crummy, no good, rotten offers. Defending against the lowball offer only discourages offers completely.

Lowball offers should not be feared. They are common and at least they are the beginning of a conversation. A conversation that can, and hopefully will, lead to a successful sale. Home sellers actually should be afraid of getting no offers at all. If you put up a defensive posture from the beginning that is exactly what will happen. What ever your motivations or dreams are for selling your home, they can't be realized without offers. Go ahead and tell buyers you want to downsize and travel or invest in a great opportunity. Showing you have a motivation to sell doesn't mean you lose.

If and when you get a lousy offer you can always say "Thanks but we don't want to move that badly. You'll have to do better, How about $X". Once a buyer gets to the point of making an offer they have developed an attachment to your home. A defensive posture will discourage that attachment from developing. Once it does you can use it to make a deal more favorable to you.

If you are in a position where disclosing your motivation is unpleasant, like a divorce, then simply saying "our plans for the future have changed, and its time to sell" is enough. You are at least saying you are serious about selling and buyers like to hear that before making an offer. 

Be pleasant, show you are motivated, and take the bad with the good. The more offers you get, the more likely you will find a buyer you can work with. It is a good idea to try to take the buyers perspective now and then. How do you feel when you walk into a store and the sales people act like they could care less if you buy anything or not. Are you more likely, or less likely, to follow through or move on to the next opportunity. This is even more true with big ticket items and you don't get much bigger than real estate.

Related:

How Long Should it Take to Sell a Home?

Low Ball Offers and How to Handle Them