10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Selling

This family was only a few days away from making the biggest sales mistake of their lives. And what happened then still surprises me. They were confident, excited and sure that they were doing everything right. But behind the scenes they were preparing to lose tens of thousands of dollars unknowingly, without even noticing it. And here's the clue. With proper advice they turned a catastrophe around. In the end, they even won the highest prize in the neighborhood. 23 years of real estate. I can tell you that the almost made mistakes are incredibly common. That's why I'm going to tell you exactly what they did to turn the page today and tell you the most important things that, in my opinion, every house owner should know before selling. The cases that you can avoid, the clever strategies that you should follow and the steps that can give you more money in your pocket at the end of the deal. So let's start right away. One of the biggest hurdles that I see, and that also applies to this family, is the emotional side of the sale. We forget how much we hang on our houses. It's not just walls and floors. It's years of memories, birthdays, holidays and these silent moments. But here's the hard truth. Buyers don't see their memories. They try to see their future. With this family we had to help them mentally before they actually physically withdrew. That meant taking the family photos, neutralizing the strong wall colors and arranging every room so that it appeals to as wide an audience as possible. If you let yourself get emotional, you can market your home as a product, not just as your home. And this is where the magic begins. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against posting a few personal photos. After all, people live here. You just have to take a strategic approach to make the house look like a home without distracting too much so that the new buyers can see how their family lives here. One thing that I keep noticing, and that wasn't just the case with this family, is the belief that every dollar you invest in your home pays off. I wish it were so, but the truth is that it doesn't matter to buyers how much they spend on upgrading their fancy garage or their super-specific closet system. They are interested in what is important to them today. When preparing this family, we aim for improvements with a broad appeal, fresh touch, well-maintained garden design and small but meaningful repairs, not the personal details that are important to the seller, but often do not increase the actual resell value. Another conversation we had was about the timing. They asked me if we should wait until the interest rates went down. Should we wait until the end of the school year? Should we wait for the perfect time when the market reaches its peak? These are really frequent questions, but I can tell you after 23 years of experience as a real estate agent that it is a game of chance to choose the right time to enter the market. The most important thing is when you are ready and, to be honest, what is even more important is when the house is in its absolute top condition. If the house does not correspond to what I call photogenic, I used this expression when I was still working in the film business, then you should not put it on the market. As long as there is a solid buyer demand on the local market, you should stick to the house when it comes to timing. As long as waiting can go backwards, whether it is due to rising competition, fluctuating prices or unexpected market weaknesses. We only inserted with the family when they were ready, so we reached the market price peak. When we prepared the house, I took a tour with them and immediately noticed all the little things that they no longer noticed. Worn out footboards, yellow spots in all bathrooms, jammed sliding doors, all these little things. Buyers notice these details immediately and they start, in mind for every mistake they see, to withdraw money. We simply created a simple repair list and worked it out before we brought the house on the market. And that made a big difference how the house was presented and how safe the buyers felt. Let's talk briefly about home staging. This family was initially hesitant. But here is my experience after two decades. Yes, I'm that old. Home staging is not a luxury. It is a smart decision. We focused on the most important rooms, the main living area, the kitchen and the main bedroom, and ensured that they were all beautifully photographed. I always use professional stagers in empty houses. However, if they still live there, I work with my salespeople to stage their home with the available items. Normally I remove a large part of it. Then I go back to my trick box for the bathroom and other rooms. I bring fresh orchids and candles with me, small home staging elements that give the home elegance and novelty. Home staging transforms the room from our home into someone's dream house. And that's what draws buyers emotionally. When the offers arrived, another challenge arose. The family tried to wait because they thought that I might find something better right around the corner. But I learned the following. The first convincing offer is often the best offer. Serious, motivated buyers act quickly. They observe the market closely and are ready to act. We discussed the options carefully and they trusted the process. In the end, they accepted an early offer that turned out to be the highest price the neighborhood has ever seen. Of course, no business is complete without inspections, especially in this market. Inspections also show up in maintained houses. That's normal. This family had an old water heater and small roof problems. But they were emotionally and financially prepared. Important! No panic, no defense, small flaws in the inspection do not fail the deal. Fairly negotiated, considerations taken into account, ending as planned. Marketing also played a big role in their success. Originally, they intended to do without professional photos and to try to sell the house cheaply. Especially because the houses in their area disappear very quickly. But here is the truth. Good marketing not only gives you a buyer, but the best buyer. We have invested in high-quality marketing. This has brought us several strong offers and ultimately driven the price up. To skip this step would have cost thousands. Another really important lesson. Sellers like to compare their houses with recently sold neighboring houses. This family has also done that. But I always explain the following. You don't know the whole story behind every sale. Maybe the neighbor has put in a few great loans. Maybe he had improvements or less possible connections in the contract. We used the house strengths, set the price based on data and developed an individual marketing plan. And that has led to this record-breaking result. And here is the last point that I would like for every seller. Your net income is not your sales price. Together with provisions, closing costs, repair costs, staging and possible loans you are at about 6-8% discount. We have put together before the publication of the offer and calculated the actual net income. So you had a clear, realistic picture of how much you would take from it. And because you knew the numbers, you were able to plan your next step confidently. And what happened in the end? You sold faster than expected, at the highest price in the neighborhood, with minimal stress and maximum transparency, because you trusted the process. You avoided the usual pitfalls and made smart, well-founded decisions. And you can do that now too. If you found these videos helpful, give me a like and click on the like button and maybe write me a comment below. I make these videos to help you. So let me know if they help you. Do you think about a sale in Maryland, Washington D.C. or North Virginia and need help? Email me. We will arrange everything. I'll come by. We'll go through your house. We'll talk about everything. I'm happy to help you. Did you miss our video about the top 10 things that need to be removed before selling a house? Then watch it now. It's a good video. Thanks for watching. I really appreciate that. And we'll see you in the next video. Bye.