Best way to sell a house? Get out of the way

January 27, 2012
Author: Rachel Brown /Washington Times

Realtors say sellers may believe they’re being helpful by following buyers and their agents around a home during a showing, commenting on every room and answering questions – but often they inadvertently kill the deal.

Experts say buyers find it uncomfortable to comment about changes they would make to a property with the seller standing there, and they also become suspicious about the reasons for the “hard sell.”

When circumstances arise that make it impossible for the seller to leave during a showing or inspection, they should stay out of the buyer’s way, going upstairs when the buyer is downstairs and vice versa. They also should not communicate with the buyer or his/her agent to avoid misunderstandings, allowing their agents to answer questions instead.

“Real estate agents, Realtors, brokers – that’s our job to answer questions and be the buffer between the two sides,” stresses Eddie Berenbaum, broker-owner of Century 21 Redwood Realty in Arlington, Va. “If the owners appear to be overly excited, they may come off as being desperate to the purchaser. If the purchaser seems overly excited about the house, that’s a bad way to start negotiations.”

When sellers are asked a question, they should provide unemotional, brief and to-the-point responses; and they should talk to their agents beforehand about how to present their reasons for the sale.