First Time Sellers: What They Might Not Expect

A lot of emphasis is placed on educating first-time buyers, and if you work with a lot of first-time buyers, you may find yourself working with first-time sellers, too. As first time sellers, your clients may be unaware of some of the different situations and considerations they may encounter when trying to sell their home.

Anything from open houses to responding to offers may be a completely new task for your clients. As their agent, you are there to help them understand what they should be doing to make the right decisions when it comes to selling their home.

Price Matters

In the beginning stages of preparing to sell their home, your clients may be eager to set a price for the home that will guarantee a quick sale. While this may be a great way to make a quick profit, you should be ready to show them several comparable, recently sold homes to demonstrate what their market value might actually be. This will help them balance their time on the market and sales price to get the best overall value for their home.

You Have to Stage the Home

Because this is their first experience selling a home, your clients may be unprepared for the work involved with getting it ready to be listed and put on the market. If the home is not ready to be listed, advise your clients that they may have to put a little bit of work into the home to get the best offers on their home. Some tasks your clients might have to do may include adding a fresh coat of paint, updating their decor, and maybe switching out some fixtures or making repairs to the home. For some tips on staging, check out our staging checklist here.

Home Showings Are Necessary

While inviting potential buyers into the home for showings might not be the most convenient situation for sellers, it is the best way to create a potential sale. When your clients are preparing to put their home on the market, let them know that having open houses and showings are necessary and that they should prepare themselves to be flexible when there are potential buyers who are interested in purchasing their home.

Promptly Respond to Offers

After a showing, your clients may begin receiving offers on their home. Some offers may be right where they would like the home to be sold at and some may be under the listing price.

Regardless of the scenario, your clients should be ready to respond to offers with counteroffers, accepting offers, or even rejecting an offer. By being quick to respond to offers, your clients will be able to speed up the process of selling their home without losing potential buyers.

Being there for your clients as they list their home and learn the ropes of selling their home for the first time can be a huge, but rewarding task. With Homes.com's Local Connect, you can be one of the local experts selling listings in your area.

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