So you want to sell your home? Here's an important question...

Do you want your Home to Sit, or to Sell? 

While touring homes with clients the other day, we walked out of a home and one of my buyers stopped...turned to me...and asked: "They don't really want to move, do they?"

"Why do you say that?" I answered.  (Not so shocked, actually, but wanted to hear what they had to say....)

"Well for starters, we know you've been trying to schedule this for us several times, and the sellers wanted us to come today so we had to rearrange our schedule so we could see it.  Then we get in there, and the sellers don't leave.  Aren't they supposed to leave the house?  Why don't they have a box thingy on the door like the other homes do?   How uncomfortable that was to look at that home with people in the house, I felt like we were intruding."

....he continues....

"And it startled me when the Seller showed up around the corner to tell us the basement never flooded since they lived there.   Out of politeness we responded to them 'Thank you' and then for the rest of our visit, they kept appearing throughout the home. 


"And to top it off, this home is priced above all the other properties we saw, and with more days on market...so it's obvious to me they don't even want to sell, they want to stay, right?!"


DING DING DING!       
It amazes me how quickly a buyer will come to this conclusion...yet it takes sellers months, and sometimes years to get the picture. 

The sellers did absolutely EVERY thing wrong here, and apparently are not listening to their real estate agent.  You remember the listing agent, right?  The person hired to sell your property?  The one that gave you all this important advice to help in the sale of your home that you dismissed?  The person that works tirelessly to get buyers intrigued and excited to look at your home?  

Then when those buyers finally get in the door....besides overpricing your property to sell sit,  Mr and Mrs. Seller does absolutely the WORST things you can do for the sale of their home.  They dooooooon't leeeeaaaaave!




So...if you want to SELL your Home, and not let it Sit - Listen up, sparky!

1. PRICE it RIGHT!   Price your home to SELL, and NOT to SIT!  If your home is on market over 90 days, serious price adjustments need to be made. You...do...want to sell, right? 
2. Let us put a SIGN up in your yard.  Selling your home should not be a secret.  Let's let everyone know it's available for sale!  You never know when someone driving down the street or living on the next block has friends or family that want to move into the neighborhood.   
3. Allow showings when the BUYERS want to see the home.  They should never be requested to change their visit to a specific time.  Reasonable hours?  10am to 8pm should do it, 7 days a week.  2 hour notice okay.  Don't restrict showing hours to evenings only,  days only, or weekends only.  Make access easy.  
4. Know that...if we see a home for 24-48 hour notice that is Owner Occupied...and if this is a client's eager request...we make it happen.   But sellers, please note:  we may skip your home and look at more easily accessible properties.  Truth be told, we can't SELL a home we can't SHOW.  When that buyer is ready to write an offer, don't you want them to have seen your home first?  To be a contender?     
5. For heaven's sake - let us place a lockbox on your home.  You should not make contact of any kind with the buyer or their agent.  Give your agent a key to put in the box and get out.  Let the home sell itself. 
6. GET OUT.  GET OUT!  GET OUT!  (Did we say GET OUT?) When showings are scheduled, plan your grocery trips, take a bike ride, go for a drive, walk the dog, visit a neighbor.  Be anywhere but in your home. Let the buyers agent do what they do best, and let the home sell itself. Puuhleeeeze don't stay to chit chat, they don't need to hear your list of what you did to the home since you bought it.  You are talking your potential buyers OUT of buying your home, believe-you-me.  Don't distract.
7. Listen to the realtor feedback from your showings.  Much of what you receive will be good information.  Agreed, some will be worthless, but take it in stride.  It is not a personal insult, and no, we don't expect you to move a wall or remodel your kitchen.  However, as buyers agents, we may tour as many as 100+ homes a week.  We know your competition.  If you want to compete, you need to get in the game. 

So...we ask again...

do you want your home to Sit, or to Sell?  

When you are Serious and Ready to Sell your home or property in Illinois, give us a call at 630-977-0677.

Jeff and Robin McGinn

630-890-1587 or 630-977-0677   

Toll Free Illinois  888-838-5656

mcginnhomes@comcast.net

Serving the Northern Illinois and entire Chicagoland area