WITH BUYERS
Many sellers don’t understand that it’s generally not a good idea to interact too much with potential buyers during the home- selling process. The first no-no in this category is “hovering.” While you might be tempted to hang around buyers while they’re checking out your home, beware: lurking sellers make buyers nervous and unlikely to make an offer. They’ll feel like they’re intruding in “your” home, especially if you’ve lived there for decades, and then they’ll rush through to avoid feelings of discomfort as well as important questions. It’s much easier for buyers to feel comfortable asking questions and to visualize themselves living in the home when they’re free to walk through and discuss on their own terms, without sellers hovering. Whenever possible, don’t be home for showings. If you’re selling your home without an agent, this is impossible—yet another reason to make sure you hire a qualified real estate agent, who will arrange showings with the buyer’s agent, so the buyer can look around and discuss in peace. The second no-no is becoming too friendly with buyers. You’d be surprised to learn how many homeowners try to get a little too friendly with potential buyers in order to make the sale. But this tactic almost always backfires. While it’s important to be professional, and friendly to a certain extent, don’t allow the personal nature of someone being in your home allow you to get into too many long, unnecessary discussions, especially of a personal nature, because personality conflicts often cloud judgments. You could also end up revealing too much that doesn’t need to be said, shutting down a potential deal. Remember, this could be their new home. If you start jabbering on about your precious
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