Carrie Thompson - HOME-SELLING SECRETS FROM A TOP AGENT

CHAPTER 21 How Added Incentives Sweeten The Deal

CASE STUDY #17

My clients’ home had been on the market for a whole year. Two other agents had tried to sell it without success. The problem was that there was a potential $7000-8000 assessment for major upgrades to the neighborhood, so potential buyers wanted the price lowered to account for that. The sellers refused to do this because they didn’t believe the assessment was going to happen. I suggested the sellers agree to sell but put $8,000 in escrow. If the assessment went through, the money would go to the buyers. If it didn’t go through, the money would go to the sellers. Everyone agreed. A year later, the sellers were proven right—the assessment didn’t happen, so the sellers got their money. Sometimes all it takes is a little extra effort and some creative problem solving to make the sale happen! So what do you do when you really need to sell but can’t lower your price anymore? You sweeten the deal. These little touches can sometimes be the key to getting your house sold—and remember, the longer the house sits on the market, the less money you’ll make in the long run, so sweeteners are definitely worth it!

Let’s look at an example:

Jamie and Jack received only one offer in almost a year on the market. It fell through. The dearth of offers wasn’t due to lack of interest, as plenty of people toured the house. And it wasn’t due to the house’s condition, since it was just as nice as, if not nicer than, the other nearby houses on the market. The problem was that it 79

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