Private Sellers & The Dirty Dozen

There are a lot of issues that private sellers(For Sale By Owners) face when it comes to bringing a sale to the doorstep. I like to explain these issues to my clients and then present a solution. I am going to narrow down these issues to what I call "The Dirty Dozen" as they could seem endless otherwise and although you may not have all those outlined below, I am sure you have most of them.

Issue #1: 96% of direct buyers that call will not qualify to buy the homes they look at according to research from the National Association of Realtors.

Issue #2: Private Sellers must determine whether a buyer is looking or buying. For example someone who has a down payment, is pre-qualified for a mortgage loan and is unencumbered by another sale pending would be a real buyer.

Issue#3: Direct buyers shop private sellers to save the commission. Buyers know the seller isn't paying a commission to an agent. But the private seller also wants to save the commission. The problem is there is only one commission. Both the buyer and seller can't save the same commission, can they? In reality, the seller earns the commission they are trying to save by doing all the work themselves to get to a successful sale.

Issue#4: Private Sellers must know what questions to ask. When they do, direct buyers resent being asked personal and financial questions, don't they?

Issue#5: The law of supply and demand is stacked against the private seller. With multiple listing services there are hundreds and hundreds of dedicated , hard working agents on my team working with several good buyers. How many hot prospects does a private seller have?

Issue#6: The longer it takes to sell, the more money the private seller loses to cover advertising, mortgage payments, lawn maintenance, repairs, insurance and taxes.

Issue#7: It takes expertise to be familiar with all the complicated contracts involved in selling a property. Most sellers have not spent the time necessary to learn the legal aspects to complete these and would need to hire an attorney to aid the process.

Issue#8: When private sellers are away from the house their house is off the market as buyers can't get in to see it. In this market buyers are fussy, especially about their time. When they want to see a property, they want to see it now. They may find another house to buy in the meantime.

Issue#9: Indecisive buyers cannot be helped by private sellers. There are many, many decisions that buyers must make—from the price they want to offer to how to arrange financing to how much deposit they should give the seller with their offer.

Issue#10: Negotiating with strangers is difficult for private sellers. Agreeing on the price, deposits, which party is the attorney to represent and how long is necessary to close escrow is difficult for private sellers as they have so much at stake to be objective. Serious qualified buyers prefer objective advice from a neutral party.

Issue#11: Direct buyers can't get excited about a private sellers house until they get in to see it and even if they see it and love it, they can't show the private seller that they are excited about it for fear of losing their negotiating power.

Issue#12: Time is money. How much time does it take to sell a house by the average private sellers? And, how much money does it cost them? Only you know how much your time is worth.

The solution to all "The Dirty Dozen" is to call me for a no obligation consultation as to the best way to get you happily moved. I am determined to get you the most money, fastest sale, with no surprises! And remember-I don't cost one dime until your house is sold! Tom at 770-312-6729 or tom@ganorthrealty.com

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