How One Conversation Can Kill The Sale of a Home.

Estate agents and private home sellers who are not aware of the power of a conversation are losing out on home sales everyday, and sadly they will not know why. Typically the seller who has lost the attention of a potential buyer will have thought this was purely down to the property on offer. The seller or agent may have thought that the price was not low enough or even that the buyer was not serious about the purchase, in fact in many cases it may have been down to the individual selling the home, blissfully unaware that it was their conversation that lost the sale. I am going to explain how you should converse with a potential buyer and how a seller can have a profound effect on the likelihood of a sale.

You can change someone's life.

Selling a home yourself without an agent will mean direct contact with a buyer and for property professionals this contact is a daily occurrence. Both need to appreciate the power of the spoken word. Buying and selling a home is recognised as one of the most stressful things a person can do, get it right and you are on the pathway to happiness, get it wrong and it could be the biggest mistake of your life. Home sellers need to learn that they are in a position of power, a buyer thinks you may have something they want and you could be about to change their lives. No wonder a buyer will hang on to each and every word.

Stand by your beds it's inspection time.

You may have the home staged and ready, you have compared like for like to ensure your property pricing is competitive, you have looked at the competition and are confident that your proposition is at its best, you have sent lots of photos of the home to avoid wasted viewings. The property you are going to sell is ready for inspection and you feel confident that the people that view it will love it. Now prepare how you will interact with a potential buyer, miss out this preparation and you may fail.

First conversations can prepare you for a sale.

Your first contact with a buyer should be a factual summary of the home with an offer to provide more information by email or printed details, it should also be about learning about your potential buyer. When you show an interest in your buyer's situation it is the start of a relationship. Knowing a buyer's situation not only shows interest in them as an individual but gives you away in to glean vital information. In an ideal housing market you could have 5 buyers all making the same offer to buy your home, all for the same price. The most powerful buyer is the one that has had a mortgage approved or cash in the bank with no home to sell. They are ready to go! This is your dream buyer and you should be more flexible in your negotiations with this type of buyer. Learning that your buyer has difficulty selling their home or has been looking for months for the right home should sound alarm bells.

Find out what they are looking for give them what they want.

A conversation in which you learn why a buyer is moving and what they have looked at before is crucial to your sale. Learning this information before a viewing can mean you targeting your potential buyer and providing information that they want to hear. For example, if the buyer is seeking a move from the city to start a family a conversation about local schools and access to the countryside will go down a treat. Knowing a local home owner who has moved into your area for the exact same reasons would be great to include in your conversation. It will most definitely play on the buyer's mind that this is an achievable goal and that the house you sell is part of it.

Keeping positive conversations is crucial!

Home owners selling their homes maybe doing so for a many reasons, unfortunately when these are conveyed to a buyer they can kill the sale. Clearly know why you are selling your home and how this will sound to a potential buyer is important. Imagine being a buyer met by statements such as

"The house is too small and we have out grown it" "We want to move to a better area it's not how it used to be" "Travelling to work from here is a nightmare" "The house is getting a bit tired" "I hate my neighbour"

These statements may seem obvious but you will be surprised how easily they can come out of a simple conversation. Unguarded comments like these will not help your cause no matter how perfect the home is.

When DIY is not a positive conversation.

Being proud of the shed that you built or even the conservatory is not a selling point. The conversation may make you feel good but it may spark doubt in the buyers mind about the quality of workmanship. Professionally built features will always be better than a buyer keen to show off their do it yourself skills.

Silence is golden.

During a viewing some house sellers are compelled to fill the air with their voices, sometimes this leads to information that may only serve to put a buyer off. Buyers like silence, remember for them it's a lot to take in so no verbal onslaughts it risks a negative effect.

Agents no pressure please.

Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions a person can make and trying to drag a buyer to contract is not going to make for a successful sale. When a buyer makes a decision about a property they have done so on a gut reaction, a feeling that this is the one. Dismissing buyers negative comments will not lead to a sale for most agents. How would you feel if an agent said that you desire for a home that is double glazed was unnecessary. This conversation could not only lose this sale but potential sales of other homes the agent may on their books.

You have the power.

When selling a home it is more than mere bricks and mortar that is being sold it is a potential future lifestyle and a huge financial commitment. Buyers are extremely sensitive and the power of your words cannot be underestimated enough. To improve your skills with this sort of interaction do some self analysis. Ask yourself not only what went wrong but what went well with each interaction, and you will master the art of conversation that will help sell property.


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Nicholas Marr has written hundreds of articles concerning housing and finance related topics.His unique insight comes from the fact that he has been helping home sellers market their homes from numerous websites such as http://www.thelittlehousecompany.co.uk . He is the director of his own property marketing company and comments for the British media.