Don’t Say These 6 Things When Trying to Sell Your House

Don’t Say These 6 Things When Trying to Sell Your House

When you sell your house, there are many rules in place about what sellers are required to disclose to buyers. In fact there is a whole document, the Seller’s Disclosure, which requires sellers to inform buyers of things such as lead paint, asbestos, and how old your roof is.

With all the requirements it can start to feel like as the seller you can and should share everything with the buyer. However, you should always avoid saying the following 6 things when trying to sell your house:

1. Perfect Condition

It doesn’t matter how well you have kept up on the maintenance, or how many updates you have made, you never want to claim that your house is in “perfect condition.” While it sounds like a nice thing to mention, it is almost never true. If the home inspection turns up anything, which they usually do, you will look like you were trying to mislead the buyer.

2. How Long the House Has Been on the Market

This information is readily available to buyers, but you never want to bring it up in conversation. If your house has been on the market for months it can make buyers begin to wonder why no one else has been interested in buying it.

Let the buyers find this information on their own if it is something they are concerned about.

3. Any White Lie

You may consider yourself an honest person, but many sellers are tempted to tell little white lies, such as “we have never had a problem with the plumbing,” when that is not in fact true. There are many ways that buyers can find out the truth and by lying about it you could take on additional liability.

When you trying to sell your house, always disclose what you know.

4. We Always Wanted to…

Every homeowner has a list of things they would love to do with their house “someday.” It might be taking down the wall between the kitchen and living room, or adding on a master suite.

Whatever your list was, keep it to yourself. Mentioning these things will bring them to the buyer’s attention and can make them think about the extra expenses they will have to take on to have the work done.

5. How Much Something Cost

Buyers don’t care how much you spent on the upgrades in your house. They might appreciate that it is there, but you can’t expect to recoup the amount that you spent. There is never a reason to mention the price, unless the buyer is asking specifically about it.

Mentioning expensive upgrades could be a turnoff for a buyer that doesn’t want to have to spend additional money if they need to make a repair.

6. I won’t accept less than…

There might be a number that you are not able to go below, but you don’t need to disclose that to the buyers. And, it is important to remember that even though you may want a certain amount, it doesn’t mean that you are going to be able to obtain it.

Loose lips sink ships and saying too much can kill a real estate deal faster than you can imagine. Always disclose the information that you are required to, but keep the rest of it to yourself. Knowing what not to say is as important as knowing what you need to say when it comes time to sell your house.