Lipstick on a Pig: Selling the Property You Should Never Have Bought

Lots of properties have some kind of problem with them. Maybe you bought in full recognizance because of something else about the property, but probably not. Mostly it's directly a result of not spending the effort to find a good buyer's agent. But whatever the cause, you're stuck with the property, and you've decided to sell it, but just like everyone else you want to get the best possible price.

Welcome to Bigger Fool Real Estate. That property is your problem. You want it to become someone else's problem. I'm speaking now as a listing agent, responsible to get the best bargain for the sellers. Getting a good bargain for the buyers is not the listing agent's responsibility. I have to tell the truth, but my responsibility is to get the property sold on the best possible terms. If I was your buyer's agent, things would be different, but right now I am postulating that I am not. (I don't do dual agency. Ever.)

I'm going to write about property with problems, but this is equally true of the property that doesn't have upgrades that competing properties do. People don't understand that upgrades get old, the same as the rest of the house, and they are attracted to them and will often pay outrageous prices for them. You need to discuss ways to effectively compete for buyers with your listing agent. A good agent is the difference between making it happen for you on favorable terms and not at all, but you've got to be willing and able to help with the necessary steps.

The first thing is to know is that you're definitely going to have to disclose the issue, and where and when you have to disclose it. Plan for it. It's amazing how often handling the disclosure right can gloss right over what might otherwise be a deal killer. People won't spend the utterly trivial amount of effort to find the good buyer's agent who will save them because they don't understand it's important. This can work to your advantage. This is one of several reasons you need a sharp listing agent.

If you've got an issue that might drive off buyers, you need more prospective buyers than otherwise, because you're going to lose a larger than normal percentage of them. As any buyer's agent knows, people aren't looking for a reason to buy your property, they are looking for a reason not to buy your property. Every property loses a percentage of prospective buyers, and even if they can't put their finger on why, properties with issues lose more prospective buyers. The way to even this out is an asking price just enough lower to draw extra interest. Most buyers are silly about low asking prices, and the more people who view your property, the more chances you have to get a buyer who doesn't care, or who thinks the lower asking price is enough compensation. If you don't price the property thusly, it'll sit on the market and you'll end up getting even less for it, if it sells at all. If you do price appropriately lower, a good percentage of the time you're even going to get two or more prospective buyers bidding the price back up a small amount. A good agent can advise you on this - what is enough to work and what's too much. It is not a matter of cut and try - you've got to get it right in the first place if want optimum results. In the situation we're talking about, you want and need lots of people looking at your property.

Clean and declutter the property. Make it shine as much as you can otherwise. Visual appeal $ell$. The situation you're looking for is a buyer who doesn't realize the problem exists, and good visual appeal can distract them from reasons not to buy your property. Avoid turning people off when you don't have to. Equally important, make seeing the property as easy as you possibly can. This is always important, but in a situation like this, it's critical. Moving out is an especially good idea in this case, if you can afford to do so, particularly if you've got children or pets.

Take good pictures for MLS and the advertising. People, particularly ones with weak or no buyer's agent, are silly about attractive pictures. Even otherwise perfectly rational ones who are aware of trick photography and Photoshop. Sometimes, they'll make up their mind they want the property before they actually see it, just from the pictures. They'll still want to look, but they're not careful. Lots of turkeys get sold this way. I don't advise trick photography or Photoshop, by the way - people will realize you were attempting to play them. But picking your shots and vantage points carefully can show even awful properties to good advantage.

De-emphasize anything that may point out your undesirable features or call attention to them. Don't try to hide it, but you don't want to call attention to it, either. Most people have holes in their perceptive ability big enough to sail multiple ocean liners abreast, particularly when it comes to looking at property. If one buyer spots it, the next one or the one after won't. This is why you want more people looking at your property than the absolutely perfect property next door.

Make sure the property is advertised where it will draw attention. You need a quick sale. You don't want people wondering why it's got a large number of days on the market - then they go looking for reasons why nobody else bought. Lots of people aren't interested in anything that's been on the market over thirty days, as in they won't even look at the listing online. If you fool yourself about property value for even a short period of time, or aren't willing to do what is necessary to begin with, you can cost yourself literally thousands of dollars for every dollar you think you're saving.

Know what kind of buyer are you looking for - unrepresented ones without agents, or ones where their agent is just trying to crank a transaction. Make certain they're able to qualify for any necessary loan before accepting their offer, however, because a large percentage of these can't, meaning you are wasting your time. The competently advised buyer who is ready to deal with your issue is a distinct second choice, because they're not going to offer as much, and they're going to walk away if you try to insist they pay what the property isn't worth.

The worst of all possible worlds is someone who insists upon perfection who suddenly realizes the property isn't perfect partway through the transaction - because they're going to bail out, and you may not get any compensation for them wasting your time and running your time on market counter.

To the maximum extent possible, just ignore whatever problem issues your property may have. Don't lie, and if someone directly asks, don't pretend it isn't there, but don't bring anybody's attention to it, and don't act like it's important, and you'd be amazed how often prospective buyers will pay attention to your attitude rather than anything else. You would be amazed how often unrepresented buyers, and buyers whose agents are trying to crank a transaction, never notice something that should be a deal killer, or don't pay proper attention to it. Actually you shouldn't - because that's probably what happened to you.

If you're in the position of needing to sell to a Bigger Fool, it's not an impossible task, but it is one where you've got to get it right the first time, and you need a sharp agent who knows what they're doing. A discounter or someone who just hangs out a sign in the yard is going to cost you more than you could possibly save over the more expensive agent who actually makes it happen on good terms.

If you're a buyer, none of these techniques are in any way a secret. They are in widespread use. If this bothers you, the best way to prevent it from happening to you is get someone who is going to point these issues out and compare them to other properties. In other words, Get yourself a good buyer's agent before you start looking. And if they won't point out these sort of issues, they're not a good buyer's agent and you should stop working with them and find another agent who will. These folks are trying to unload their problems, and you don't want to be their Bigger Fool.

Caveat Emptor