Follow Michelle Linkedin Twitter Facebook
Email Michelle Email
Residential Real Estate
Oct 15, 2014

How To Avoid ‘Deal-Breakers’ When Selling Your Home

Sponsored Content provided by Michelle Clark - Realtor/Broker, Intracoastal Realty

Anyone who’s ever sold a home knows that great feeling when a buyer makes a good offer. But before that offer becomes a sales contract, a problem might come up that could kill the deal. Knowing about the most common “deal-breakers” can prepare you either to head them off or to solve them quickly, before the buyer walks away.

These potential pitfalls fit into three broad categories: financial, physical and psychological. You may not be able to do much about human nature, but problems in the other categories can be managed.

Two financial obstacles can usually be avoided up front.

Poor pre-qualification means the buyer can’t get a mortgage for the sale price. And that means the offer doesn’t have much value.

A good way to avoid wasted time, and missed opportunities to get offers from other buyers, is to ask for a pre-qualification letter as soon as you get an offer. This comes from the buyer’s mortgage provider. It’s based on such important factors as the buyer’s income, debt load and credit ratings. The letter will tell you what price range the buyer can afford.

An appraisal that doesn’t match the offering price can stop a sale in its tracks. While a disappointing appraisal won’t always kill a deal, it will require reopening the negotiation to lower the price, or force the buyer to come up with more cash for a down payment. The best way to avoid this problem is to be realistic about your asking price. Trust your Realtor to advise you about what comparable properties are worth.

The house’s physical condition can also be a barrier to closing the deal. A house needing significant repairs can make a buyer walk. Physical flaws have to be corrected, or at least factored into the sale price. Sometimes a buyer with high expectations will insist that every small issue be fixed. And sometimes sellers will dig in their heels and refuse to correct problems discovered late in the sales process.

I advise that any major repairs needed be made in advance, at the seller’s expense. These almost always pay for themselves. The higher asking price for a home in excellent condition will more than cover the cost of repairs. This work also makes it more likely that a good offer will get made sooner.

A seller can stay in front of this issue by hiring a home inspector to discover anything that might be a problem. I have more to say about home inspections in an article from March 2014.

One important area a home inspector will check out is the crawl space. This out-of-sight, out-of-mind area can be a problem if it has excessive moisture. That can encourage termites or mold, or lead to structural decay. All of these, obviously, are problems a buyer doesn’t want to worry about. An inspection will tell you whether the source is from an external drainage issue, a plumbing leak or dripping air conditioner, or just dampness rising from the soil. Each of these problems is easily correctable with a little advance notice.

The final reason deals fall through, unfortunately, isn’t as easy to solve. People can be unpredictable. Buyer’s remorse, conflicts between a couple, or other impossible-to-predict human-nature issues can also make the best-looking deal fall apart without warning.

For those problems, we just have to be philosophical, tell ourselves it wasn’t meant to be, and move on. We’ll find you the right buyer!

Have a question about buying, selling or any other real estate matter? Let me know and I’ll address it in a future article.

Michelle Clark is a broker with Intracoastal Realty, based at the Wrightsville Beach office. She is an Accredited Luxury Home Specialist, ALHS and also a Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource. Whether you are buying, selling, or investing, know that Michelle and her team will go the extra mile for you. To learn more about Michelle and Intracoastal, go to www.intracoastalrealty.com. You may contact Michelle at [email protected] or 910-367-9767. Like Michelle’s team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MichelleClarkTeam.

Other Posts from Michelle Clark

Michelleclark 72522110843
Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
Chris coudriet

A Public Service Profile on Creating Beauty in Our Community

Chris Coudriet - New Hanover County Government
Untitleddesign4

Paving the Way to Better City Streets

Tony Caudle - City of Wilmington
Pfinder john zachary

What You Need to Know About SECURE 2.0 and Its Effect on Individual Retirement Accounts

John B Zachary - Pathfinder Wealth Consulting

Trending News

Conservation Group Signs $8M Deal To Buy The Point On Topsail Island

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

National Organization Bestows Top Award On Cape Fear Professional Women In Building

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

Engineering Firm Hires Four Employees

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

N.C. Ports Officials React To Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

NCino's Fourth-quarter Earnings Signal Rebound From Liquidity Crisis

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 27, 2024

In The Current Issue

Park Progress

The planning for Pender Commerce Park began in the early 2000s when the county wanted to create an economic driver on its largely rural west...


Q&A: Andrews Reflects On Leadership

Pender County Manager David Andrews is slated to retire this summer after 33 years in local government....


Berries, A Battlefield And More In Pender

The N.C. Blueberry Festival, founded in 2003, is one of several events in Pender County that have drawn more attention over the years....

Book On Business

The 2024 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.

Order Your Copy Today!


Galleries

Videos

2023 Power Breakfast: Major Developments