Everybody has probably seen plenty of articles on the web giving advice about how to sell a house, some written by real estate agents and some by so-called “experts.” Do you ever wonder what information you still need to learn about how to sell a house? I can tell you this, after selling many houses over the last three decades it’s obvious that every seller has his or her own different experiences and, therefore, his or her different opinions as well. Let me put it this way, whatever experience you may be having selling your own house directly influences what you think about selling houses in general. That’s just human nature, we can’t help drawing conclusions our own way. It’s what most people do unconsciously whenever they accumulate some personal experience on any subject. And naturally, since I have accumulated decades of experience on the subject of how to sell a house, my articles on the subject certainly come from personal experience, too.
I’m guessing that most of you are curious, and wondering what I have to share about how to sell a house. And I’ll bet you’re wondering if I’m just another one of self-proclaimed “experts” on the web. Well, hopefully when you finish reading this article you will be able to judge for yourself. My purpose here is to convince sellers to remember that they are totally responsible for selling their own houses. That may sound strange coming from a real expert, but believe it or not this is the crucial difference between being and expert and being a novice. The crucial difference is taking responsibility yourself.
Of course other people can help you sell your house, that’s a given. But whenever you decide to delegate a portion of your personal responsibility to agents, brokers, attorneys, bankers or various employees of title companies, you can never delegate all of the responsibility to others. The first lesson in how to sell a house is: remember that the homeowner is always responsible for the sale. This is crucial point to absorb when you’re accumulating ideas about how to sell your house. As I said before, real estate professionals are available to help you sell your house, but their specialized knowledge does not give them what you have. You have great personal motivation and a strong personal drive to sell your house. You’ll be disappointed if you expect even the most professional real estate agents or attorneys to feel the pressure of selling a house that belongs to you. They have skills and abilities to contribute, but they don’t have the personal need to sell the house, not like the personal need you feel.
How does this basic reality affect you as the seller? It is a wake-up call for you. Now you know that anybody you hire to assist you is merely helping you, not replacing you. Make it your own job to follow up on details, and to take the blame, refusing to blame others when your house has not yet sold. Perhaps you haven’t chosen the right people to assist you, or perhaps you didn’t put enough time into the project yourself. What is comes down to is this - you have got to feel the full weight of the responsibility, and you must care about it. That is the best advice you’ll ever receive on the subject of how to sell a house. Now, you may not like it very well. You may choose to delegate all the marketing, selling and closing activities that come along with selling a house. Just remember that the buck stops with you whenever you are the seller, and you are the one who will ultimately win or lose the sale of your home.