Introduction to 5 Installments: Selling your home is no small matter, and since I’ve been in the real estate business going back four decades and transitioned from traditional marketing to powerful Internet marketing technologies, I’ve seen a lot of changes. While consumers are quite aware of the changes in how they search for homes and do online research, and how they do not respond to old print advertising and other worn out sales gimmicks, the real estate industry itself has lagged far behind. I’ve watched too many good people get caught up in the nonsense of agents’ gimmicks and listing presentations. Having written many books for buyers, I finally could not contain myself any longer, and I decided to share what I’ve learned that home owners definitely would want to know if only someone would tell them. This is the fifth installment of five from my book, The Seven Myths of Selling Your Home.
I should add that the number of years in the profession do not an expert make. One must be teachable and constantly learning in order to grow personally and professionally. One could be in the business for 20 or 30 years and still lack knowledge and wisdom. Even a homeowner who has bought and sold a few homes is far from an expert. It is normal to gain a false sense of confidence after a few successes. Many homeowners do have a strong foundation of knowledge on some aspects of buying and selling. But even a room full of homeowners who have each mastered some aspect of selling real estate still may not put it all together in a comprehensive way.
Remember the legend of the blind men who described an elephant? The story is worth recalling here. Once upon a time, there lived six blind men in a village. One day the villagers told them, “Hey, there is an elephant in the village today.” They had no idea what an elephant is. They decided to go and touch the elephant so they could figure out what an elephant is. “The elephant is a pillar,” said the first man who touched a leg. “Oh, no! It is like a rope,” said the second man who touched the tail. “Oh, no! It is like a thick branch of a tree,” said the third man who touched the trunk of the elephant. “It is like a big hand fan” said the fourth man who touched the ear of the elephant. “It is like a huge wall,” said the fifth man who touched the belly of the elephant. “It is like a solid pipe,” said the sixth.
If six homeowners watched the sales process of the same home from beginning to end, each of them would almost certainly tell a different story. Based on their individual knowledge and life experiences, they would focus on different aspects of the process, and they would emphasize different parts of that process as most important. Each one would probably walk away with a different lesson on selling homes, but even those beliefs would be limited by their abilities to accurately interpret events.
I’ve heard homeowners explain how they would advertise to qualified buyers, but then listened while they talked about advertising in all the wrong places. I’ve talked to other homeowners who knew exactly where they would advertise if they had the ability, and yet they did not have a clue when it comes to negotiating. I’ve talked to homeowners who knew precisely how much their home should be listed for, and others who insisted on listing for $100,000 more than it was worth. I’ve talked to homeowners who knew how to compare real estate agents, and others who thought they did but clearly did not. I’ve worked with homeowners who did everything right, and others who sabotaged their own sale.
Here’s what’s so fascinating, and one of the compelling reasons I wrote this book. All of these homeowners were equally convinced they were right. Every single one. What is The Goal of Every Home Seller? I can’t reach every homeowner who thinks about selling their home, but I can help some who read this book, and I can help them achieve their goal. What is the goal of every home seller? It is to sell their home for the highest possible price in the least amount of time. Myths can hinder that process or even kill the chances of selling a home.
But I’ve learned that there is one more unspoken goal of every home seller. It is to get their home sold with the least amount of stress. No homeowner wants to experience nightmares and extreme stress, but many of the common myths can contribute to nightmare scenarios and stress. The purpose of this book is to save you time and money and stress as you list and sell your home.
I sincerely hope that my experience in real estate will help you make wise decisions that will enrich you as you move into the next exciting phase of your life. If you do find this book helpful, please email me at: chuckmarunde@gmail.com and let me know.
This is Part 5 of 5 installments. For more information about my book, which you can get in either the Kindle version or the paperback version, you can preview it on Amazon at The Seven Myths of Selling Your Home.
Last Updated on August 3, 2022 by Chuck Marunde
