Sweetening the Deal May Help Sell Your House

October 28, 2017 by Paul Ausick

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Reaching an agreement on price may seem like the end of the home sale process, but as that wise philosopher Yogi Berra once noted, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” The buyer may want something else that was not part of the contract. As a seller, you have to decide if you want to part with the item in order to make the sale.

This back-and-forth is not unusual in high-end properties where custom decorations are typical. A unique chandelier or a piano that fits perfectly in a room may be something that a buyer wants the seller to throw in with the sale.

If you are prepared for this eventuality, you are in a much better position to conclude the sale, according to a report at Realtor.com. A savvy buyer might figure out that it will be a pain for you to move that high-dollar chandelier and ask that you throw that in as a last sweetener to close the sale.

If you want to keep the chandelier, your best bet would be to replace it before you show the house. Depending on the asking price for the house, you probably won’t be able to replace a $25,000 chandelier with a $200 version from the local hardware store, but you may be able to find a suitable replacement for a lot less than the price of the one you want to keep.

Agents generally warn sellers that throwing in extra high-priced items from the beginning — say a $50,000 Porsche in the garage — is not a good idea. If your idea is to use the car as a lure to seriously wealthy buyers, you might, in fact, be turning potential buyers away.

Realtor.com suggests that you decide in advance if there are any items you absolutely want to take with you and make it clear from the beginning that they will not be included in the sale. Everything else is fair game to sweeten the deal and put more cash in your pocket.

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