I think it's in the Bible where it says children should be seen and not heard. Today I'm going to extend that advice to those of you currently (or about to be) selling your home. The reality is that most of us are not trained salespeople. We don't have the years of experience and smooth savvy of "Big Tom Callahan". We have encouraged sellers in the past to allow their real estate professionals to handle the showings and the subsequent questions. I'd like to share a few items today that might help keep you out of trouble if your agent is not around and you're stuck talking with those potential buyers.

First and foremost I would never encourage anyone to be dishonest. There are certain things that you are required by law to disclose about your home and there are other things that you may just feel more comfortable telling those potential buyers so your conscience is clear. I support both of those fully and any real estate agent worth their salt is going to support you on them as well. Hiding something or risking the deal falling through due to a hidden (required) disclosure is not going to do anything for anybody. So be honest.

Moving on from that high horse, let's talk about some phrases from which you should steer clear. The first is "our home is in perfect condition". Let's be honest, even if you just nailed the last nail on the last piece of trim in your brand new house, it already has imperfections. "Every house has items that can be adjusted, repaired or simply improved on," notes Badger Peabody & Smith Realty (formerly Badger Realty) agent, Peter Pietz. "Don't risk foot-in-mouth disease with this phrase because someone will most certainly find the flaw," he continued. Just focus on material facts about the home and maybe its history. Stick to our old friend Joe Friday's quote: "Just the facts ma'am" (although I just learned he never actually said that. - look it up!).

It's been on the market for x days/weeks/months is another phrase you'll want to stay away from. This is actually information that is publicly available so you don't need to feel obligated to blab it. This is especially true if you've been sitting on the house for a few months now (not very likely in this market!). A home being on the market tells the buyers two things. It is potentially a white elephant and there's something wrong with it and/or they will get a smokin' deal and can throw you a low-ball offer. This is another reason it is always (always!) the best option to not be at the home during showings. You can't say the wrong thing if you're not there.

I don't care if you slap on a brand new roof every 6 months. Don't say that you have never had a problem with a leaky roof. The trick here is to not talk about things that have never happened. We have never had funky neighbors. We have never had an issue with pests, flooded basements or racoons in the attic. Any statement like this is just begging to come back and bite you in the bum. I don't know the legal ramifications of lying about things that are actually wrong with the house. I just know if you say the basement never flooded and the day after closing there's 3 feet of water down there, you're going to wish you had kept your mouth closed.

The buyers don't need to know (read: don't care at all) about the grand plans you had for renovating x, y, or z. As soon as you start pontificating about knocking that wall down to make more room or adding a window over there to get more light, you're causing trouble. Not only are you boring the buyers (note up above where we learned they don't care about your plans!), but you are also highlighting areas that need improvement. You are basically highlighting the areas of the home that you like the least and are showing the buyers how much work they will have to do to make the house "right".

Lastly for today, if you actually DID do some fancy renovations, the buyers don't care how much you spent. Bragging (or lamenting) about the cost of the hardwood floors or the appliances simply shows desperation on your part. It signals to the buyers that you are working really hard to justify the price you have set. At the end of the day the buyers are only going to offer what they feel the home is worth to them. This is one of the primary reasons we always encourage homeowners to clearly evaluate the remodeling project they are undertaking. If you are doing it for yourself, go nuts and let that freak flag fly! If you are intending to sell, make all of your decisions based on that generic potential buyer.

As I wrote each one of the paragraphs above, I kept hearing in my head "Sellers should never be home during a showing". I stand by that statement as I sit at the end of the article. Real estate professionals are trained and experienced in handling the sales process. Equally important is the fact that you are paying them to provide this service for you. Go for a hike or get some errands done, but don't be there. Let them do their awesome work and chances are very good that your home will sell faster without you being involved. Happy hiking!