Top Kansas City Real Estate Advice for 2012

Top Kansas City Real Estate Advice 

Real Estate Sales Advice

After being in the Kansas City  Real Estate business for the past twenty years I have been involved in all types of real estate markets. I have been through some real booming times like in the late 90's and more recently some of the most difficult times.

With these experiences I have continued to learn what makes a home sell for the most money, in the shortest period of time, with the least amount of headaches.

When I interview a potential seller client I like to share what works and what doesn’t. I like to be open and honest even if it is not what the home seller seller wants to hear. A “yes” man will never be a great real estate agent. Keeping this in mind here are the top home selling tips for Kansas City Real Estate.

Over Pricing A Kansas City home

The best piece of Kansas City home selling advice I can ever give any seller client is to price their home properly the first three weeks the home is on the market. That is when the most serious home buyers will look at it. You Do Not want the most serious home buyers think your home is Drastically Overpriced, do you?

Overpricing a home is one of the hardest things to overcome. In fact I tell people all the time that the price you set on a home is 75% of the marketing.

Often times I’m asked, “What does that mean, Chris?”

If a home seller sets the wrong price at the beginning all the marketing efforts in the world will never conteract a wrong price.

I could have a blimp above your home 24/7, place tv commercials on all of the local tv tations, place a front page ad on the Kansas City Star and I would still not get a buyer ready to buy an overpriced listing.
That means the  best online marketing, fantastic photography, beautiful brochures and fancy video tours aren’t going to mean squat if all the marketing is helping selling the competition. One of the sure fire ways to prevent your Kansas City home from being SOLD at “TOP DOLLAR” is to list it at a price that the market will not bear.  Most people don’t like to overpay for any kind of purchase, never mind one of their largest purchases like a home.

Many times home sellers pray that they will find the needle in the haystack buyer will pay an outrageous price for their home. In over 20 years of real estate I have seen it only 3 times.

Homes in Kansas City that are priced higher than their competition will ultimately help sell their competition. In the long run the home seller will eventually start chasing the real estate market and will eventually sell way below market if they want to sell bad enough.

Selling a property can become an emotionally event.  Many people think of their homes as an extension of who they are and their life time memories.  Our homes are places where some of the most important events and memories in our lives occur. From holiday gatherings, birthday parties, the baby’s first steps, to simple things like family meals. These are all special things to many of us.

When selling a home however, a home seller needs to take the emotion out of it and think of it strictly as a business transaction. Trust me I know this can be hard to do!

Keep in mind that market value is determined by what a motivated and qualified buyer is willing to pay for the home, not simply what a home seller feels it should be worth. The buyer will not care how much a home seller needs out of the sale in order to move. The home buyer will be carefully looking at comparable sales data.

The last thing you want as a seller is to let “the days on market” become inflated. Would you offer full price on a home that has been on the market 120+ days? I can tell you with certainty most home buyers will ask their Realtor how long has the home been on the market. Buyer’s do this because they want to know how much they can negotiate.

A home that has been on for a long time is inviting lower offers. Over the years I have met numerous sellers that I have explained this want to try a higher price because they have all the time in the world to sell. Then they get frustrated with low ball offers. Folks this is totally incorrect thinking. Real Estate time is a home sellers enemy NOT a home sellers friend. The longer it takes to sell a home the fewer dollars the home seller will be putting in their pocket.

Neglecting Necessary Home Repairs

In this challenging Kansas City Real Estate market otherwise known as a “buyers market” the condition of a home becomes critical. In a tough Real Estate environment the homes that need work are the homes that take a beating at the negotiating table. Buyer’s today are spoiled.

Home buyers do not want to lift a finger. They want to move into their home and that’s it. They look for turn-key properties where the owner has taken pride in the property. Buyer’s today have plenty of choices and they know it!

If there are items that need repair, the home buyer will discount the price in their offer to reflect the repairs. In many cases it is not an even exchange. If it cost $1000 to make the repair, the home buyer will discount their offer $2-3,000.

If a home seller puts themselves in the buyer’s shoes for a moment it would probably be pretty easy to see why they won’t settle for a home they need to invest a significant amount of time and money into when they can go down the street and find something else without these headaches.

Even Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are understanding this and fixing their foreclosure homes and still selling their homes at a discount.
If a homeowner has a significant amount of issues in their home they need to be prepared for a second round of negotiations after the buyer does a home inspection.

Neglecting To Stage and Prepare For Sale

There are times where some home sellers just don’t have the money to make repairs for some major items. I understand that. These homeowners should not neglect the appeal and showing condition of the rest of the home.

First and foremost the home should be decluttered. The term “de-clutter” is one that is often used in Real Estate circles. If a home seller has no where to put the items in the home to maximize the appearance I would suggest either putting them in storage or getting a temporary solution such as PODS. PODS are the containers that allow a home seller can use to store items right on the property in a compact container.

Making sure the home shows well is an absolute necessity in a competitive market. If home seller doesn't have the time or the inclination they may want to hire a professional home stager to take care of really putting the a nice showing touch to the home.

One of the things that will bring the biggest bang for a home sellers buck if needed is painting and cleaning the carpets. First impressions are critical. A fresh coat of paint on walls and wood work; as well as, clean floors can dramatically change how the potential home buyers will view the home. A home seller will want to stay as neutral as possible. Light earth tones work really well when selling a home. Look to appeal to the masses! This is the reason a home seller will see many of the national home builders hiring professional decorators to assist with the design and staging details.

One last tip is to eliminate any odd decor items that may appeal to your unique sense of style, but which may appear strange to buyers.

Getting Hung Up On The Small Stuff

There are times in my real estate career where sellers get worked up over some of the most minute issues. It could be the buyer has just rubbed them the wrong way and because of it they loose focus. A few times over the years I have seen home sellers almost blow an entire deal over $100. That is right, a small $100 repair.


When a home seller is selling their home they need to keep the big picture in mind rather than allowing themselves to get hung up on the small issues.  Is it really worth blowing the sale over a cheap repair or because the home buyer wants to bring the family back by the home before closing?

Trying To Sell A Kansas City Home For Sale By Owner

Nationally, over 86% of all homes listed “for sale by owner” end up failing to sell, They then list with a real estate agent. 75% of the FSBO’s that do sell, nationally, involve a real estate agent.  Clearly, this is a very poor success rate which gets even worse in tougher times. FSBO's fail becuase they improperly priced their home, lacked an online marketing program and provided little accessibility to the home.

To be sure, there can be exceptions, such as when a FSBO is in a great area with high visibility such as a main road. But then who is offering “TOP DOLLAR” on a home which sits on a busy street?

If a Kansas City home owner decides to “go it alone”, keep in mind that they are responsible for screening everyone that sees the house, and for being available during the day for showings and then making sure the buyer is qualified. These are all details that a Real Estate agent can and will handle for you. In addition, the home owner is responsible for proper disclosures and negotiating.

Choosing The Wrong Realtor

Other than over pricing a home sellers their home the next biggest mistake that many home sellers make is picking the WRONG Realtor to represent their best interest. 

The problem is that many home owners think all Realtors do the same things to sell their Kansas City home. This could not be further from the truth! Even real estate agents from the same companies don't do the same task to sell homes. Trust me there are some great real estate agents and others that are absolutely clueless.

If a home seller chooses the wrong Realtor to list their home, it is a difficult mistake to overcome during the sales process.  If the real estate agent has pushy or argumentative personality run the other way! Above all else choose and honest and ethical agent.

Some real estate agents will mislead homeowners by giving them an inflated value for their Kansas City home in order to get the homeowner to list their home with them. These real estate agents then brow beat the home seller for price reductions for the remainder of the contract until the home sells.

Primarily, a homeowner wants someone who is friendly, loyal, honest, and who has their best needs in mind. Having someone who knows market values inside and out is really important. The real estate agent a homeowner hires should be making sure the homeowner understands what homes are in competition and how to properly price the home.

Choose a real estate agent by their personality and skills. Not by what they say the home is worth..
Lastly, an agent with great marketing skills is worth their weight in gold. Make sure the real estate agent chosen knows how to market homes in Kansas City. Try googling their name or team name. Chances are if they can’t market themselves, they will not be able to market real estate.

Not Giving Buyers Access or Having Accompanied Showings

Home buyers should not be made to work around a home sellers schedule. If it is a reasonable time of day LET THEM LOOK.  Even if things are in disarray, LET THEM LOOK.  Even if the buyer’s agent doesn’t give any notice, LET THEM LOOK. Every showing missed or moved around is a lost opportunity that may NEVER come back. I can’t even count how many times over the years where a seller refused a showing and a buyer never made it back to the house because they found something else before doing so!

Although we like real estate agents to call for showings the day before they happen (or at least several hours ahead of time), there are times when a buyer will spot a sign or see something online and want to see it right away.  I have even seen times when a buyers agent is driving a home buyer through the neighborhood and the buyer wants to stop and look at a home. Sometimes this is the home the home buyer ends up buying.  Keep that in mind when listing.

In addition, home buyers never feel at ease when the homeowner is hovering around them.  LET THE HOME BUYER LOOK on their terms.  If concerned about valuables, lock them up somewhere. Most importantly a lock box is highly advisable! Don’t make a real estate agent NOT want to show.

And Lastly, My Home Buyer Tip: Viewing the Right Homes


Many times during a typical week I will get a call from a home buyer on one of my real estate signs or ads. Often times after asking a few questions, I will notice that the home buyer is calling on a home out of their price range and out of the area they desired.


Sometimes it is because the home buyer is dreaming to find a larger home in their price range or they really have no idea what they want.


That is ok.


Home buyers should spend more time researching and hiring a buyers agent as they did day dreaming. The tools at the access of a real estate agent are nothing compared to the tools a home buyer has at their disposal.


Rather than finding the agent who just happened to have the next home listed, a home buyer should determine their needs and wants and find a real estate agent who can deliver those needs and wants in the time frame required.




Hope my Kansas City Real Estate Advice helps. If you would like to discuss how we can help you over a cup of coffee of tea, feel free to contact us.




RE/MAX sells more homes than any other real estate company.
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Blog post written by the Dowell Taggart Team of RE/MAX Premier Realty 

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