I want to set the price of my house at $xxx,xxx because I need that much in order to move - A Self-Fulfilled Prophecy When Selling Your Kansas City Home

Renowned sociologist Robert Merton coined the expression “self-fulfilling prophecy.”

A self-fulfilling prophecy is in essence a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to come true.

For example Carmen wakes up in the morning, looks at herself in the mirror, and says, “What’s going to go wrong today? I’m sure something awful will happen today..” Sure enough Carmen’s day ends up in the dumper. Have you experienced this?

The same theory can translate into selling your Kansas City home. Are any of the following statements are ones that you have said?

I’ll try putting my home on the market.
I’ll sell my home if I can get my price.
I’ll make the repairs if or when I sell my home.
I’ll start packing if my home sells.
I want to set the price of my house at $xxx,xxx because I need that much in order to move.
My house will be on the market for a long time, so home buyers will just have to look past the clutter.
My house can’t be shown today, I’m busy.
I’m busy so my house can only be shown between 2 and 4 pm on weekdays.
I need 12 hours notice for weekday showings.

If you recognize having these declarations as something you have thought or said, then you probably will not be getting the results you want at closing.

What is lacking in each of those statements? Commitment, right?

If you are truly committed as a seller to selling your Kansas City home then you need to insure that you’re sending the right message. Is your home properly prepared to appeal to a wide range of buyers and shows perfectly? As a home seller, you need to fix deferred maintenance and declutter your home.  Homebuyers are viewing many homes, not just yours. They’re judging your home by comparing it to others. So what does this mean? Hire a repairman to fix minor repairs that could become major issues on an inspection. It also means start packing. Remove unnecessary items.

Next is your price set at market value, not at a number picked out of a hat or what you need? Would you pay thousands more for a car just because the dealership needed more out of it because they made a bad trade? I can see it now, Sam goes to an auto auction and finds a really sweet red sports car for his son. Rather than doing his research and bidding on the car according to what it is worth, which is $5,000, Sam bids $50,000. Sam just screwed up. Now, this doesn’t happen and it simply will not happen in real estate because home buyers have access to buyer’s agents, sales data and the home needs to pass an appraisal.


When selling your home, start out with a positive prophecy. My home shows and is priced to sell in 30 days.

Next, employ a real estate agent who has an aggressive marketing tactics to help reach your goal.

Do your part by making the home readily available for showings, even when it is inconvenient.

Why do home sellers who think positive get positive results? Because they are doing the small things to get their homes sold. They repair the wood rot, they replace the broken dishwasher, they pack the cluttered items, they keep the lawn mowed . . . Do you get the idea.

A couple years ago I had a string of 8 home sellers sell their homes within a couple days of burying a St. Joseph statue in their yard. Now did the St. Joseph statue help sell their home?

Probably not. The change was attitude.

If you are less than confident, your chances diminish greatly. The control over the success in selling your home is in your hands. The self-fulling prophecy isn’t something that is done to you.  You do it to yourself. Same is true with success in selling real estate in Kansas City.


RE/MAX sells more homes than any other real estate company.
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