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How to Avoid Real Estate Expired Listing

Posted Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Real estate listing contracts usually last several months. Six months is standard, but some agents may agree to only three months. No matter how long the contract to sell real estate is, both you and your agent want to avoid an expired listing. When that happens, the agent doesn't get paid, and you are stuck with a home that hasn't sold. Here are some tips to avoid an expired listing.

Listen to your agent
Though your agent may have a contract for six months, he or she would much rather sell your house in six weeks or six days. The faster your home gets sold, the less time and money your agent has to spend and the more money he or she will make. That means any advice you get is going to be focused on getting your home sold quickly and for as much money as possible. If your agent tells you to list it for a certain price, for example, that's likely the price he or she feels will get you the quickest sale for the most money, so you should heed that advice.

Stage your home properly
Pricing your home correctly is only one factor in getting it sold in a reasonable amount of time and avoiding an expired listing. You also have to make your home look as appealing as possible. This means doing a thorough cleaning, decluttering and staging the rooms by placing furniture in correct places and ensuring the right pieces are in the right rooms.

Seriously consider all offers
Many home sellers get frustrated by low-ball offers, but if you want to avoid an expired listing, you have to take all offers seriously. Counter each offer at least once, no matter how ridiculously low it may seem. Some home buyers simply like to test the waters to see how good of a deal they can get and may sober up once they realize they have no chance of getting the deal of the year. If your counter offer is met by another ridiculous offer, then move on. But if the buyers are serious, their second offer will be much more realistic.

It does take a little bit of luck to sell real estate, but most of what goes into a successful home sale is a lot of work and doing all the right things. If you follow these tips you should sell your home and avoid an expired listing.