Be careful what you post during your house hunt or sale
Social media is everywhere and if one type of social media isn’t your thing, there’s probably another style that does suit you. Whether you prefer Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube, or any other platform, you should be careful what you post during your house hunt or sale of your home. You never know how something that you post on your profile can get out to the world. No matter how tight you think the security is on your profile, your friends or followers have the ability to share your posts with their friends/followers and a post that you intended to be kept in your circle has now gotten out and could get to the person you would most not want to see it – the seller or your buyer. Remember that whatever you post on the internet stays on the internet. A saying that I rather like is, “the internet never forgets”. Once you post it, even if you delete it, the internet may still be able to find it and that includes social media posts.
Be careful sellers – posting your frustration over multiple showings but no offer, the time it’s taking to sell the house, how demanding the buyers are during the inspection process, what price you are willing to accept, issues with the home that could be viewed as a defect by a buyer, etcetera, can possibly be seen by potential buyers or the buyers to whom you are selling the house. You never know who knows whom.
And the same goes for buyers! Posting your frustration over denied showings, the condition of a particular house, what your negotiating strategy is on your offer, how difficult the seller is being during the inspection process, what your plans are for the house before the closing has taken place, disclosing price of your accepted offer, etcetera, can possibly be seen by the seller of the home you are purchasing and could come back to bite you – especially during the negotiation process or if you are in a bidding war with other buyers.
Buying or selling a home is an exciting time and of course you want to share that with your cyber-friends/followers. Try to be as general as possible in every post, never identifying a specific location or person. For example: “I saw 4 homes today and I really loved one of them. I’m writing an offer!” or “I accepted an offer today! My home has sold!” or “My offer was accepted! I’ll be moving to Jackson in August!” Those are general enough posts and your posts shouldn’t go beyond that. My advise is to keep the matter quiet on social media until the deal is closed. You’ll be doing yourself a favor. -:-:-:-Adrienne Killey, REALTOR®
Whether you are a buyer or seller, if you would like a personal real estate consultation, please contact me. My contact info is on my website HERE and don’t forget to subscribe to my blog. Allow me to help you navigate the kettles and hills or real estate.
