Do your sellers shoot the messenger when they don’t like the message? In other words, do they list with someone else who does not tell them the truth about their house?
How do you handle it when you walk into a home and your reaction is something like this:
- I can't breathe... what is that odor?
- This house looks like an annex to the city dump!
- Has your bathtub ever been cleaned since you moved in (15 years ago)?
- The price you want is about 20% higher than other similar homes in this area.
- One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine... how many cats do you have?
There really is no way to diplomatically handle situations like these. And I find that many sellers will acknowledge them without too much resistance, although they may not have any intention of correcting them. Frankly, if these sellers shoot the messenger – i.e. don’t list with you because of your candor – who cares? Any listing with extreme “issues” is going to be a tough sell anyway.
The truths I have trouble with are the ones that may offend very nice people who are very very proud of their homes. Handling these situations with kid gloves is important if I don’t want the seller to go searching for another agent who doesn’t tell them the truth. More important, I don't want to insult the homeowner who has a wonderful home for them. Yet I can't forget that the buyer won't be looking at the home through the seller's eyes. My message has to communicate the truth in a helpful way:
The truth: Yikes, this color reminds me of ___________!
Your message: Mr. and Mrs. Seller, this color is perfect with your things, but statistics prove that neutral homes sell more quickly and for more money. Let me give you the name and phone number of a painter who can help you neutralize your home before we put it on the market so buyers can imagine their own things in this home – and that’s our objective, right?
The truth: This furniture is way too big for this room.
Your message: Mr. and Mrs. Seller, that furniture will be perfect in your new home, but there’s too much of it for this home. Why don’t you move some of the pieces (be specific) to storage while your home is for sale so buyers can focus on how their own furniture might fit in this room. And the side benefit is that the room will look much larger to buyers with just one couch instead of two.
The truth: Pictures, pictures, pictures – not an inch of wall or furniture-top to spare.
Your message: Mr. and Mrs. Seller, you have a wonderful family. I’ll bet you really enjoy these pictures… why don’t you tell me about them. You know, I’m afraid that buyers will want to stop and look at your pictures when they walk through, and that may distract them from making a buying decision. Why don’t you get some neutral paint on these walls so the buyer can focus on the updates in your home.
Proud sellers want you to like their home and to realize that they've put a lot of time and effort into it. They need you to validate their choices in decorating, storage, landscaping,etc. Yet you can tell them the truth without it coming out of your mouth sounding like a personal opinion. These sellers are eager to please and eager to sell, and they will appreciate your telling them how buyers are likely to react. The buyer becomes the messenger...
Your sellers can’t afford to "shoot" any prospective buyers, so you’ll be safe. You will get the listing. And everyone will live happily ever after.
Feedback and Questions:
Related Articles:
- Home Staging Resources
- Staged Homes
- Preparing and Staging a House for Sale
- Staging your Home to Sell
- Dress Your House for Success
Don't shoot the messenger!
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. Margaret Woda.
1 comment:
Thanks,
Hello! you made a good job for what you've post on this topic..thank you for sharing this
its very informative to everyone. Keep up the good work..
Best Regards,
Freddie Aguilar
Real Estate Investment
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