Buyer's Realtors....Can You Please Explain this to Me? (negotiation, percent, comparable)
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I too think realtors have a hard job. How in the world do you guys deal with all the spoiled, HGTV-watching yuppies that want everything and the moon for bargain basement prices? I don't think I would make a good realtor because entitlement is a hot button for me.
As to this post...
Quote:
This and more... You need to just accept the fact that not every buyer is going to want to buy your house. If you don't want to show it then don't and don't sell your home :P
Um, did you read my original post? It's not about NOT wanting to show my home, or expecting that every buyer should want to buy my home. It's a question about why buyers and their realtors are coming to look at a house that does not meet their desired requirements and thus wasting everyone's time.
With 1.5 baths, unless it is a studio or one bedroom apartment, a seller should consider himself lucky that ANYBODY even looks at the house. Your added burden is that the baths and kitchen have not been updated, but that is secondary to the 1.5 bath problem.
Is there enough space (an adjoining closet, etc) to put a shower in the half bath, or to build out a 2nd bath somewhere else in the house near the bedrooms? Have you ever had an architect or contractor come up with a plan to build out the half bath? Most people/buyers have very little imagination, and very little experience, taking on a project like that. It would be helpful if you had a contractor's estimate to do the work, and even better if you had a sketch or artist's rendering showing what it would look like, to present to buyers (like what is done on HGTV shows like Property Brothers).
And you should price your house for sale accordingly, below the market for otherwise comparable 2 bath houses by an amount greater than the cost to increase the half bath to a minimum 3/4 or to reconfigure the space completely and build out a 2nd full or 3/4 bath. That, or undertake the work yourself and reap the added value when you sell. In a tepid market (like many/most areas of the country today, your task is harder than it would be in a booming market where people are buying anything they can "afford" and overlooking deficiencies like this one).
Finally, is 1.5 baths common in houses of your size and # of bedrooms in your area? If yes, then there should be plenty of comparable sales you could/should use to correctly price your home, assuming your house is not inferior in other ways to the comps (sales have updated kitchen and bath, etc).
Last edited by Westbound and Down; 05-14-2014 at 05:01 AM..
On the issue of pets in the house, or visual/olfactory evidence of pets in the house: I recently looked at a bunch of houses for sale (did not buy), and even though I am myself a pet lover and dog owner, I found it really offputting to see a house where a dog or cat was in the house during the walkthrough, and/or there was "evidence" of the pet through smells inside or outside, and animal waste in the backyard (for dogs, obviously) or a kitty litter box in the kitchen. I saw two houses with large, unhappy dogs in crates in the house, and their barking made me very uncomfortable to the point I cut the inspection short...
I don't know what the solution is for pet owners, but buyers should be able to walk through your house without being smacked in the face with the sights or smells of animals, or without being accosted by barking dogs in cages.
Last edited by Westbound and Down; 05-14-2014 at 05:37 AM..
I saw two houses with large, unhappy dogs in crates in the house, and their barking made me very uncomfortable to the point I cut the inspection short...
And that's what I assumed at our house. The dog did not get crated during showing - she was with me. I also did that for the inspection and for the appraisal. No need pissing off the people you are trying to impress.
And that's what I assumed at our house. The dog did not get crated during showing - she was with me. I also did that for the inspection and for the appraisal. No need pissing off the people you are trying to impress.
We went to one house, and upon opening the front door, we heard barking that then seemed to stop. The realtor theorized it was a soundtrack to scare off burglars (but why in hell would someone have that set to trip with people coming to look at the house?). Anyway, the agent went in first, and came back to us waiting on the porch to say "I don't see any dog." We entered, and my wife went into the master bedroom and turned the corner to find a huge, angry dog in a crate, and it started barking loudly. We spent about 30 more seconds in the house and said "seen enough" and left...
People who own pets do not realize what their houses smell like to others. Consider baking a fresh plate of cookies to fill the house with pleasant smells (and a treat for would be buyers). Just a thought...and clean up the dog poop in the backyard while you are at it...
Based on your description and I assume you have listing pictures, you do not have a house that is attractive to most buyers. If at a great price, in a good location, good lot, etc. then the house might be worth looking at to see if it can be remodeled/updated. If not, then do not expect a quick sale unless really, really cheap.
If I am correct then most are not looking to move right in so do not spend as much time prepping for the showing. All they need is a quick walk through to see if they can or want to redo it.
Sorry if my post sounds negative but I want to be candid and help if I can.
Can you explain WHY, though? If I could wrap my mind around it, or even understand it a tiny bit, I might feel less frustrated.
In a nutshell, there are some buyers that try to make EVERY house work, even if on paper you know it won't. They walk thru the house pointing out this negative and that and yet STILL try to rationalize how they could make it work.
I am constantly telling them if your first reaction is negative then you probably are never going to buy that house, but some just have to give every house a fighting chance.
Your pictures also might be "too good", to be honest. Sellers here are using photographers who take beautiful photos that do not accurately portray the house online. While it does get people in the door (which is the focus of the online listing) once the buyer sees the house in person they are often disappointed and feel let down, or at least that has been my experience lately. LOTS of photoshopping going on too, which IMO is just deceptive and dishonest.
Your pictures also might be "too good", to be honest. Sellers here are using photographers who take beautiful photos that do not accurately portray the house online. While it does get people in the door (which is the focus of the online listing) once the buyer sees the house in person they are often disappointed and feel let down, or at least that has been my experience lately. LOTS of photoshopping going on too, which IMO is just deceptive and dishonest.
Great point. We went into houses that looked nothing like the beautiful photos that were lighted and staged to maximum effect (like the driveway, wet down with a hose, at dusk). That kind of photography probably works in high end, high $ homes, but all that the photos should convey in the average house is an idea of the condition and flow of the house.
Curb appeal is very important, though, and that goes a long way to enticing people to see the house, but if the photos on the MLS look like they came from a different house, don't expect buyers to use their imaginations - don't know how many times we commented "is that the same house in the photos?"
I totally agree with Westbound on curb appeal. I have been with realtors that based on the look of the neighborhood and the initial eye appeal of the house, I have said I have no interest in seeing the house. Drive on please.
The only feedback you want is an offer. Keep it simple and do not request feedback. Simply have your agent ask the buyer's agents that come through if they want to make an offer. Nothing more. The rest is nonsense anyway since you are not going to add a 1/2 bath or install a new kitchen or anything else.
Other than that, FORGET THAT YOU ARE ON THE MARKET. Just let the process move forward and don't participate in it too closely.
You've done all the preparation you are going to, now just do what it takes to process an offer. You really don't need to know what buyers think about your house, so don't ask.
Don't take any of this personally. It will simply make you crazy. Just go about your life, forget you are on the market, pay attention only when an offer comes in that needs consideration. And detach yourself from your house. It is now a watermelon in the produce aisle, nothing more.
I'm not sure how I would feel about this myself honestly..... feedback is important to selling a home. How is a person to know what people don't like? If you want to sell the house you have to appeal to the masses that look at it. That simple.
It's not nonsense if someone says, 'the carpet is really stained and we would love it if only it were replaced'. Replace it! Or tell the Realtor that you will offer an allowance of $xxx with an offer of $xxx or more. I'm not saying to remodel the kitchen or add a bath but a generalized statement of not requesting feedback could lead to your home not selling. In our market, you typically have 30 days before the listing gets stale. So you have to make that time count.
And don't forget that its on the market. That's important too. If you forget, your Realtor may "forget" as well and not market your home. That happened with one Realtor we used. She stopped calling, stopped returning calls, and basically just left her sign in our yard for 5 months. I eventually called her and told her to come pick up her signs as we no longer required her services. You need to be a proactive seller. Don't call the Realtor every day but you need to remind them that you are a client with a home for sale and that they have a job to do.
On a side note, what condition are the countertops and cabinet hardware in? Those two things aren't "that" expensive and might help to get your home sold a little faster. What about appliances?
We have typically purchased a stainless steel appliance package (~$1,700 or so) via store credit (with 12 mos no interest) right before we have listed our home and have been fortunate enough to get that money back in a quick sale every time we've done it if we didn't have them. Think about what you would like to see if it were you walking into a strangers house. Then see which items you can afford.
Just my .02 on that subject. Good luck with the sale! I hope it works out for you!
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