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So aren't you arguing with yourself at this point? Whether they want to sell it quicker or for as much money as possible (and I bet you a bag of donuts that any realtor would ideally say BOTH) the point is they want it sold. Anything a seller does to resist sage advice on how to make that happen is just silly.
Again, to all the defensive sellers out there-- your realtor wants to help.
No one is criticizing your taste in furniture.
No one hates your beloved pets.
They just want to help you sell your house.
Seriously? "Resist sage advice"? You must have a completely different class of realtors were you live.
Every one of your posts in this thread reads like it was written by the spouse, or better yet, the parent of a real estate agent that sits at your dining room table complaining that their clients would sell so much faster if only the client would listen to the remarkable expert advice they have to offer.
If a real estate agent can't even sell their own clients on cleaning up their house to sell, how can they be trusted with selling the house itself?
Realtor I just had put in the listing that I had two master bedrooms and a golfcart garage. Neither of those exist.
Unfortunately, incompetence is more common than not. Never trust anybody to do their job properly, especially when involved in a transaction as high value as this.
Seriously? "Resist sage advice"? You must have a completely different class of realtors were you live.
Every one of your posts in this thread reads like it was written by the spouse, or better yet, the parent of a real estate agent that sits at your dining room table complaining that their clients would sell so much faster if only the client would listen to the remarkable expert advice they have to offer.
If a real estate agent can't even sell their own clients on cleaning up their house to sell, how can they be trusted with selling the house itself?
LMAO.
You tell some proud homeowner that they need to clean up.
Some get it, and some really, really don't.
Some people are comfortable in squalor that would turn your stomach. In nice houses in nice neighborhoods.
And some who clean up resent the implication so much, they do a lousy job.
As it is, we are REAL ESTATE agents.
The house is only an "improvement" on the actual core product: REAL ESTATE is the dirt under the improvement.
Unfortunately, some people are very comfortable sitting IN the dirt.
LMAO.
You tell some proud homeowner that they need to clean up.
Some get it, and some really, really don't.
Some people are comfortable in squalor that would turn your stomach. In nice houses in nice neighborhoods.
And some who clean up resent the implication so much, they do a lousy job.
As it is, we are REAL ESTATE agents.
The house is only an "improvement" on the actual core product: REAL ESTATE is the dirt under the improvement.
Unfortunately, some people are very comfortable sitting IN the dirt.
What would you usually do in that case where the homeowner doesn't get it.
Do you still list the house for them ?
Have you ever paid for a professional cleaning service just so it gets done ?
What would you usually do in that case where the homeowner doesn't get it.
Do you still list the house for them ?
Have you ever paid for a professional cleaning service just so it gets done ?
When people cannot help themselves, it is not hard to help them.
When people will not help themselves, it is harder to do for them something they don't value.
I have mowed grass, hauled trash to the dump, paid for cleaning, and don't regret any of it.
And, I have walked away from listing opportunities when it was clear that the homeowner was slovenly and clueless.
If the house is cluttered, it'd be up to the realtor to take pictures that show the quality of doors, walls, floors instead of taking pictures of the bed and end tables. I can't tell you how many homes I've seen online where the house was bare yet the pictures had to focus on those few remaining items. Sorry! I want to see the crown molding, the skylight, open all the doors inside so I can picture the flow, and plenty of the backyard so I can see the fence. How many times have I read a blurb on the 'oversized' patio and wonderful overhang for outdoor barbecues . . . Yet... No pictures! ??? Same thing with the inside. So the home has a remodeled master bathroom. WHERE are the pictures? New A/C? Show it! Or put information in the documents.
I would buy a cluttered home if it was presented well. I'd need a lot more information on the site to back up what they're trying to sell.
I've got no quarrel with the advice to clean and declutter. But advice from agents is not always good advice. Some of them have no concept of the costs and possible returns.
I had one agent advise me to have my house re-sided with genuine cedar siding. A 2600 square foot house, single level, but 16 ft ceilings so it was the size of a 2 story house with a 2600 square foot print. Cost? Who knows. $30,000? $40,000? $50,000? Additional money it would bring me when the house sold? Zero.
The existing siding was in excellent condition and freshly painted. Would nice new cedar siding look good? You bet. Would I get that investment returned? Absolutely not.
Agents want to recommend granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. Will a $30,000 kitchen model help the house sell? You bet. But it won't add $30,000 to the sales price. Even if it did, paying $30,000 for a $30,000 increase is a zero sum game and no point to it.
Agents occasionally put some dumb things into listings. I've made an offer, waiting for a response, where the listing says the shop is ready to have an apartment built in it.
Well, no. Actually the HOA rules forbid anyone living anywhere but in the main house. So there is no reason to build an apartment in the shop. "Ready to install an apartment", in this case, means there are some windows in the back wall. No plumbing of any kind, no electricity. Why put that into the listing?
I think if someone has a dirty house, or is a hoarder, if they had the ability to clean or remove clutter, they would have already.
I think I have the ability to see a house, despite these obstacles, so I would look at it as an opportunity to get a house that had languished on the market for a lower price. I would make sure the seller was legally obligated to pay to have all their stuff removed before closing.
If I were a realtor, I'd probably avoid these people too.
Sometimes, however, realtors ask for the moon, and it is unnecessary. You can never predict the taste of your buyer. My daughter is selling her house now. She tends towards the colorful, so neutralized the house. Yet, it seems like she reacts to every little comment by changing this and that. If I were her, I would stop. The bones of her house are good, and the buyer will make changes regardless of what she does.
Sometimes there are things that a seller literally cannot do. Whether it be financially or logistically. That said, clean, decluttered, bright, and smelling nice is something you can do for basically free, so there is no excuse for these things.
When I sold my house, I was 750 miles from my closest family member and I had a cat. She had to stay home when I went to work. There were no options. Financially, I also could never have afforded to stay in a hotel, repaint, or do anything else that cost much money.
Touring a house and seeing a cat lounging around would be a big turnoff to me.
Same with a parent whose kids were lounging around while the parent were at work.
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