13 Frustrating Things You Can Expect To Deal With When Selling Your Home
Few things are more exciting than finally selling your home. If you are lucky, you will make quite a bit of money—money you can use to buy a new home, invest, or have fun.
Who doesn’t enjoy that? But the path to your sale might not be as much fun.
It may be annoying and tedious at times. You will probably have to deal with multiple potential buyers and all the hassles that go with them. There can be some annoying things a seller has to deal with during the home sale process.
In real estate sales, home sellers can face plenty of challenges.
Being in the business for the past thirty-eight years has allowed me to see some unsettling behavior among both buyers and their real estate agents. Sometimes sellers need a stiff upper lip to get past all the challenges and obsticles they create.
Stay strong, listen to your Realtor, and watch the finish line. Don’t let these home-selling annoyances get to you. You can get through this!
If you’re working with an excellent seller’s agent, they will try to make the home-selling process easier. They are there for you and can understand these challenges that impact them, too.
They have probably provided numerous house-selling tips because they want a successful outcome.
Let’s examine the 13 things about selling a home that can be a real pain!
1. You May Have to Show The Home at the Last Minute.
Without a doubt, there are people in this world who don’t follow a set schedule. These same people expect the rest of the world to do likewise.
When selling a home, there are times when you will get a phone call saying that a buyer would like to look at your home in under an hour.
Immediately, your blood starts to boil, and your stress level rises. People being inconsiderate is not what you signed up for!
Ideally, you will be notified a day or two before someone comes to see the home. But there will be times when you get a call, and the buyer wants to go by—now.
Last-minute showings can be annoying, but remember that the buyer annoying you may buy your house. Try not to glare at the buyer as you hastily exit your home.
Sometimes, the buyer can’t help it. Maybe they are relocating to the area and have looked at other homes, and nothing seems to fit the bill. They find your home and are thinking this could be the one. This is how you need to feel as well.
Any great real estate agent will tell you a missed showing is a missed opportunity. Part of selling a house is maximizing every potential buyer who enters your property.
2. Buyers Will Not Arrive For Showings.
You work your butt off cleaning the house, putting the kid’s stuff away, and removing the dog for your scheduled showing. Wham! You then find out that the buyer didn’t show up and their agent didn’t have the decency to call your agent to let them know.
Folks, this happens a lot in real estate. It’s a buyer’s agent being lazy and inconsiderate. It’s as simple as that.
There may be a showing or two that you find yourself stood up. People do not always do what they say they will do. Things come up, too, like emergencies or other unexpected events.
Whatever the reason, you may be waiting around for a buyer to come over, and that buyer may never arrive.
While it can be irritating and inconvenient, it is best not to let it get to you. You can ask your agent to verify that the buyer still plans to come, which is an excellent way of pointing out that you were stood up.
Don’t be angry at your listing agent—it is not their fault.
3. Finding Your Lights Left On and Your Doors Unlocked.
You do your part and ensure you are gone when the home is shown. Hopefully, the potential buyer will like what they see, and you will come home to discover that every light in the house is on and the doors are unlocked.
It’s not cool, but unfortunately, it’s not that uncommon.
You do not have to accept such behavior. You can leave instructions for any buyer’s agent that comes through to make sure all the lights are off and the doors are locked. It may be helpful to put up signs as well, just as an extra reminder.
Remember that the entry barriers in the real estate industry are low. Some real estate agents lack common sense or, even worse, consideration for doing what’s right.
Someone leaving your door unlocked is never acceptable. While this is not your listing agent’s fault, it should not happen. Ensure your agent speaks to the buyer’s agent so it never occurs again.
4. Discover Damage to Your House or, Even Worse, Something Missing.
With strangers wandering all over your home, there is the possibility that something could get broken or otherwise damaged.
From time to time, home sellers will discover that something no longer functions as it should or that something is broken or dirty.
For instance, they may knock insulation loose when they go through your attic. Or they could bump into something fragile and knock it over.
If you are concerned that something was damaged, you can ask the buyer’s agent about what happened. You can also probably get your homeowners insurance to cover the cost.
What is far worse, however, is theft from an open house. Many agents do not discuss the risks associated with having an open house. Not explaining the drawbacks should never happen, but it happens pretty frequently.
Scheduled showings are far less risky for a seller as an agent has only one party to monitor. With an open house, it’s possible multiple parties can view the home at once.
This dramatically increases the risk that something will be removed from the home. A real estate agent cannot watch everyone during an open house.
5. Buyers May Touch, Move, and Otherwise Disturb Your Things.
Even if nothing gets broken, some slight rearranging will happen if you have enough buyers look at your home. People will move things around to see the home more clearly, to get to certain areas of the house, and maybe even accidentally.
They aren’t you, so they don’t remember how it was before they disturbed it. Expect to find some changes and do your best to stay calm. As long as nothing is stolen or damaged, the disruption is worth it to reach your goal.
Occasionally, a buyer may bring one of their kids as well. Doing so increases the odds that something in the home will be disturbed, especially when kids see something interesting.
6. You Can’t Leave Your Pets in The House For Showings.
Except for a fish tank or a cat the whole time under the bed, you must take your pets out of the home when buyers view it.
Pets are just too disruptive, particularly dogs. Buyers may not like animals, be scared of dogs, or be annoyed by your dog’s constant barking. You want to put your best foot forward, so take it when leaving for a showing.
Selling and moving with pets can be a real hassle. However, things will go much more smoothly if you are in place.
7. The Feedback on Your Home is Insulting.
Your home is your pride and joy. Yet, someone just told you that your kitchen is horrible, the home stinks of dogs, and the carpets need updating. Feedback can be helpful, but sometimes it can make you want to scream.
How can a real estate agent be so insensitive by writing this stuff, you are thinking to yourself?
Keep in mind most feedback is slanted to the negative. Those who are interested and love your home will be making an offer. Those who don’t are usually telling you the reason why. Don’t sweat the feedback. Please don’t ignore it, either!
There will be times when an agent or buyer is brutally honest. You might not like what you hear, but it can also help sell your house.
8. Your Agent Insists on Open Houses.
Your agent keeps insisting on holding open houses almost every Sunday, so you pack up your stuff every Sunday and leave the place all afternoon.
The agent has held numerous open houses, but your home isn’t selling. You ask the agent if the open house was busy, and they tell you it was. What’s the problem, you wonder?
The problem is open houses don’t sell homes. Serious buyers schedule showings with their agents, while tickers, your neighbors, and unqualified buyers visit your home every weekend.
The dirty little secret in real estate is that open houses benefit real estate agents far more than homeowners. You are wasting your time! Remember, anyone can attend an open house. Many in attendance are not buyers.
Instead, get an agent who knows how to price correctly and market well. This is the key to selling real estate.
Ben Burks, from The Burkes Team at RE/MAX Professionals, offers this advice to sellers about holding multiple open houses.
The adage is that an open house is necessary when listing and marketing a property. Still, many sellers don’t realize, and it can be hard to understand, that open houses are for gaining more buyers, not necessarily finding a buyer for that house.
If your listing agent insists on an open house every weekend or even God-forbid, multiple open houses in one weekend, it wastes your time and their. I wouldn’t want a listing agent who insisted on an open house multiple times as this is a hassle for the homeowner. It honestly, takes time away from really marketing where it counts, and that’s not always an open house.
Serious buyers will find your listing if they have a good buyer’s agent or if they look online. Very rarely an open house alone sells the house.
9. You Finally Got an Offer, But It’s a Lowball.
Sometimes, when you are selling your home, you want to cry. You have just dealt with the annoyances of selling your place, including an endless number of showings, and then finally get an offer.
The only problem is the buyer is insane. They have submitted a bid that makes absolutely no sense. Maybe they were looking at an unreliable Zillow estimate that said your home was worth peanuts. Whatever the reason, you feel like selling your home has been a big waste of time.
Keep your head up. Lowball offers happen from time to time. They are not so common in a hot seller’s mt. They are familiar with a buyer’s market.
10. You Got Stuck in Dual Agency, and it Doesn’t Feel so Good.
You finally got an offer on your home, and it’s a half-decent one. Your agent, however, wants to be a dual agent. You hired your real estate agent to represent your best interests exclusively.
You hired them to be your confidant and advisor. This is your first time selling a home, after all. You have no experience in negotiations.
With dual agency, the agent no longer works exclusively for you. They become a neutral party that cannot give you any pricing guidance.
Dual agency has become one of the hottest topics in real estate. The problem with a dual agency is that many real estate agents have no idea what they are allowed to do or not do, as state law mandates.
This leads to consumers being fooled by dual agency. They are left in an awkward position where there is either no guidance or their agent gives it to them illegally.
The only person who wins in dual agency is the real estate agent. If consumers understood the dynamics behind dual agency, they would never agree to allow it.
Unfortunately, they don’t get it, and the agent who explains it to them will benefit from their saying yes to it. The reference above describes why you want to say no to dual agency.
Dual agency has been banned in several states because It’s horrible for consumers. At my listing consultation, I always explain why sellers should never accept it. I put my clients’ interests first!
When selling your home, ensure the agent you hire ALWAYS remains a seller’s agent.
11. The Home Inspection Was Done, and The Buyer Expects Perfection.
Very few homes don’t have at least some minor issues. Keep your fingers crossed that you don’t run into a buyer with entirely unrealistic expectations about the purpose of a home inspection.
The purpose of the home inspection has always been for the buyer to discover if there are any severe structural or mechanical defects.
The home inspection was never intended for the buyer to hand a punch list to the seller, expecting perfection. This happens when a buyer doesn’t have an excellent buyer’s agent who can explain what realistic home inspection requests are and what aren’t.
You will know what kind of buyer you have when they ask you to repair things under $100, or they could see before they make their offer. This buyer is unrealistic and certainly one of the most annoying things a seller will deal with.
12. Packing Your Stuff up to Move.
It’s great to find out that someone will buy your house, but you will have to do a lot of work after you get the good news. Packing all your things, in particular, is usually way more work than most people expect.
You discover that you have accumulated much more than you used to, and all of it must be boxed up, protected if fragile, and ready to move.
You can hire people to do it or do it yourself. Remember to go through everything and donate, throw away, or sell what you don’t need. The less stuff you have to take, the cheaper and less time-consuming it is to move.
Here is an excellent guide for packing your home for a move. Use the information provided to make your move go more smoothly.
13. Having to Move.
After packing comes moving, which is often even less fun than packing. Transporting all your things to the new home, lugging around heavy boxes, walking back and forth to the moving truck a thousand times, pulling muscles, and getting rained on—the list of reasons moving is a drag goes on and on.
Even if you hire movers, you will still have a lot of work to do. And you will have to do everything except drive twice because you have to move everything out and back in again to the new home.
Luckily, you are buying a new place, which means you can stay there for the rest of your life if you want to. Use some of the best moving tips to ensure you are well organized.
Final Words of Advice
Sometimes, selling a home can be a real pain in the neck! If you keep a stiff upper lip, you’ll get through it. Remember, the agent you hired is on the same team you are.
There are times when other bozos will make them not look so good. Your agent, however, should be part of your support system and not work against you. The bottom line is don’t let these home-selling annoyances make you a mental case!
Other Helpful Home Selling References
- Avoid these home-selling inconveniences – Conor MacEvelly shares some of the challenges sellers face when closing a house.
- The truths behind selling a home -Lynn Pineda shares her expertise on what to expect when you sell a house.
- Home selling for newbies – Kyle Hiscock has a terrific beginner’s guide to selling real estate.
- Things real estate agents do that others hate – Maximum Real Estate Exposure shares the things other Realtors do that can annoy any excellent agent.
Use these additional resources to understand the nuances of selling a home, especially if you are doing it for the first time.
About the Author: Bill Gassett, a nationally recognized leader in his field, provides information on home sellers’ most annoying challenges. He is an expert in mortgages, financing, moving, home improvement, and general real estate.
Learn more about Bill Gassett and the publications in which he has been featured. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-625-0191. Bill has helped people move in and out of Metrowest towns for the last 38+ years.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I am passionate about real estate and love sharing my marketing expertise!
I service Real Estate Sales in the following Metrowest MA towns: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton, and Uxbridge MA.
This is great stuff Bill. I’m going to borrow some in a future post.
A good Realtor will prepare sellers for many of these issues and it’s something that happens. Try to keep calm and just go with the flow. Though, we should hold other Realtors accountable for their client’s actions.
This guy is frigging gold. I find whatever real estate question I type into Google I end up here, and it’s always good advice.
I’ve sold my own place without using an agent successfully and saved a boatload. But man was it a ton of work. If I were going to hire someone, this would be the guy! Unfortunately, they are rare as hell…and there are a lot of people in that biz who walk you through a house saying stuff like…” here is the bathroom, that is a bedroom, ” and you’re thinking” why the hell am I paying you $12K at closing?
In any event, great article as always.
Thanks very much for the compliments Ryan. It is much appreciated!