Things Sellers Do That Real Estate Agents Hate

Real Estate Agents Hate These Things Sellers Do

Are you selling your home? Do you know the things that sellers do that real estate agents hate?

A good real estate agent is the ideal partner for selling a home, but even the best agent can only do so much without the homeowner’s cooperation.

As a seller, you need to understand that your actions can make the job of your real estate agent much more challenging.

There are certain things sellers do that exceptional licensed Realtors hate – things you want to avoid if you want your home to sell quickly and for a good price.

In fact, doing any one of these things can cause your home not to sell at all or, at the very least, make the transaction go far less smoothly.

Recently we looked at things buyers do that real estate agents can’t stand. This time, it is the seller’s turn to get put under the microscope. Without further ado, I present you with the things sellers do that real estate agents hate.

Avoid making these home selling mistakes and let your agent do their job!

Things Sellers Do That Drive Realtors Crazy

• Trying to convince the Realtor that your house is worth more than it is. If you have picked an experienced Realtor to work with, he or she knows how to price a home. Realtors have a system that ensures the house will be priced competitively, accounting for all aspects of the property and the current market. Some sellers will still try and argue with the Realtor about the selling price. Some will try to explain about items in their home that are so much better than their neighbor’s home that just sold. Things like heavy-duty deck nails and custom wallpaper from the 80s might be points of pride for you, but they don’t justify a higher selling price.

• Hanging out for a showing and talking to the buyer. Good real estate agents know how to sell the best aspects of your home and minimize the negatives. When you hang out for a showing and talk to the buyer, you make it much harder to steer the conversation and make the sale. Telling the customer you have a neighbor who loves to play the guitar and drums late at night will not help sell your home. Pointing out that the green shag carpet in the living room was just cleaned also will probably not make much of a dent in the buyer’s decision-making process. Get out of the house and let the customer walk through unfettered. You can share your pride of ownership once the contract is signed and all the contingencies are met! Not too long ago, I had a client in Bellingham, Massachusetts, who ended up staying and talking to buyers at showings. I did not find out until an agent told me weeks after it had been on the market. Not good!

• Making a Realtor Do Multiple Open Houses. Years ago, you may have found your home this way and think an open house is a great way to sell a home. Times have changed, my friend. Real buyers are on the internet looking at homes daily. If they see something they like, they will pick up the phone and call an agent to schedule an appointment. Real buyers aren’t saying to themselves, “if these darn Realtors don’t have an open house this weekend forget about it”! That is the definition of a “tire kicker.” As mentioned above, why would you want to let anyone off the street who has a pulse into your home? There is no point in doing this! You don’t need to, and that’s the bottom line. While some real estate agents may tell you otherwise, the actual benefits of an open house lie with the Realtor, potentially picking up prospects, not in selling your home. Do open houses work? In a highly rare occurrence, you might get lucky. However, if you are smart, you will realize the sale would have happened regardless of whether an open house was held or not. Remember, in its simplest terms; an open house is a few-hour window where people can look at the home. There are six other days in the week and countless hours where the same thing can happen.

• Hanging out at an open house. Spending time at an open house is just as bad as hanging out for a showing. You should ask yourself why in the world you have any interest in doing so. The only valid reason is if you think something might get stolen. Open houses do present security issues, but having you hang around in the home could do more harm than good. The Realtor is there to work for the crowd, draw interest in the property, and encourage offers. Your presence makes this more difficult, and there is always the chance that you will say something that will drive away a buyer.

• Not picking up the house. Unfolded laundry, toys, dishes in the sink – leaving the house a mess is not a nice thing to do to your Realtor. A dirty home is not easy to sell, even if you are the best salesperson in the world. Keep in mind that first impressions count in real estate sales. Some people have no vision, and if your home is a disaster area, they may not be able to look past it. It is vital that you clear the clutter before putting your home on the market. Buyers truly appreciate the pride of ownership.

• Leaving awful odors in the home. Bad smells are impossible for many people to ignore. Old cat litter or smoking in the home, for instance, will make your Realtor’s job impossible. No one is going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a home that stinks. If your home wreaks of smoke or has foul pet odors, make sure you address this right away. Don’t take it personally! The real estate agent you have hired and yourself are on the same team. Your goal is to sell the home.

• Turn down showings for lame reasons. If your Realtor calls you to tell you someone wants to see the home, you should jump at the opportunity. Some owners will regularly turn down showings for all sorts of reasons. Getting a potential buyer into the home is one of the most important steps in the sales process. It would help if you made your home available to those that express an interest in buying. It’s the only way to sell the home. Real Estate agents understand that the sale of a home is a hassle. Buyers can schedule showings at the most inopportune times. We get it because we are the ones who are with them. If you want your home sold for the most money in the least amount of time, let them in! Every missed showing is a lost opportunity.

• Restrict showings for lame reasons. This is similar to the problem above. If you only allow buyers to see the home on Tuesdays between 3 and 4 and on weekends from noon to five, you will have a tough time selling the house. Be open to showings as much as you can be if you want to sell the house. Flexibility is so important when selling a home. Everyone’s schedule is different, so the more restrictions you add, the harder it will be to sell your home.

• Complain about the showing feedback from buyers and their agents. One thing I tell all of my clients is not to take the showing feedback personally. If you think about it, most of the time, the feedback you receive will be slanted to the negative; otherwise, they would be writing an offer on your home. Keep your cool and understand that not everyone will love your home as much as you do. You may not always get the feedback you are hoping for from buyers and their agents. They may give you a long list of things they didn’t like about the home. Whether this feedback makes you feel good or not, it is still valuable. This information lets you know what needs to change to get a more favorable response.

• Calling the Realtor 5 minutes after a showing, eager to know what the buyer thought. Feedback is critical in home sales, but for god sake, hold your horses! The real estate agent you hired should have a feedback system whereby they get back to the buyer’s agent. Breathing down the agent’s neck just after they leave your home, however, does not help your cause – in fact, it makes you look DESPERATE. Heck, most of the time, a buyer’s agent may not know what their clients thought right away either. Remember, most of the time; customers are looking at multiple homes, not just yours.

• Turn down an offer because the purchaser wants a closing cost credit or isn’t putting at least 20 percent down. It is important to look at any offer that your agent tells you is worthwhile. Although it would be great to get full price for your home with no concessions on your part, deals like this are exceedingly rare. In most cases, you will have to compromise. What matters is your bottom line, not whether the buyer is asking for a closing cost credit. Always pay attention to what you are netting, not the minutia. Years ago, getting a customer with a 20 percent down payment was a reasonable expectation. Not anymore. Most clients today, in fact, are using some form of small or no down payment loan, including an FHA loan, Veterans loan, or USDA loan. Don’t be rigid in your thinking about down payments. They don’t apply to today’s real estate market. What is important is whether the buyer is well qualified and comes pre-approved or not.

• Turn down a great offer because it is not full price. Let me preface this by saying your home may be worth full price or more. Some people price their home right at market value or slightly below, hoping for multiple offers and a bidding war. In many circumstances, however, your home was priced with some expectations for negotiation. If this is the discussion you had with your Realtor and it was priced this way, don’t all of a sudden make it full price or bust. Wanting a full price for your home is understandable, but you have to be reasonable. If your real estate agent tells you that you have just got a great offer, you will do well to consider it. Plenty of homeowners accept less than full price when they are serious about getting the home sold.

• Become unreasonable after a home inspection leads a buyer to ask for a fix to the home. Don’t get me wrong; some buyers are completely irrational when it comes to home inspections. They will ask for the moon and think the home should be completely perfect. They will even go so far as presenting a punch list like it is new construction. This is NOT what I am talking about. Some issues with your home will have to be fixed if you hope to sell it. If the problem is something that you can expect ANY buyer to want to be fixed, you might as well deal with the problem. If any reasonable buyer wants to have a particular issue corrected, then fix it and keep the process moving. Putting your home back on the market because of a home inspection can cause more problems than it’s worth. This is why I explain to my clients how important it is to prepare for the home inspection. Just a little bit of extra time preparing your home for the market can go a long way!

• Decide that radon and mold are not issues after all. Some sellers will insist that things like radon and mold are not problems or that “we never worried about this stuff back in my day!” Today, people worry about them and expect them to be addressed when buying a home—no need to pretend otherwise.

• Ask for advertising in the NY Times when the house doesn’t sell. If your home has been on the market and you can’t seem to get a bite after a given period, there is a problem. I can assure you, however, if the agent you hired is marketing on the internet properly, putting an ad in an expensive publication or taking out a local billboard is not the answer. In fact, more than likely, the issue probably relates to the first problem mentioned – not pricing your home where it should be. The internet is the most effective advertising platform for selling a home in today’s real estate climate. It would be best if you trusted that your agent knows how to get the word out about your home.

• Leave the house and yard looking like a disaster area on the day of closing. The last thing your agent wants on the day of the closing is a call from the buyer’s agent doing the final walk-through stating you left a disaster for the buyer to deal with. Leave the home like you would want to find it if you bought it. This is common courtesy! Most real estate contracts will spell out that the house needs to be in “broom clean” condition at a minimum.

You should now have a better understanding of the things sellers do that real estate agents hate.

Other Funny But Helpful Home Selling Articles

• 5 things real estate agents hate hearing from clients via The Lighter Side of Real Estate.

While these things mentioned above can annoy real estate agents, they also can harm your ability to sell a home. However, Lighter Side of Real Estate has put a humorous spin on things real estate agents go through. Make sure you take the time to check them out!

About the author: The above Real Estate information on things sellers do that real estate agents hate was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. 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 many Metrowest towns for the last 34+ Years.

Thinking of selling your home? I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share 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, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton, and Uxbridge MA.