Real Estate Blog - It's Not Good To Raise Expectations, Unless You Can Deliver

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It's Not Good To Raise Expectations, Unless You Can Deliver

Yesterday, I showed a house that sounded pretty amazing in the MRIS description, and the virtual tour made it sound totally divine.

It's a townhouse in a community in Arlington, Virginia. Some of the homes have views, either of woods or the Potomac River, and others have views of other townhouses and office buildings. So when a new one came up with "wooded view" several times in the description, I emailed it to some clients who are looking in that particular subdivision and want to see all of the homes that are this particular model.

It was priced well for a home that doesn't have a river view. It was priced pretty well for one that overlooks the woods and parkland. But it was priced way, way high for one that might have a few trees out the living room window, but a huge old office building looking into the wall-to-wall master bedroom windows.

And I had to wonder. The agent's description got me into the house. It got my clients in the door. But all it did was to make another house they are considering, one that really does have a woodsy view, look better to them. So we may be writing an offer, but not on this new listing with a not quite wooded view.

Whatever happened to under promise and over deliver?

Posted by Patricia Kennedy on 10/10/2009 12:54 PM

Comments (22)

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22 Comments on It's Not Good To Raise Expectations, Unless You Can Deliver

OCT

Patricia,

It is too bad the despription of the property set the expectation too high. Honesty in advertising is the best policy. Overpriced listings will always help out the ones priced @ market value. This may have actually helped you show the value of the other listing and help the buyer to make an informed choice.

Underpromise and OVER deliver is one of my favorite mantras. When the promise is greater than the reality, the disappointment is unavoidable.

Love your new photo!

I see folks stretching the truth all the time. For example, a pool view is not a view, but 6 out of 10 agents will list it as a view anyway. Knuckleheads!!

An option in our MLS is view yes or view now. I think some agents think that if you can see out of the window that is a view.

Patricia,

There are two ways agents approach it. One is when customers walk in, walk around and say it looks even nicer than they thought it would be. If that happens, it creates the right mood, opens them up.

Or they walk in, walk around and then aske if that the one they were reading about.

How often we see "great" in the description which would rather warrant "crap"?

Hi Pat... I think that this has become a more common issue lately. many listing agent I know have started setting high expectations to get showing traffic... it seems easier in this market to explain to sellers that people didn't like the house when they saw it than to explain why they are not getting more traffic. Most sellers equate traffic with agents doing their job and many agents don't have the guts to explain setting more reasonable expectations might be wise since it may result in a seller getting fewer showings and feeling the agent isn't performing.

Pat - Nothing beats the turning of the door knob. Fluff, Puff, Pics, and Stuff in advertising. Price works wonders.

Pat..It goes to the old saying..KISS ...But it helped your buyers make their decision..

HELPFULHANNAH

Pat

There is nothing more defeating than when anticipations rise only to have the winds taken out of a sale by reality being less, or far less than it was projected to be.

Pat - That and doctoring the photos to the point that when you get there you think you have the wrong address.

Reminds me of the "Bill Cosby Show" episode where daughter and son-in-law bought a condo with a view of George Washington Bridge. Yep. If you stick you head out the window and dangle from the huge neon advertising sign....

Pat - I like the point you made, the description made you take a look but it actually helped your client realize that another property was a better option. Yes it is not good to raise expectation too high especially if there is a big negative like that office building visible from the master suite.

I find that when the remarks over-deliver my clients get annoyed that their time was wasted and just like your clients they focus even harder on the "other" home. I showed a home that listed the basement as finished and all they did was throw some carpet remnants on the floor and painted the cinder block walls blue! It was laughable!

So frustrating to get to the house and find they have exaggerated one of the biggest selling features.

I had an inspection the other day where I heard the realtor and client talking. Ends up that the seller's side had withheld some crucial information -- like they wanted easements on parts of the property, they wanted water rights, also, they were not selling all the property. They had decided to split off a few acres. All this was disclosed after the initial agreement. Buyer knew none of that when he hired me or he might have not done the inspection yet.

OCT

I think that and the days of the handshake meaning something are long gone! I wish we could go back to those days, but I think there are to many that don't even remember those days to go back.

Todd Clark - www.LivingBeaverton.com

Oh is it one of those crane your neck views?

Yes, those description can be tricky and even sometimes deceptive ! At the end of the day, it is best to be real and not set up buyers for disappointment. At least it helped you in terms of narrowing the focus on another property !

OCT

Oh we have all seen (and read) those comments that sorely "inflated" how good the listings -weren't !

OCT

At least it's not next door to a nuclear power plant! Sorry for squatting on your blog, but I thought under the circumstances you might enjoy this!

Jane, we have a view option on our MRS and this guy said wooded. Well, there were a few trees.

Judy, i think this guy edited out the building with Photoshop or something.

And Janna, yeah, it could have been a whole lot worse!

Hi Pat,

Overstating the positive features of a house for sale is a common offense. Then again understating it will not impress the vendors. It just calls for honesty. Untruths are what reduces the credibility for the industry. Perhaps an anonymous feedback form on the posted listings would force Realtors to be realistic with their descriptions.

This blog does not allow anonymous comments