I always try to stress to sellers that they need to change their perspective of their home. One tool I use is to have them ask their family and friends to a walk thru as if they are sellers and be brutally honest with what they see. Also, if the friends or family offer to help with the repairs or decluttering then the pain of the truth won't hurt so bad !

Great stuff!  It is so, so hard for sellers to see with unbiased eyes.  And even when they can it seems like they are either a bit embarrassed at what they have ignored that now should be dealt with, or they truly don't understand why, if they lived with it, the buyers can't have that tolerance as well. 

Jeff, good article. You are correct. People get hung up on one item and start looking.

 I think multiple eyes are helpful (on multiple walk-throughs). Sellers should try to walk through and see their house with new eyes, perhaps a trusted friend to point out needed touch-ups, myself, or a stager.

Good advice, thank you for sharing.

Great blog!  One thing I do to combat "seller vision" is to take the sellers on a tour of the competition (including a model home in the area if possible). 

I give them a customer summary of each property and a pen to write notes.  On the back of the customer summary I print a brief questionnaire and have a notes section they can write what they saw inside/out and how the home made them feel.  It ends with two questions...1) Would you buy this home?  2) If no, what is the reason? 

There is nothing like being reminded of "buyer vison" to make them really think about their house as a business transaction, not the home they live in. 

Jeff,

I couldn't agree with you more. Buyers these days are tougher than ever and expect "turn key". If things are not the way they want they start talking themselves out of the house. My mantra is "price it right and present it well and it will sell". The otus is on the Seller!

Marianne

Sellers look at their homes like sellers. They don't see the things that buyers will, and even after we point them out, they still think that it's no big deal or that the buyers "won't notice that."

Another thing I heard from seller: "but they (buyers) can do anything they want with the house when they buy it!" Fixing things, and doing even small remodeling projects is a hassle, we all know it. And nobody really wants this hassle. Especially if one needs to hire someone to do the job, or even part of the job. On top of expenses, people start thinking about the hassle of finding a contractor or handyman, of negotiating with him, dealing with him and the crew if issues arise, and having - or not having - a good product in the end. 

And even if you can make changes and small fixes yourself, it means time, effort, money, just plain being organized, and again no one wants the hassle...

So both buyer and seller often see the problem, but no one wants to make a move.

It is imporant to stand in the shoes of the buyer; for som, being subjective is very difficult.

Most sellers believe they own a castle, instead of a bungalow.

So true!  I agree with the others who have said it's difficult for sellers to detach emotionally from their property and see it through buyers' eyes.

Jeff,

Just another reason why I love teaming with stagers!

This is a great post!  And most sellers ARE buyers.....they are going to BUY their next home.  I like to turn the tables on them about the house they are looking to buy.

Jeff, very good points. However, most sellers have an emotional attachment to their homes and often do not see the defects. Good Post!

Yes, some of the 'selling points' sellers point out are actually ridiculous -- like 'Two Homes for the Price of One!' for a home with a partial basement containing a tiny bedroom, tiny bath and only outside access. The main level of this older brick ranch had small rooms and one bath -- they wanted to price it like a new construction with twice the footage. I passed.

My advice to sellers is "always put on your buyer's shoes...."

Great post, Jeff.

Great blog and great point of view.  Sellers really do need to look at their house as a buyer and not a home owner.

There is so much competition within your neighborhood that you need to see your house with fresh eyes if you want to sell it.  Buyers CAN afford to be very picky in my market right now... and as a buyers agent, trust me, they are!

I tell my sellers that it is a pricing war and a beauty contest, the prettiest houses sell immediately, and the rest sit on the market.  For unreasonable sellers, I take them on a trip in my car to comparable listings in their price range to put them in the buyer mindset.  Usually that helps them see what the buyers are seeing.  Great post!

Keep smiling,

Karen