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Do YOU sell homes or do you let them help sell themselves?

By Teresa Tedder

Real Estate Agent with Carolina Realty of Wilkes Inc

June 27, 2011 01:50 AM

I had a listing recently that sold. During the listing period we had several showings. One common complaint was that the ceiling in the living room was unattractive (popcorn with a few imperfections) and the steep driveway. When I passed this along to the seller after a showing, he said "Did you tell them about the large kitchen and the new windows?"..........Im sorry, what? Lets see:

Buyer: I dont like the steep driveway and the ceiling in the living room because of the imperfections

me: Well, dont you worry about that drveway ma'am. You just keep thinking of those new windows as you pull in, okay? And the ceiling in the living room? Well, just run and stand in the kitchen each time it bothers you. The kitchen is so large that it will make you forget about the ceiling in the living room!!!

Is that what he meant? When I asked him "what do you mean?" he said "I know you can sell over that!!!"

I dont try to "sell over" things. I acknowledge the problems and agree with the buyer. Then I tell the buyer that we can make an offer and ask the seller to repair the ceiling or ask for a credit. There is no fixing the steep driveway. It is there now and it will be there forever. Someone that likes the location, the price and the amenities will decide that the driveway is a small price to pay to get what they want. Someone that has been a victim of a flood may LOVE being up that steep hill!! Someone that doesnt like to have company will love that steep driveway because it will scare anyone without their pilot's license! But, there is no selling over it. I dont present things in a "sales like" manner. I present things objectively and make sure the buyers see the good as well as the bad. After all, if the listing agent does their job and prices it right, we should be able to see all the good and all the bad and decide it is the best deal in that price range!! Buyers dont expect perfection, they want a home that fits their needs and wants. Different strokes for different folks!

I didnt have the heart to tell the man that I dont sell houses. I help people make the decision as to which house is the best for their needs. In this case, his house didnt make the cut. However, just the very next day, the perfect buyer came along!!!

What about you? Do you sell houses?

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Ann Brice

First Wilson Properties, Wilson, NC - Wilson, NC

GRI

I'm glad to hear almost everyone say that they don't "sell" the house. That's my approach also, but I've run into sellers who thought my job was to sell their house -- the buyer's interests were not to be considered. I assume this is a legacy of the time prior to buyer agency when agents only represented the seller.

I think our duty to the seller is to give advice, expert opinion and market the property -- determine what the market price is, advise how to get the house ready to put it's best foot forward and market the property for maximum exposure.

Jun 28, 2011 05:53 PM

Gerard Gilbers

Higher Authority Markeing - Asheboro, NC

Your Marketing Master

It sounds like this seller was looking for a used car salesman as their agent! If something bothers a potential buyer then it is best to address it to your ability. I agree that a steep driveway can't be changed and if a person likes the rest of the property then it will not be a show stopper.

Jun 28, 2011 06:56 PM

F U

nobody - Alamance, NT

Dead

I just learned how to scrape popcorn off, its really easy just makes a big mess. That driveway will make a great ski slope in the winter......I find if a buyer likes a home, they don't see the imperfections.

Jun 28, 2011 08:28 PM

Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-617-6375

Atlanta Homes ODAT Realty - Love our Great City - Love our Clients! Buckhead - Midtown - Westside - Atlanta, GA

Concierge Service for Our Atlanta Sellers & Buyers

Dear Teresa -

Your method is really the only way - we facilitate searches and suggest - we don't SELL. The clients sell themselves when the combination is right - PRICE/PRICE/PRICE and LOCATION/LOCATION/LOCATION.

Have a happy day -
Lynn

Jun 28, 2011 09:27 PM

Anonymous

Claire Richards

Teresa:

I really don't think you can SELL a home. We MARKET homes and hopefully so well that a buyer is attracted.

Actually the whole process is more like MATCHMAKING than selling. If you listen to your buyers and match their interest to what is available, you are home free.

Thanks for sharing...

Jun 29, 2011 01:31 AM

#137

Debe Maxwell, CRS

Savvy + Company (704) 491-3310 - Charlotte, NC

The RIGHT CHARLOTTE REALTOR!

Acknowledging their comments IS the way to open the door to negotiations. You're absolutely correct and congrats on overcoming the obstacles (including the seller! LOL) and getting it SOLD!

Jun 29, 2011 04:22 AM

Erick Blackwelder

Cell: 703-677-1120 - Woodbridge, VA

Text or call Erick now at 703-677-1120.

I don't sell houses.

Over 21+ years, I've helped 2,000+ folks sell or buy a house.

Buyers buy homes with their heart. They feel the love. If the love isn't there, "Next".

Jun 29, 2011 04:59 AM

Ellen Kippel

Weichert Realtors - Suffern, NY

Licensed NY and NJ realtor 914-588-2365

I agree with you, totally. I know when I used to buy clothes in a store, and the saleswoman would say, "Darling that dress looks beautiful on you" and I felt like I looked like a tank in it, I wanted to run out of the store as fast as possible. We have to acknowledge our buyers needs and wants and try to match them with the homes we show them.

Jun 29, 2011 06:25 AM

Anonymous

Jay Zenner

I'm sorry to be the sourpuss here, but what a listing agent owes to a client is marketing, not selling. In most cases the listing agent won't even meet the buyer before the closing, if then. Part of that obligation to the seller is to get the best price, not a fair price. Seeing ourselves as "objective" brokers is too often an excuse for not becoming better marketers. Pricing is one of the 4 P's of marketing but it's not the only one. With way more homes on the market than qualified buyers it is not enough to stick a sign in the yard, enter a listing in MLS and lower the price every two weeks until it sells. The listing agent is a marketing director not a salesperson. The tools that a good listing agent competes with are better positioning, better photographs, better copy writing, better videos, better staging, better pricing, and product add-ons like home warranties, pre-listing inspections, operators manuals, etc. There was a debate the other day on AR about the ethics of photoshopping a powerline out of picture. Come on. The goal is to get showings, not discourage them. If there are 50 $200K listings in a market, most buyers qualifying at the price are not going to look at all 50. How you present your listing to both potential buyers and buyer agents will determine whether your seller even gets a chance to sell to that buyer. You're not going to put a picture of that steep driveway in MLS with a caption that says "Unusable by some low slung cars." Buying a home is quite often a very emotional thing. We sometime says "buyers are liers" because we have all seen clients fall in love with homes that didn't meet half of their carefully assembled list of criteria. They fell in love because somebody got their feet at the door and across the threshold to look at the house and created an opportunity for them to fall in love.

Jun 29, 2011 07:44 AM

#141

Eugene Adan

Adan Properties, Carlsbad, CA (760) 720-9710 - Carlsbad, CA

Carlsbad Real Estate

Teresa,

Your post made me laugh! It's too real and it happens frequently, doesn't it?

Jun 29, 2011 08:00 AM

Monique Ting

INET Realty Honolulu, HI - Honolulu, HI

Your agent under the sun

You are absolutely right! If the buyers only see the defects of that home, it just means it is not for them. In our business, we are merely matchmakers & should never try to hard sell a property. After all the buyers are the ones who will live in it...

Jun 29, 2011 11:49 AM

Gene Riemenschneider

Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA

Turning Houses into Homes

There is some truth to what you say, but I do sell houses. And by that I mean I try to get the house the maximum amount of exposure to the most likely buyers. Then I work with my seller to present the house in the best light.

Jun 29, 2011 02:08 PM

Anonymous

Cynthia Massari

I have this argument with another agent in my office on a regular basis. She likes to point out that I am a SALESPERSON and that my job is to sell. I tell her that I am not a SALESPERSON; I am an AGENT. My job is to represent, counsel, research and provide information. I do not sell houses.

Jun 29, 2011 03:46 PM

#145

DeeDee Riley

Lyon Real Estate - El Dorado Hills CA - El Dorado Hills, CA

Realtor - El Dorado Hills & the Surrounding Areas

Teresa, great point here and I'm with you in that I don't sell houses. Features don't sell a house either. The location, pirce, floor plan and that type thing sells houses!

Jun 29, 2011 04:45 PM

Teresa Tedder

Carolina Realty of Wilkes Inc - Wilkesboro, NC

Thanks for the great replies!!!!

When I show a home we walk into the home and I say "Im not going to take you into each room and point out the obvious, Im just gonna let you take a look around at first, get a good feel for the home and then Im going to give you some information". I sort of trail behind them as they walk through and if any questions come up Im there to answer them. If they say "OOOHHH I hate this wallpaper!!!!" then I will say "thats not your style, eh?" and I let them tell me all the things they feel like saying "I LOOOOOOOVE this kitchen!!!" to which I will say "Yes, it has a TON of cabinets and workspace.....and look at this pantry!"......

I will wait until they are saying positive things and then I will chime in with more positive things that I want to make sure they see. If I hear a lot of negative comments, "This floor plan wont work for us", "I can hear the busy road outside I cant deal with that", "The living room is way too small", then I know that this probably isnt the home for them because the things they dont like are things that cannot be changed (except the wallpaper and cosmetic things).............I make sure to say something like "A busy road wont work for you?" and "You need a larger living room?" and I basically repeat what they have said in a question so that they will elaborate.....for example they reply "Yes, a busy road wont work for us, we have 3 kids and pets and we wont consider living on or near a busy road", or "our furniture is way too large for this living room, we need at least a 18X18"..........I make sure to listen to what they are telling me they want and need so that I can help find them something wonderful!! I want them to be happy, I dont want them to settle...........they may have to compromise but I dont want them feeling like they settled.........

After all, if you were a buyer would you like to be hearing "I know its on a busy road but look at the huge master bedroom and the large whirlpool tub!!" or would you like to hear "I have a great home at the end of a cul de sac in a great neighborhood that I would love to show you!!"..........and as far as the seller, most sellers dont want to sell their home to someone that really doesnt want it, they want to sell their home to someone that LOVES it!!! It all works out for the best to just try and do the right thing and try and help put matching buyers and sellers together!!

Then before we leave I will say "so, what do ya think?" and based on their replies I will respond in a way that I feel is most helpful for them. If they dont like it and dont want to call it home then I make sure I understand not only the obvious comments but the underlying things they dont like as well so that I can better choose other homes for them to view. If they seem to really like it but have a few objections that can easily be overcome then I will take the time to show them how easily these things can be changed! If they are madly in love and know this is "the one" then I suggest we dont delay and that we make an offer whenever they are ready!

I know when to hold em and I know when to fold em. But its all based on what the client needs and wants and nothing about what I can say or do to "make the sale"...........when you take good care of people and they know you have their best interest at heart then the commission will come!! And so will the referrals from their family and friends!!

Jun 30, 2011 01:45 AM

Catherine Marrone

Integrity Residential Brokerage LLC - West Newbury, MA

West Newbury MA real estate, Essex County

No, you can't sell houses. You can present them, highlight good features and acknowledge bad ones. To try and gloss over an obvious negative feature will only lessen your credibility with the buyer.

Jun 30, 2011 04:30 AM

George L. Rodriguez

AgencyOne HQ Bellevue - Mill Creek, WA

Your Personal R.E. Professional Broker, R.E. Exper

I agree with you that I'm not here to "sell" you a house. I'm here to help you find the house that you want. There are many to choose from and I will work hard to learn what it is that you seek. Some buyers do not understand what want or need. I listen to what they say (verbally or physically) and act accordingly. If they buy a house that they want & love then you will gain great referrals for years to come. If you "sell" a house to someone they don't want then the customer will be bitter that you talked them into getting that place they really didn't want.

Jun 30, 2011 05:16 AM

Jennifer Manchester

Suburban Properties of Charlotte, LLC - Mint Hill, NC

GRI, ePRO, ASP - Broker/Home Stager

I found this one late. It never ceases to amuse me when a seller thinks that if I am any good, then I will "sell" their house on their terms in spite of everything. I guess they think we hog tie a buyer, put a blindfold on them and then in your case just take them straight to the kitchen!!

Jun 30, 2011 06:17 AM

DEBORAH STONE

Balboa Real Estate San Diego, CA - San Diego, CA

There's usually no problem where a little money thrown at it can't be solved. It truly is (99.99 % of the time) all about the price!

Aug 09, 2011 08:54 AM

Robert Adams

Keller Williams Realty, South Tampa - Tampa, FL

I too run into the seller's questions on "did you tell them about...". Thanks for the validation, it is about price first, and then overcoming any objections. But first the buyer has to have the emotional connection or the logical conclusion that "this is the one".

Oct 17, 2011 10:25 PM