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Be careful what you say when showing a house.

By
Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Advantage

We all have different tastes in houses and how we would decorate them.  Through the years I've learned not to express MY opinion too strongly about a house and how it appears.  I remember having this house that was in a pretty good area with a pretty good lot but a widower lived there.

Seems his wife had been dead for some time and he'd never cleaned or dusted the place.  Dust had settled all over everything.  Nothing had been picked up;  it was awful!  I had a tendency to apologize for its condition when I showed it. 

To my surprise, an agent from another company showed it and brought in an offer.  They wanted the seller to move out and let them move right in, no changes whatsoever!  They'd even live in the house with him if necessary.  LESSON LEARNED!  Those buyers lived just the same as that widower did!  The place looked the same or worse after they bought it!  So I decided to never give my opinion again. 

Another agent told me that he was showing a house with purple decor and he told them as they entered that they'd HATE the purple decor.  It turned out purple was their favorite color;  they loved the house but they didn't love the agent who downed their taste.  When he got back to the office they told him as much and fired him as their agent!!  Be careful about opinions!

Aventura | Bal Harbour | Sunny Isles Beach | REALTOR® 786-229-7999
SIB REALTY, Llc // WaterWayRealty.com - Sunny Isles, FL

You're absolutely right, Barbara!

 

One mans trash is another's treasure. Who are we to say what is "nice" or not?

 

Oct 16, 2007 05:46 AM
Bruce Goughnour
Sugar Hill, GA
Atlanta Associate Broker

Oh, so true!  A former associate of mine used to walk around a home with clients saying, "I would do this." or "I don't like that." or "Who would do something silly like that."  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

Oct 16, 2007 05:54 AM
Nancy Moeller
Seven Gables Real Estate - Anaheim Hills, CA
True, opinions are all about what will sell, not our personal opinion of their taste.
Oct 17, 2007 04:30 AM
Stephen Joos & Chris Brubaker- HouseFront
HouseFront - Denver, CO
Good idea, its very hard to read people and for the sake of not steeping on anyones toes its best to let them tell you what they think first and then feed off of that.
Oct 17, 2007 07:47 AM
James Lockard
RE/MAX Properties - Saddle River - Allendale, NJ
Realtor, Allendale, NJ
Very true!  Also applies to which houses you show them.  I had previewed some homes for a client and brought them to see a few. One house I didn't like and thought they would not like and did not plan on shoiwng them.  Turned out we were right down the block looking at another house so I showed them anyway. They loved it and wound up buying the home.  You never know.
Oct 17, 2007 08:12 AM
Gerry Banister
RE/MAX Showcase Homes - Beverly Hills, MI
MBA
Not only do I not provide personal opinions.  I learned a long time ago not to bother previewing houses for my buyers.  The one time I did not have time to preview houses, I took a buyer out.  We walked into a house and my first thought was that this would be a waste of time since it did not have most of the "got to haves" that she was looking for.  Surprise, surprise, she bought it.  The enclosed back porch was going to be perfect for her baseball team to come to after games,  and that sold the house.  She said her father could come and stay with her for a couple of months and fix those toher things she did not like. That was many years ago, when I stopped previewing houses.
Oct 17, 2007 08:47 AM