THE SILVER LINING CHRONICLES - IT'S COMPLICATED!

THE SILVER LINING CHRONICLES - IT'S COMPLICATED!

Part I

When listing a property, if your homeowners have their own thoughts about what their house is worth and it does not quite match up with what the market is showing, it's always a great idea to take the time to visit some of the comps in the area. There's nothing better than seeing in person the size and condition of similar homes. Then your homeowners will walk away with real insight as to how their home compares to other houses for sale in the neighborhood and it can be a real eye opener! 

But if for some reason, the homeowners can't tour their competition in person, then, certainly, you need to pour over recent sales/under contracts/just listeds on their home computer.

If by chance, there is no computer in the house, then you need to arrive prepared by bringing your own and

if, sadly, there's no accessible Wi-Fi in the neighborhood and your computer doesn't work, then

at the very least, you should come to the house bearing copies of all the recent and relevant data you want to show them that is available from the MLS.

One way, or another, the homeowners need to be educated about current market conditions in order for the listing to result in a successful sale.

Part II

But what if your clients are elderly and have serious health concerns? Leaving the house normally means a visit to the doctor. A flight of steps and practically any distance at all must be avoided at all costs. Their mind is on other issues - pressing issues like estate planning - depressing issues - matters of life and death.

Your home visits need to be brief. Sitting for any length of time has proven to be difficult for them and their attention span is also limited as they suffer from pain. The information you bring yields little more than a cursory glance. Interest in the recommendations you make is practically nonexistent.

Realistically, this house should have been sold years ago. But when the market turned, this neighborhood was inundated with shortsales and foreclosures and no one was buying property that was not distressed. Why buy a house for regular price when you can get a steal?

It's complicated.

Those closest to the homeowners need to offer assistance with some of the many arduous tasks associated with moving but no family member wants to be the one to voice out loud that perhaps obligations are not getting attended to the way they once were.

There's a delicate balance to maintain.

The homeowners are highly intelligent and formally educated and held prestigious positions in their respective careers of earlier years. The occasional forgotten meeting, the somewhat-misunderstood instructions and the sporadic inability to have meaningful dialogue due to short-term memory loss are all dismissed as non-essential.

This situation is similar to one where you're contemplating taking away a loved one's car keys and, inadvertently but simultaneously, taking away his independence and pride. If you've ever struggled with this, you know that out of respect for the individual, you delay the inevitable for as long as possible but, out of love for this person and concern for his safety, you eventually are forced to make the tough decision.

The house is now under contract. Almost a year after we listed, we finally have a buyer. Communication was best held in person because phone conversations were circular. Time and time again, I drove wherever I was needed to get the job done.

The homeowners will be so happy when this is all "said and done." However devastating it is for them to leave a home they've owned for so many decades, this property is like a noose around their necks, Every displayed memento needing to be wrapped, sold or trashed unleashes a torrent of near- paralyzing memories. Packing up is excruciating.

Normally, when you're selling one home, you're enthusiastically planning for the purchase of another.

But not this time.

With all the modern devices that we have at our disposal and with all the cloud-based tricks that we have up our sleeves, in the end, none of these were important and none of them were useful. I went back to basics because it was our only option. We started at a price that made the homeowners happy and every once in a while, we reviewed the amount of traffic the listing generated and its accompanying feedback and dropped the price accordingly.

It took a long time but this tried and true process finally worked.

This wonderful couple will have nothing less than a dignified end to this chapter of their lives.