What do you do when you have a client you know needs your help the most and they just won’t let you do your job? And how do you tell them they are making a mistake?
I have been scratching my head recently over how one of my seller clients has been acting. This owner came to me as a referral from a past client, we all love the past client referral and this one was no exception. I loved getting the call and was ready to go to work.
Our initial meetings went well; I shared all that I would do to help her, discussed how things went during the previous listing and answered her questions. All the basics of an initial meeting, this home was not unlike any others I had seen.
The seller has lived in her home for over 40 years that’s a long time and a lot of stuff. I made very subtle suggestions as the owner was limited on what she could do on her own, I felt bad that she had family that wasn’t able to help her clean out and really ready the house for the market. So, I tried to help organize and strategically place things so that I could get some decent pictures, so what the home had to offer (which is a lot) but unfortunately it is hidden behind her belongings. I even offered to help box a few things up and she accepted my help.
But then I was blind-sided and things begin to take a turn in the wrong direction. She accused me of hiding, misplacing or taking a couple of items. I offered to come back and unpack the boxes we filled to help her find the items, she then instructed me to not touch anything at her home. I was speechless, just apologized for the trouble and agreed.
The largest challenge this home has is a non-traditional location and we all know in real estate its location, location, location. So, the buyer pool is significantly reduced and thus reducing the home’s value. So, she really needed my help but wasn’t able. And as many seller’s do, she felt her home was worth more than my suggested list price so when an offer came in a bit lower than the list price (not even close to a low ball though) she refused to negotiate, accused me of giving her house and belongings away and told me she wanted out of the contract because she needed to move on. How do you tell them they are making a mistake?
At this point I’m tired of the accusations but still feel I need to try to do the best for my client and help her put this offer together. So, I reached out to my Sales Manager who would have a fresh approach, but finds the owner to be unrealistic & unwilling to work to get the offer together. I’m so torn because I know she needs to sell the home but how do you tell them they are making a mistake?
Comments(12)