I listed my neighbors house and then she went through this severe deperession.  It was AWFUL!!!  We finally sold it and the guy that bought it got a real deal all because of a dirty house.  It was hard not to take the feedback personally.  Being a neighbor it put me in a terrible situation. 

Marchel  I don't think sellers know how much they loose on a home that is not clean.  Even the smell of a freshly mopped floor with some spic and span, or the scent of bleach in bath areas really send a good subliminal message to the buyers.

Jim Crawford, you need a home stager on your team! If the two of you sat down at a table with your seller and explained the benefits of home staging on the house's appraisal, showings and sale...your job would be much easier. If after the explanation, your seller still refuses to have the home cleaned and staged, well then, a lot of equity is lost. And unfortunately, a lot of the Realtor's time is wasted, too.

I have told clients to clean before I would list and they get offended. I have had better luck in recent years. I had one client that wanted me to help her hide mold in her garage. I said no, she got mad. I then dropped the listing. I never take a chance on anything coming back to bite me.

Sue I agree Thanks for the comments.  I am directing this one as a buyers agent. 

Chris  Way to go!   If they don't listen we don't need them!  Next!

Jim-I feel sorry for the agents that have the listings because I dont beleive they would be crazy enough to spend their time and money knowing that the house does not show well at all.  I want to think that it is more a matter of the agent told the sellers what to do but the sellers just dont listen.  In this case, I would get rid of the listing before I wasted too much time and money on it.  Aloha!

Nothing I hate more than opening a door to let a buyer in and walk into a situation like you described! Only thing worse is a home like that where there is a tennat in the home as well and that doesn't really care or want the home showed at all.

David & Tonya...just think of the aggravation!

Danny  It can really turn the buyers off and discourage them!

Well...I'm one of those assertive agents...not blunt....assertive. And if they don't listen I let them know I will be arriving for the Open House a little early so I can tidy up a bit....yeah, some take advantage...and then I have to again be assertive....

Oh, I don't do this too often...but most recently because this guy referred me to two other buddies who bought and sold....and now he's also selling through me...what can I say...I give back...haha.

That is a good payback!

My wife and I have had to help some sellers clean up their house before I put it on the market.  I'm with you Jim, if the agent is not willing to help and the seller is unwilling to put forth any effort, then what is the sense of taking the listing (unless of course you sell it as a fixer-upper and price it accordingly).

Amen!  But the sellers want thier cake an eat it too!

I let them know the first thing a potential buyer will notice is how clean your home is, people get this. If they really want to sell they will step up, the ones who don't have other problems that we just don't know about.

Thanks Suzanne

I've had both responsive and nonresponsive.....the ones who NEVER give you any headache and have it clean, stage and ready to go by time you go to the listing appointment....and the other's who really don't believe it's a mess....to the stubborn who say, "if they can't look under the clutter, then they can go somewhere else" or the ones who say...this is an as is sale....so we get all kinds, all walks of life....I look at the bottom line....I don't always have to clean or stage or tidy up.....so the few times I feel I have to is no problem!

I agree Jim, the sellers want their cake and eat it too.  Unfortunately, they eat it in the living room, the bedrooms, and the family room.  All without the benefit of eating their cake over a plate :)

Jim, I deal with a lot of rental property. It always an adventure with those types. I think Donald Trump said "I Always wash a building before I sell it". Thanks for your thoughts.

Sally  Perspective is right...it isn't all sellers.  Most are cooperative. 

Matt  How true!

Frank you should be canonized!  Most of the rental properties are the worse.   Your use of the word "adventure" is very kind.

There is no reason they can not have it cleaned before showing it.  The only exception is if there are tenants who are pigs.  Then you have to decide whether or not to list it.  You can always send in a cleaning crew.

Send a cleaning crew or lightning as they would in New York when they had a problem!    LOL!  Just kidding!  Tenants are a very big problem.  Most are just OK, many do not go out of the way to accomodate a sale.