Mr. Listing Agent, please advise your seller to keep his comments to himself!

Hi Jane - Sometimes the seller willl volunteer unsolicited very useful information that will help the buyer decide whether the house should be or not be bought.

You sometimes sellers don't listen to there listing agent's advice to not be present during showings.

There are always a few sellers who think they need to be present in order to make things work, no matter what their agent tells them!

good to know that this doesn't just happen to me. I was showing a short sale once when the buyer was home who wanted to "inform" us that if my buyers were interested that they'd probably have to offer more than asking because he thought there were other offers.  Needless to say the listing agent and I had a little conversation later.....there's no law against someone being an idiot in their own home, but they should be educated as to why it's a bad idea

I've told a few that we'll be OK on our own. And I've had a few put their foot in their mouth, saying off the wall or desperate stuff !

Seller - "Would you like me to show you around?"  Me - "No thanks, I think I'll be able to distinguish the kitchen from the bathroom."  Now, I haven't said it, but it's what I am thinking!  I've shown enough homes in 17 years to be able to ascertain what the room is "suppose" to be, even if it's been "repurposed".  I so much prefer that the Seller not be there, but if they are, and insist on talking, I will try to get information from them.

Please Mr. and Mrs. Seller, it's in YOUR best interest if you're NOT home during showings!

Good post, Jane!

Jane, good advice for home sellers. I showed a house once where the sellers decided to give me and my clients the grand tour. Unfortunately for them, they told us everything that was wrong with the house. Better seen and not heard.

Maybe there should be a clause in the listing agreement that reads 'As seller, I agree that if I'm in the house I'll go hide in the attic/crawl space/linens closet and will stay quiet during any potential buyer's visit'. 

Would you represent yourself in a court of law if you're not a lawyer? You can, but does it mean you should??

There is no doubt that a seller being present can hinder the sales process, however I have to agree with previous comments that these type of sellers are often the source of information that can be used effectively in negotiations AGAINST them.  (anything you say can and will be used against you during the negotiation process)

Hi Jane, I recently agreed with a seller that we should part ways. Several times I asked him to leave the buyers and their agents alone when the home was being shown and the last 3 showings resulted in the buyers storming out of the home extremely angry. My response to my wife when she asked me how I felt about it was... good riddance. Let someone else deal with this person.

i love when sellers stay home, they help to lower the price for my buyers, "yes please tell me about the electrical work you performed (juryrigged) your self, oh you dont say that the roof leaks oh you just put newcarpet in because you had a leak.....any good listing agent keeps his clients away from anyone else. if they want to stay home while you are showing the home is a red flag to me everytime that there is some issue with the house, EVERYTIME!

Sellers can be their own worst enemies. Trying to get them to understand that is the struggle. Some of the above stories are staying in my memory bank for the next difficult seller. Great post!

Jane,

AMEN! Did I say AMEN yet? Ok, lets move on. When we tell our sellers to NEVER be home during a showing you would think they would get the message. The one or two that don't never seem to take advice very well on anything. If you hire us, then use the advice you are paying for...

-Brent

Nice!  I have had seller's completely stalk me and my buyers as we tour a home...happened recently and it was hugely uncomfortable!!!  They followed us everywhere!!!!  CRAZY!

The sellers should make themselves invisible.  The buyers will not be able to personalize the home for themselves and come up with honest comments.  The comments will be geared not to insult the sellers.  Any questions the buyers will have, the buyer's agent should be able to answer or come up with an answer after speaking to the listing agent.  That is the formal avenue.

As a Home Inspector, not only do the Sellers show up sometimes, but of course the buyer, the parents and the spouses parents.  It can be quite the circus.  Pros and cons of the Seller being there... they love to point out the things they 'fixed'.  Often these are things that might have gone unnoticed, And more oftent than not they are defects.  A plus is that I can ask them to start or turn things on that I shouldn't touch.

The biggest downside I feel is that it make the buyer uncomfortable.

You'd think after so many years of RE Biz transpiring that it would now just be a universal truth that Seller's STAY AWAY. But no. Too often the chit chat brings something to the surface that makes a Buyer dismiss the home without really giving it a fair chance. Often, the issue would be considered small and managable IF the Buyer loved the property.

I usually suggest to a Seller to allow a Buyer to arrive at an opinion ON THEIR OWN. Usually works out better than being guided by a Seller!

Just my opinion....

Great Post!  This is so true and sometimes the difference in buyers and sellers personality will kill the deal as well because they have met.  It doesn't help having the sellers present or expressing their opinion when the buyer tries to communicate with their agent when looking at the home and wanting to know some answers.  Ancient years ago, this worked but the times have changed and so have the attitudes.

You can't control people. You can point the finger at the listing agent and lament that the listing agent is to blame for her seller's behavior, but ultimately, each of us is responsible for our own behavior. Just like you are responsible for how you respond to such obnoxious behavior from the seller. Why you could have said, "Of course her agent explained short sales to her -- did your agent explain to you that you aren't supposed to be talking to us?" Or you could have thanked her for her concerned comments and moved on.

Great post...I agree 100% on this...there is no reason for communication...I have had great conversations with potential buyers and sellers when talking about schools maybe some things that have been done to the house...I always tried to stay pretty close (without) hovering the buyers when I knew sellers were at home..nice job...