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Please Don't Sell "My" House! Bad Kharma Has No Place in Real Estate.

By Mona Gersky

Real Estate Broker/Owner with MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC NC# 218097

April 08, 2013 10:36 PM

Please, don't sell "my" house! No, it wasn't the seller giving me that message...don't you love showing houses occupied by the renter? Is it ever in their best interests to have a great showing, an offer and a Please Don't Ring the Bell

successful contract? I know they are under stress and I really do sympathize. It would be completely scary to have a month to month agreement rental situation, to pass a REALTOR's yard sign every time you pull into the driveway, to know that with little notice strangers could be walking through "your" home and commenting on your things and to always feel you are living on borrowed time.

Renters don't have to leave a note or post a comment on facebook to let the REALTOR know that they don't want the house to sell. We get the message loud and clear when we find out how difficult it is to schedule the appointment for the renter's convenience...or when we have to navigate the yard with the renter's frightened dog in it...or in the worst case scenario when we subconsciously wonder if the house will ever be clean again.

I get it, most agents get it...you pay rent and for a specified length of time you should be able to consider a rental space "your house". Look at the terms of your lease people. If it is month to month, consider it a glorified hotel room. If it is month to month AND listed for sale...what part of "not your house" isn't clear to you? Please don't get too comfortable and try to consider not spreading bad kharma over the house. In the long run, you can't help but get some of that bad stuff on you.

The most difficult houses to sell will always be the ones inhabited by someone who doesn't want a sale. It could be the renter or it could be one of the owners. For some people, times are tough. We get that. We understand wanting some income while a house is marketed. Wouldn't it be marvelous if the seller painted the reality of the situation to the renter? Otherwise, if the house is giving all observers the clear statement "please, don't sell "my" house!" then everyone...renter, seller, buyer and agent...are all having their valuable time wasted and that's bad kharma.

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Margaret Mitchell

Coldwell Banker Yorke Realty - York, ME

Seacoast Maine & NH Real Estate

OMG, I hate a listing with tenants. I require Sellers to make showing arrangements and discuss with the tenant prior to listing. Nonetheless, I have had tenants literally scream at me while trying to show the property.

Apr 12, 2013 10:04 PM

Gary L. Waters Broker Associate, Bucci Realty

Bucci Realty, Inc. - Melbourne, FL

Eighteen Years Experience in Brevard County

Tenants deserve privacy and consideration. An owner who has a good relationship with their tenants will list and, at the same time, accommodate these desires. But sellers who do not will have a challenge!

Apr 12, 2013 10:54 PM

Lyn Sims

Schaumburg, IL

Real Estate Broker Retired

Mona: Normally I would agree except a few years ago I was in a rental & couldn't believe how all my 'fellow professionals' did exactly what they pleased because I was a 'renter'. Somehow that makes it very unlikely that you will be treated with respect.

1) Agents showing up with no appointments literally demanding to get in. Then reporting that I am not complying & making showings difficult.

2) Children jumping all over my furniture unattended in my livingroom while the agent & 'Mom' are ??? Thru that couple & their jumping beans out of the house.

I bet that the office procedures are also not giving the tenant enough time to get the house together for a showing also. That particular example above didn't & I had a protective dog that was home alone.

Apr 12, 2013 11:03 PM

Anonymous

Susan Ani

I just had a tenant situation truly "muck up" a negotiation I was engaged in last week on behalf of my buyers.

In fact, the tenants were lovely people. Very cooperative while we visited the property.

So what was the snag? Not only did the tenants have a lease that went for another 3 full months, but the seller of the house wanted another month added on to THAT delay in closing date so that he could return to the house himself for a nice casual month of R&R (he lives out of state).

But to protect HIS interests, the seller wanted my buyers to secure their mortgage commitment asap, which means they would have to re-do appraisals and more, which would cost them precious dollars, to say nothing of time and aggravation.

My buyers said "REALLY? ah, no thank you."

Obviously, we walked away from that one,

Apr 13, 2013 01:34 AM

#38

Bryan Tobiason

Keller Williams Partners, Inc. - Gardner, KS

I always advise my sellers wait until the lease with their tenants is up before we list the house for sale. I did have one seller who was very successful with bribing his tenant with half price rent while the home was on the market if the tenant would allow showings with one hour or more notice and keep the house clean. That house was always clean and easy to show just like a "normal" seller was living there. But I think that has more to do with the tenant than the incentive, but probably not a bad idea to at least try.

Apr 13, 2013 01:49 AM

Hella Mitschke Rothwell

(831) 626-4000 - Honolulu, HI

Hawaii & California Real Estate Broker

The sellers don't consider that this will also lower the selling price. The sellers who want the income during the sales period, are shooting themselves in the foot. Many also price the house too high, figuring it will take a lite longer to get their price. Yeh, right. Been there, done that and no more. Let another agent deal with tenants who don't want to move. And chances are? They won't have to.

Apr 13, 2013 01:53 AM

Raymond Denton

Homesmart / Evergreen Realty - Irvine, CA

Irvine Realtor®

>>Let another agent deal with tenants who don't want to move.

Amen to that, Hella.

Apr 13, 2013 03:29 AM

Ric Mills

Keller Williams Southern Az - Tucson, AZ

Integrity, Honesty, and Vast Real Estate Knowledge

Alwayts a huge problem. the Renter tend to fight every step of the way. I have even had them refuse to move after closing. "Pay me" or evict me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Apr 13, 2013 03:58 AM

Marte Cliff

Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID

Your real estate writer

When my son's duplex was for sale he told his tenants that if it sold, he'd refund their last month's rent. They were very cooperative.

Apr 13, 2013 06:12 AM

Debra Gould

Staging Diva / Six Elements Inc. - Toronto, ON

The Staging Diva

I staged a vacant home that had a basement tenant. On the day of the broker's open house, she decided to cook fish. Not too subtle!

Apr 13, 2013 09:13 AM

John Dotson

Preferred Properties of Highlands, Inc. - Highlands, NC - Highlands, NC

The experience to get you to the other side!

Renters are worse than a leaking roof. I can get the roof fixed in hours...

Apr 13, 2013 01:38 PM

EMILIA B COOPER, REALTOR® SFR.NCHSE.AHWD

LAROSA REALTY - Orlando, FL

Short Sales, Foreclosure & Bank Owned Real Estate

Mona, so agree with you ... Renters are so difficult to deal with!!! Lol with #46. Thanks for so great blog post and

sharing with us!

Apr 13, 2013 03:49 PM

Kimo Jarrett

Cyber Properties - Huntington Beach, CA

Pro Lifestyle Solutions

Myrl, #32, has the solution to mitigate tenant's behavior and cooperation with marketing a rental property. If tenant benefits are provided by sellers, this wouldn't be an issue based upon my experience.

Apr 13, 2013 06:46 PM

Bob Miller

Keller Williams Cornerstone Realty - Ocala, FL

The Ocala Dream Team

Hi Mona, reminds us of the new listing we took pictures of this week. After several days notice and being told "the house is always clean" we had to wait while the tenant moved mounds of clothes in every room!

Apr 14, 2013 12:27 AM

Mona Gersky

MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC - Sylva, NC

GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.

I love reading all of these comments. Hah! Can get the leaking roof fixed in a couple of hours. Ewwwwh, mounds of diry clothes. Dirty pool with the renters cooking fish before a showing.

Boo on the realtors who made Lyn's life hell, there is no call for that. Good for the sellers who can work out incentives to keep the renters cooperative. Renters who refuse to move would be a huge example of bad kharma and it will definitely splash back on them.

Hella, settling for a lower selling price is a real possibility.

I think we can all use a link to this post to send to the sellers considering putting renters in their house while it's listed!

Apr 14, 2013 10:54 AM

Robin Healy

Portland Digs - Portland, OR

Your Real Estate Guide

Had really good 'luck' when the sellers offered a reduced rent to their tenants to cooperate with showings. Tenants were also nearing end of lease and had an offer on a house during the marketing period so it worked out great for everyone.

But when I was still an assistant my boss had a listing where the sellers were divorcing and the occupying spouse did not want to move, sabotaged every showing. THAT was stressful, ended up giving the listing back. That experience taught me to make sure all the sellers really want to sell up front!

Apr 15, 2013 01:53 AM

Lehel Szucs

All Seasons Real Estate, Inc. - Covina, CA

REALTOR of choice

the good news is every now and again you run across a good cooperative renter ... always amazes me how badly people tend to behave at times

Apr 16, 2013 12:04 AM

Brad Baylor

ERA Coup Agency - Milton, PA

Mona - I've got one like that now, where the tenant is occupying a 2 bedroom apartment above the garage, and is on a month-to-month basis. Nearly every buyer I've shown this property to has stated that if they buy the property, they will NOT want someone living above the garage. Needless to say, the apartment wreaks of pet smell, and looks like it hasn't been cleaned in months.

Apr 22, 2013 01:19 AM

Gene Riemenschneider

Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA

Turning Houses into Homes

I hate dealing with homes with tenents in them. Both Listing and Selling. However, some investors really like homes with good tenents in place. Tenents should keep this in mind.

Apr 25, 2013 08:01 AM

Wayne B. Pruner

Oregon First - Tigard, OR

Tigard Oregon Homes for Sale, Realtor, GRI

Selling a house with a tenant is tough, but it can be done. You need to make the tenant feel that they are respected and at the end there is some kind of reward.

Apr 28, 2013 01:06 AM

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Mona Gersky

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What job could possibly be better than bringing people together by sharing our common interests and learning new ones? Here's my opportunity to introduce conversations and photos of the area I feel so passionate about...the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. This is one way to give you some background about me and our MoonDancer Realty company to help you make an informed decision about hiring us as your next REALTOR. I hope you enjoy the content as much I enjoy sharing it. I'm looking forward to reading your comments and hope to meet you soon.

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