To Help or Not to Help?

Your listing has not one offer over 40 days on the market, this after you made some suggestions to make the home more appealing. Take down some of this wallpaper, or molding here, or new carpet there. Your client isn't happy either, they've done all this work while you sat there and just told them too. And now the house still has not sold! This is a tricky spot to be in, on one hand if your too busy to get over there and do anything it looks like you don't care. If you do have time then everything from here on in might involve you in the future. Not quite sure what to do, well here's a few suggestions. 

1. No one wants to sweat while you crack the whip - Unless your really physically unable to help them, then you should be helping. Think about what will happen when you finally sell there home. They probably are going to have a glowing refferal for you. I recently cleaned a client's home in the afternoon before a showing, because she couldn't. It sold later that day! This is the Facebook Post I got that evening -

    The whole house on the market thing blows...the whole walking into q clean house cuz your awesome realtor pulled up his boot straps n cleaned for you today...totally doesn't suck. Thanks buddy! — with Craig Wheeler.  That earned me 3 more cliients in 2 days. 

2. Think about how they feel. - They work, you call them and tell them people will be walking through to see there house, now instead of eating dinner they're cleaning the house. It can get condescending if you don't ever offer to help them with some of the work. You don't want an unhappy client. Do what you can, again it will endear them to you!

3. Don't do it all! - You can't do everything, but you can do something. If they're calling all the time asking you to help with this or that, then you're in trouble. You need to set boundaries, you can't be sanding and staining their floors, and be doing lead generation. Also if you have more than one listing, it's down right impossible! Pick and choose what you can handle.

4. Get the Family involved - They have other family member's, kids, anyone they know that can help. Suggest a drywall party, or a roofing cookout. The point is have them get help from where they can, it will ease your burden. 

Here are a few tips for you in helping your clients. Remember the refferals outweigh the few hours of work you're putting in to help them!