What's the best way to tell a seller thier home is bad?

Honesty.  Sure you want to be graceful, but please speak the truth.  Never 'buy' their listing by saying its worth more than it really is...

The best thing to tell the Seller is the truth! The place is a dump and in this condition you will need to find another agent. IF they have made no effort to clean up and you see the property in the same condition then you should say...Hello Self. What am I doing here?

Forget about it. Go find another listing which is in better condition and you have a chance to earn a commission. No way would I take a loser listing and to do it in spring market is a bad decision.

It's your call.

Matt,

and if they are not cooperative,  just throw them away :) easy, a prospect or client that it is not cooperative, you are wasting your time. :)  just my 2 little cents

 

You need to give them a laundry list of what they need to do in order for you to sell it, not just list it.  I recently posted my new listing with before and after pictures.  I was amazed at the mess and the odor.  When I went back for the final listing, the odor was less than half what it was, but they were immune to the smell.  I suggested they put out bowls of vinegar in a couple of places and replace it every 2-3 days as that's supposed to soak up odors.  The main culprit was the HUGE area rug I had them replace.

Now that the listing I mentioned is staged and ready to go, the sellers told me that if they were looking for houses in the area right now, they would turn around and rebuy their own house because it looked so good to them.

Let them know you SELL houses, you don't just list them, and see how they react. If they aren't favorable to your ideas, they aren't going to cooperate throughout the listing, and I wouldn't spend my time and effort marketing a house like that (again).

Matt, Sometimes the only way to tell someone there house is not very marketable is to come right out and say it.

Matt:

You met with them once - how motivated did they seem?

I suggest meeting with them again - going through home room to room (if they don't have $ for stager) Let them know what needs to be done to get the house ready for market. Then give two prices for home - one if changes are made and second very low price if home is listing "as is" .

If they are not agreeable to your suggestions, don't take the listing. Let them be an other agents headache. If they are willing to put in the work, make sure the work is completed before the paperwork is signed. (I've gotten burned before and have learned that leason)

Sandra

 

 

I would give them an accurate price range for the home in the condition it's in. If it's priced right, even a dump will sell. They probably won't like your price and will either 1. hire someone else or 2. ask what to do to increase the value.

My guess is that if they live this way, unapologetically, they aren't capable of cleaning it up and certainly aren't capable of keeping it clean. They will be a nightmare. If they aren't taking care of their home, you can be sure that they haven't taken care of the systems in their home.

If you list it, do it "as is" and price accordingly.

Matt - Bring your camera take some pics - quickly upload them to your laptop and show the homeowner how their home will show on MLS.  I think people honestly don't know how their home looks.  This will give you the opportunity to discuss point of sale merchandising.  Have the name of a local stager to refer to the client.  I'd contact a few stagers in your area first to see what the fees are.  This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship for you!

Matt - I looked up home stagers on AR from Detroit and sadly there are none listed.  Here is a link to a home staging directory that has stagers in the Detroit area.  http://www.homestagingresource.com/members/users/locations/location.asp?abbr=mi I don't know any of these stagers personally but I did train with the same company.  Hopefully you will find someone to work with. 

Matt - If the homeowners don't have money for a stager, have you thought about paying for a consultation out of your own pocket (after you've signed the listing of course).  I can't speak for other stagers, but my consultations run anywhere from $150 to $300 for  2-4 hours of detailed information for the homeowners, and then they can take that information and run with it.

That way, you have a neutral 3rd party (the stager) to be the bad guy.

Remember, we sell the house when we list it.

Can you hold a broker's open and solicit feedback from other REALTORs? Then you can say to the seller "Between us we have X years experience, and here's what we need to do to your house to get it ready for the market, and the price at which this expereince tells us it will be favorably received."

"Mr Seller, in this brutally competitive market, it's important that I be completely honest with you about your home right from the beginning ..." Then gently point out the negatives and be sure to offer solutions, always keeping the seller's motivation and end result in mind.

I'm getting the impression that this home is not even to a point where a stager might help.  Sounds like they need a basic cleaning crew to start with.  You might suggest they hire someone to come in and do a deep cleaning.  Maybe you can refer them to "how clean is your house". and let those lovely English ladies do the dirty work (no pun intended)...  Or maybe you could try and get them to tell you what they think a buyer will be looking for???  It's a tough situation any way you cut it, but you woudn't be doing them any favors by "sweeping it under the carpet" so to speak.  Try and be as sincere as you can when you tell them you really want to do the best job for them that you can and help them to get the most money out of their sale, and ask them to help you accomplish that, then work with them to put together a plan.

As several previous comments state -> honesty is the only way to go. I would return to list the property with a list of things to be done. Explain what needs to be done and why. Perhaps the seller is not sophisticated enough to understand? Show and tell rather directly yet with compassion!

Do you think they will listen to you when you tell them to clean out the junk and correct the funky smell? If they won't then you can imagine that the home won't sell very easily. Thus, what is the true benefit to you? A sign on the front lawn? Perhaps more leads from your sign? At the end of the day, tell them you're a professional consultant and they must implement your advice if you are to take them on as a client. Otherwise, tell them their home won't sell in its current condition. See what they say. You don't have to take the listing, if they don't listen to you and implement your advice.

Matt - IF they don't take the bulk of your recommendations and do what you say needs to be done, I would personally pass on that one if I were you.  QUESTION - I can only see to post in 5 Groups per Blog.  How were you able to post to so many groups?  I would very much appreciate you letting me know on this one.  Thanks!