How brutally honest are you with your Sellers?

100% agree, although it has to be done with a gentle hand with some sellers..as far as pricing..I have lost listings to many overpriced sellers..there is just no point at listing a home to high, epecially in this market.

Actually, I don't tell them...I let the stager I recommend tell them.  If you have a good one, they know how to do it tactfully...something I am not very good at.  My clients expect the stager to tell them things that need to be done, so even bad news is expected.  The stager then calls me with the recommendations, so I can back the things that need doing.  It is a win-win.

Darla,

Honesty is always the best policy. I've heard many stories of perfectly fine homes not selling because of an odor. The stories are usually pretty funny, but the houses don't sell, many people waste too much time and everyone misses out. Thanks for being the honest one. Best of luck.

--

Rob Oryl

rob@valuation-nation.com

609.440.2786 

Darla,

I just had to call the daughter of a customer today (she is also a RE agent in another state) and tell her that the odor in her father's house was horrible...Open the window's...its Florida and the air is fresh. No way would anyone even be able to get into that condo...let alone breathe...I was there for an hour the other day and I was nauseated when I left.

I agree that it's a great idea to tell them the flaws/fixes with their houses.  I just learned how valuable a stager can be for those clients who are exceptionally sensitive (99% of them when it comes to their house and their color choice!) 

My clients wouldn't listen to me, so I brought in a third party.  We talked ahead of time and I told her about the clients and she looked at the pics of the house.

I think it's also a good idea to give them names of a helpful contractor to help.  Mnay stagers can do this for your clients too.

Darla this a great post and I agree with you to the up-most.  You have to let the seller know what's wrong with the house.  Don't sugar coat it, they seek you to be the professional and tell them what they need to get the home ready, especially in this market.  We are the experts in this industry and need to act accordingly. 

For all the great things that I have learned about our business frimMike Fery, the best is, Show Up, Pay Attention, and Don;t be attached to the outcome.  Tell them like it is ...even if they don't list with yiou yiu have done the right thing!

I believe that if people are going to hire me to help them sell their house quickly and at the best price, then I need to be forthright with them and they need to trust me. Absent that, they need to find another Realtor.

I can be honest, but also have to be very careful not to offend. I always preface my comments on what prospective buyers will say when they see the house -- so it would be buyers saying these things, not just me.

One of my friends was going through a divorce  (this was before I knew her). She relayed to me the story of when they engaged a realtor who proceeded to tell her everything that was wrong with her house, who rummaged through her house, saying to get rid of this (hide it, throw it away, give it away, etc), and to keep that. 

She said that in her state of mind and heart at that time, she was going through such an emotional upheaval that she thought that realtor overstepped her bounds and was insensitive. She would never recommend that realtor, and she even tried to get out of the listing contract at that time, but couldn't.

Hooray for honesty!  So many Realtors are not guiding their clients because they are so afraid!  People want us to help them. There is a nice way to say just about anything!