Need advice from someone who's dealt w/ Realtor

[Alicia64]

Well, we moved to VA and left our CA home in the care of a Realtor who came highly recommended from a friend who I trust.

 

In a nutshell, I told him that I was having work done on the house and that the house would be "his" to show etc. on Feb. 1.

 

Well, he called last night saying he had an open house yesterday and -- because of the CA storms -- a large Oak branch had fallen off, blocked a path and needed to be dealt with. Okay, fine, no problem.

 

But I'm having the carpets cleaned this coming week. And they're a real mess from a plumbing job we had done in Dec.

 

So, my concern is that he's not showing our house at all in the "best possible light." Plus he never once said that he'd start showing the house before Feb. 1. What if I'd had people doing work in the house yesterday??

 

He's also "fighting" with us about where to keep them thermostat. We, of course, want it kept at 60 when nobody is in the house, but at 65 when it's being shown. (65 is warm -- we have a new heat system and it rocks). We want to keep our electric bill as low as possible and save a little money. (We spent tons to get this house ready for sale.)

 

He keeps "overtalking" us and giving us tons of gobbledy-gook about why such and such has to happen.

 

I had a friend put the garbage out on Sat. and I'm betting he hauled it back in for the open house on Sun. Now I'm wondering what the state of the last bit of garbage is.

 

We had a corporate move and have been put up in an apt. for 6 mo. at no charge to us. So we're not "chomping at the bit" to get the house sold. Not that we'd mind if it did sell asap, but showing it w/ dirty carpets seems dumb.

 

His point -- and it's valid -- is that buyers will buy our house because of the property and the neighborhood. Not because of our lame house. And I agree. It's why we bought the house too. So maybe the carpets don't matter.

 

But -- please tell me -- aren't Realtors supposed to communicate a bit more then this?

 

Or should I just mellow out and wait for him to sell the house? I also don't really want to make him mad ie. less interested in doing a great job for us.

 

My husband and I are both "nice" and can get walked on. I think that's what's concerning me here too.

 

I just don't know what to say to him w/o coming across as a pain in the neck. I should add that he's very refined, in his mid to late 60's with kids who are 40, and appears to know his business. He's been a Realtor for 33 yrs.

 

I'm all ears -- what do you think?

 

TIA!!

 

Alley

[Parrothead]

I'd let him do the job you hired him for. He sounds like a real go-getter. See if he will compromise with 63* on the thermostat.

 

My parents have their house on the market. The Realtor they just finished the contract with never brought a single person to look at their house. Let people look at your house. Let them come back to see the improvements. The more people that look the greater chance someone will "just have to have that house."

[Alicia64]

See?! This is why I write to you guys and ask for advice! Because "nice/hot head" me would have done something dumb.

 

Our worst fear is that he's trying to make a "quick sale" and get less then asking, but I suppose we can always say no to that.

 

Thanks Parrothead!!

 

Any others?

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Alley

[JeneralMom]

Well, we just switched realtors. We moved from Kansas to Texas December 2008, but left our house in Kansas with my mum who wanted to live there. Well, in July she decided she no longer wanted to be there after summer 2010, so we contacted the realtor who sold us the house, gave her the contract to sell it, and then she promptly got into an argument with my mum, had to be forced to have an openhouse and never showed the house. Her helpful criticism was that our house wouldn't sell because it was blue. So, when her contract was up, I signed with a new agent who is nicely aggressive and we hope will sell the house.

 

When did your contract with him begin? You mention that he was told not to show the house before Feb. 1st so why is he showing it a week beforehand?

[Parrothead]

See?! This is why I write to you guys and ask for advice! Because "nice/hot head" me would have done something dumb.

 

Our worst fear is that he's trying to make a "quick sale" and get less then asking, but I suppose we can always say no to that.

 

Thanks Parrothead!!

 

Any others?

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Alley

Keep in mind that in this market a quick sale may be better than no sale. You've got to look at all the angles. You can always so no to an offer and if you don't get your price before the contract is up you can change Realtors. But you also have to keep in mind that the longer a house is on the market the let likely it is to sell. Buyers tend to think there is something seriously wrong with it.

 

We had our house in MT up for sale for a year and no takers. The area is very depressed, with virtually no one coming in to the area. If I could get a buyer for what I owe on it I'd sell it in a heartbeat.

 

Don't let yourself get into a position that you have to sell for any price.

[Joanne]

He keeps "overtalking" us and giving us tons of gobbledy-gook about why such and such has to happen.

 

He sounds experienced and competent - at least as far as selling homes go. Regardless, you are also competent, professional human beings making a decision on who is going to make money off the sale of your home. You deserve to be respectfully heard.

 

I'd also be upset about the un-negotiated change of your timeline.

 

I believe I'd have a talk with him about your role, being *heard*, and increasing the cooperation.

[Alicia64]

Thanks again. I've never sold a house before so your collected wisdom is highly valued!!

 

Yes, we priced the house very realistically. We'll just break even if we sell at our price.

 

The No. Cal. market were in -- the sub market we're in, I should say -- is a healthy one. Relatively speaking.

 

We live in a "no new homes" area and people prize the excellent schools, old established neighborhoods etc.

 

Our particular neighborhood is one of the best in the suburb and, for some reason that I haven't been able to figure out in 9 yrs., someone decided to put our house in. We were in a 1700 sf. The neighbor next door was in 5,000. So our house is "valuable" in that it's a seriously well priced house for this neighborhood.

 

Still, I don't want to make this Realtor angry or deflate him in any way. I know houses that sit on the market look bad to buyers. At the same time, I hate to have him show it when the carpets look so awful.

 

I'd love more input. I really appreciate it.

 

Alley

[coffeefreak]

If he wants to show the house in its present condition, I'd let him. The thermostat DOES make a difference. Even though you are not there, they need to know the heat works, they need to know it's a comfortable, cozy house that they're not going to need to do repairs on. When our house showed in the summer, we made it ice cold in the house. :D

 

If he's been in the business for 33 years, there's a reason. We all get touchy when we sell our homes because it's a huge deal! Here's something that was yours. That you put your heart and soul in to decorate, take care of, LIVE in. The first thing I had to do when we put our house on the market was realize, "This house is no longer mine." I did everything the Realtor said, even when it hurt, and our house sold in 60 days (the summer of 2008). Trust me when I say, people are MEAN! Especially in this market. I would let him do his job for the next 3 months. If you don't get a bite, you can reconsider, but it sounds like he wants a sale regardless of the shape of your house.

 

Blessings!

Dorinda

[pageta]

I can tell you I wouldn't want to buy a house if it was cold. I would be thinking about how cold it was and I wouldn't be able to think about whether or not the house would work for me. I would say 65 would be a minimum. And who is going to go over and turn up the heat everytime someone wants to show it? Sometimes realtors show houses on very short notice. Don't cut off your hand to spite your finger.

[Alicia64]

Pageta ~ I really am taking everyone's thoughts into account. That's why I asked. In fact, I just emailed a warm email (pun intended) to the Realtor telling him to the keep the house nice and cozy.

 

Thanks.

 

Alley

[JoyfulMama]

When we were looking at houses, the condition was important, but if the owner was in the midst of improvements, that would be seen as positive. Carpets need cleaning, but it's schedules? No problem! We didn't like touring cold houses, and that's the reason why we didn't lower our heat below 65 when we were selling ours.

We did a long-distance sell, too. I HAD to have confidence in the realtor we (I) hired. Communication was A BIG FACTOR in deciding who I contracted with. And that means there was a lot I didn't have control over, too. You need to remember why you hired this realtor, and allow him to do the job you hired him for. But, he might need a reminder as to why you hired him, too.

[prim*rose]

I may be in the minority, but I wouldn't like him telling me what the schedule is, and I wouldn't show a house with dirty carpets. Completely my opinions, so take them with a grain of salt! We sold our house in Wisconsin and I made sure it was immaculate. In this market, we were competing with foreclosures and I wanted our house to stand apart and be neat & clean. We fixed it up and ended up with a full price offer. If the carpets aren't clean buyers may want a carpeting allowance or expect you to take less. Again, just my opinion for what it's worth :)

[Scarlett]

I say let him do his job. His bedside manner may not be perfect, but he probably knows what he is doing. Neighborhood is THE most important thing, and if he is telling you the house will sell based upon that alone, then listen to him.

 

Dirty carpets in a nice neighborhood? Wouldn't bother me a bit...I might be thinking, 'ok, carpets need to be ripped out', but I tend to to think that about ANY house no matter what the carpets look like.

 

And I agree that the house needs to be warm.

[AuntieM]

The thermostat DOES make a difference.

 

 

Yep. I won't stay long in a cold house. You want people to stay long and look and see it well. You don't want them to just run through and out again because they are freezing. A home should be warm and inviting. Turn up the thermostat and consider it an investment in psychological marketing.

 

ETA: Don't worry about the carpets. Many buyers will either request a professional cleaning (even if it looks really clean) or replace carpeting anyway. I'd only worry about it if you really needed it cleaned to eliminate seriously strong pet or cooking odors.

Edited January 25, 2010 by AuntieM

[cdrumm4448]

I was a real estate broker for ten years and I can tell you buyers do expect a perfect interior, or they use it as an excuse the drop their offer. As an agent I didn't show houses that weren't ready to be seen. The first 90 days your house is on the market is the most important time for you. The most buzz will be generated. You want to show your house in move-in condition.

 

My concern is why is your agent not listening to what you say you want? I expected my clients to be open and honest with me about what they wanted so I could service their needs effectively. Your agent's fiduciary duty is to do everything he can to sell your house. If you polled 100 agents, 99 would say wait to list and show until it's ready.

[lllll]

We had to sell a house in Northern Virginia while living in Idaho back in 1989-90 when the bottom dropped out of the real estate market. It was a lesser house in a nicer neighborhood. Wound up having to have it painted, new carpet, and drop the price, to sell it more than 6 months later. The realtor didn't want to drop the price; but we had already moved into a rental in Idaho and couldn't afford to support 2 houses. It sold quickly after we did all that.

 

Another house we sold (NH) sold in 3 days to the first person who looked at it. We had painted the inside and outside, cleared out ALL clutter, had every single light on, all shades open, and banana bread baking in the bread machine when realtor showed it. I also took youngest 3 kids and dogs and left before the showing. Oldest 2 kids were helping dh paint the outside when realtor came. Cats were tossed outside. House was warm, bright, smelled delicious, clean, and quiet. We only showed it that one time.

FWIW

[Carol in Cal.]

It effects that final price more than it reasonably should. That's why people pay to have it done! I am amazed that your realtor is not prioritizing this.

 

I don't know where you are in Northern CA, but if you're near Silicon Valley there are LOTS of great realtors around here who would do a better job for you than that. The good ones listen, discuss, give you their opinion and the reasons for it, and then let you decide. You should not be being railroaded, long distance, by a realtor who you can't talk to.

 

I agree with you about the carpets, and with him about the heat. But I think he should be honoring your schedule as well, and should be coaching you about how to stage your house to sell, before he shows it very much. BTW, the most important showing is the realtor tour of homes that are newly on the market. If they like your house, your house will sell, flat out. So it is crucial that the house be fully staged before that tour, and that it be on that tour.

[TravelingChris]

We sold our last house from overseas. We had crumbling bricks on the facade of our patio and were going to get them fixed. We had not cleaned the carpets yet. The agent put the house up as a listing with a front photo. Three days later it sold- before carpet cleaning, before crumbling facade repair. We sold for a very nice profit too. We used a realtor with a very good sales record and a long history. He served us very well.

 

I would definitely raise the heat and do what the realtor says to do at least for a while. If it doesn't work, rethink.

[asta]

I think that California is under water and covered with mud at the moment and no one is going to take a second glance at anyone's carpets for the next several months.

 

 

a

[Alicia64]

Now that I live in VA and see the news, I can see why you'd think CA is under water, but CA is a gigantic state -- the 3rd largest -- and most of CA is not under water or covered in mud.

 

The news is just relating so much of what tiny portions of the state are going through that it looks like the entire state is in crisis.

 

But it is wet and rainy!

 

Alley