MariannNOVA Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 First of all, I have the utmost respect for all of you -- imo, you probably earn about seventeen cents an hour by the time you finally get to settlement and are given a check. :grouphug: My question: When a prospective buyer says something to you about, for example, the windows aren't clean, I don't like the color scheme, the moldings are dusty, it's empty and stark-looking (b/c everything has been decluttered) that kind of stuff, are you able to respond: 'those are not reasons NOT to consider a house. I know that I have been told that agents are not to 'sway' or offer their opinion (I get that) -- but are you able to inject some common sense into your communication with lookers? I am curious. I am not trying to be snarky or harsh. TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Our agent does it all the time with my mom when we go looking together. My mom doesn't like it. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Our agent does it all the time with my mom when we go looking together. My mom doesn't like it. :D I love your agent! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynyel Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Are people really that obtuse that they don't realize that they can paint, dust, wash windows and clutter up the place as they see fit after they move in? I don't understand the thinking there. Shoot I have looked at houses that have a green sheen to the outside, I don't care, I can pressure was the outside for pity's sake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Are people really that obtuse that they don't realize that they can paint, dust, wash windows and clutter up the place as they see fit after they move in? IME, yes........I am sorry to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 When I was house hunting, I would often mention those kinds of things. But I was only thinking aloud, sort of a running commentary. It didn't affect the way I viewed the house as a possible purchase. The first agent I used would correct me, even after I explained. It was annoying. The next agent understood and got the commission. Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 When I was house hunting, I would often mention those kinds of things. But I was only thinking aloud, sort of a running commentary. It didn't affect the way I viewed the house as a possible purchase. The first agent I used would correct me, even after I explained. It was annoying. The next agent understood and got the commission. Ann I understand totally -- at times I would make the comment and wrap it up with -- 'but of course that can be easily rectified.' now, I just look and keep quiet. Our agent is a good friend in a professional sense and she is easy to look with. The agent we used during the summer -- well, I never opened my mouth and said a word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 When I was house hunting, I would often mention those kinds of things. But I was only thinking aloud, sort of a running commentary. It didn't affect the way I viewed the house as a possible purchase. The first agent I used would correct me, even after I explained. It was annoying. The next agent understood and got the commission. Ann (bolded, mine) :iagree: When dh and I were house hunting, the agents who constantly had a comeback for every criticism dh and I had about a house, drove me bonkers, and made me want the house less. I felt like all they wanted was to make a fast sale, and weren't really listening to what we wanted or needed from a home. We were pointing out possible issues to each other as we walked through. I don't think dirty windows and stark and decluttered were a problem though. I actually preferred to look at empty houses. :D I do like an agent that will pass on comments that potential buyers make. Even if it is about dirty windows, because if that's all I have to do to make it more appealing so it will sell faster, then..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 (bolded, mine) :iagree: When dh and I were house hunting, the agents who constantly had a comeback for every criticism dh and I had about a house, drove me bonkers, and made me want the house less. I felt like all they wanted was to make a fast sale, and weren't really listening to what we wanted or needed from a home. We were pointing out possible issues to each other as we walked through. I don't think dirty windows and stark and decluttered were a problem though. I actually preferred to look at empty houses. :D I do like an agent that will pass on comments that potential buyers make. Even if it is about dirty windows, because if that's all I have to do to make it more appealing so it will sell faster, then..... Good points -- I will ask our agent stuff like: 'does the listing say what kind of marble/tile this floor is?' b/c I hate to be looking back and forth at the listing and the house. I will ask how old the house is, what kind of heat? that kind of stuff. Years ago I looked at a house that was owned by a cardiologist in the very small town where we lived - his fiance had moved in and was soaking her undies in the kitchen sink -- I kid you not. Our agent and I walked over to the sink to look out the window to the back yard and saw the undies. We looked in the sink, looked at each other and she said to me almost in a whisper trying not to laugh: 'those do not convey.':lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I would hope that they would say those things just to get a better idea about what their buyer wants. "Okay, from now on we'll only look at homes with light paint if that is what you want." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 I would hope that they would say those things just to get a better idea about what their buyer wants. "Okay, from now on we'll only look at homes with light paint if that is what you want." You make an interesting point -- this is the first time we have had a house on the market with probably HALF of the agents coming first to preview it b4 making an appointment to bring their buyer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 One of things we needed at the time, was basically move in ready. Dh was a ps teacher and coach, (so he was never home), I was a stay at home mom w/ 3 kids- the oldest being 2 yrs. old. We couldn't afford to replace floors, or didn't have time to strip the peeling wall paper. To our realtor, it was always "an easy fix". Ummm, not for me! I didn't have the time or the money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Good points -- I will ask our agent stuff like: 'does the listing say what kind of marble/tile this floor is?' b/c I hate to be looking back and forth at the listing and the house. I will ask how old the house is, what kind of heat? that kind of stuff. Years ago I looked at a house that was owned by a cardiologist in the very small town where we lived - his fiance had moved in and was soaking her undies in the kitchen sink -- I kid you not. Our agent and I walked over to the sink to look out the window to the back yard and saw the undies. We looked in the sink, looked at each other and she said to me almost in a whisper trying not to laugh: 'those do not convey.':lol: Ewwww! That and your "aim" issue from the other thread, make me want to never again buy or sell a house! I'm going to go kiss my house now and tell it how much I love it, and apologize for anything bad I might have ever said about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 yes, i wonder about this too. I realize that some people have no interest or ability in some things - I usually hate wallpaper because i hate peeling it off so much, and so that might be something I'd consider along with other factors. But the furniture of the owners? Dirty windows? And it is almost inevitable that if someone wants a lot of very specific items they will have to compromise on some. Things like paint colour are going to be a less serious compromise than location or lay-out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Ewwww! That and your "aim" issue from the other thread, make me want to never again buy or sell a house! I'm going to go kiss my house now and tell it how much I love it, and apologize for anything bad I might have ever said about it! Well, tomorrow IS Valentine's day -- show your house some LOVE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I answer questions when someone asks me but let the musings and 'thinking out loud' happen without my input. I don't look over anyone's shoulder while they're looking and I like to let them look without me talking too much. I feel the biggest part of my job is as a problem solver. If someone sees a problem with a house and they are still interested in it, I will find a way to solve the problem. If someone really loves a home then the problems aren't as big but if I stand around and just defend a house, it really doesn't sell it. I buy and sell a lot of houses after I've gutted them and practically rebuilt them as well as we do a lot of new construction. I'm a pretty good problem solver. :D I feel that the less a realtor knows about what they are doing, more they talk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 yes, i wonder about this too. I realize that some people have no interest or ability in some things - I usually hate wallpaper because i hate peeling it off so much, and so that might be something I'd consider along with other factors. But the furniture of the owners? Dirty windows? And it is almost inevitable that if someone wants a lot of very specific items they will have to compromise on some. Things like paint colour are going to be a less serious compromise than location or lay-out. It would be IMPOSSIBLE for me to agree with you more!:iagree::iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 and yes, the craziest things get in the way of someone actually seeing a house and it's advantages. Lately what I'm hearing get in the way: red on the walls, yellow on the walls, cigarette smoke, no storm doors, ugly landscaping, buyers can't see past the kitchen counters, chips and dents in doorframes, and crown molding that doesn't meet because the house settled. All of this is pretty darn easy to fix but it is what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 and yes, the craziest things get in the way of someone actually seeing a house and it's advantages. Lately what I'm hearing get in the way: red on the walls, yellow on the walls, cigarette smoke, no storm doors, ugly landscaping, buyers can't see past the kitchen counters, chips and dents in doorframes, and crown molding that doesn't meet because the house settled. All of this is pretty darn easy to fix but it is what it is. Hmm, some of these would be pretty big obstacles for me. Paint may be easy to fix, but I'm not sure the same could be said about cigarette smoke. With my family's allergies, I wouldn't even consider a house that had been smoked in, or had an obvious cat presence. In some areas, there are so many houses on the market that you don't have to consider houses with paint, counters, or landscaping you don't care for. I wouldn't let those issues come between me and my dream house, but they might sway my choice. Mariann, our most recent realtor definitely told us whether or not the things we complained about should be issues. She also redirected our attention if we got busy looking at things that shouldn't matter. She'd tell us to focus on kitchen countertop space, and not the countertop material. She also made us aware of problems that seemed small to us. One thing I didn't think was a big issue was cooking odor from very strong spices. Our realtor said that actually was a pretty permanent problem (similar to cigarette smoke), and told us not to consider the house in question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickelfritz Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 and yes, the craziest things get in the way of someone actually seeing a house and it's advantages. Lately what I'm hearing get in the way: red on the walls, yellow on the walls, cigarette smoke, no storm doors, ugly landscaping, buyers can't see past the kitchen counters, chips and dents in doorframes, and crown molding that doesn't meet because the house settled. All of this is pretty darn easy to fix but it is what it is. It's easy to fix for some people. Not everyone has that knowledge or ability. We bought a house in the fall. We sign to sell our old house this week. I know markets vary. Here...? We are competing against new construction. We heard, over and over, buyers wanted move-in-ready. The particulars of our buyer mean that ANY repairs would have been hired out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 (bolded, mine) :iagree: When dh and I were house hunting, the agents who constantly had a comeback for every criticism dh and I had about a house, drove me bonkers, and made me want the house less. I felt like all they wanted was to make a fast sale, and weren't really listening to what we wanted or needed from a home. We were pointing out possible issues to each other as we walked through. I don't think dirty windows and stark and decluttered were a problem though. I actually preferred to look at empty houses. :D I do like an agent that will pass on comments that potential buyers make. Even if it is about dirty windows, because if that's all I have to do to make it more appealing so it will sell faster, then..... Oh. My. I think that tops the house we looked at, with owner present, and our kids left in the car watching a movie since it wa the last house we were ging to look at that day. The white owner proudly showed us what he called the Picaninny Room - totally decorated in cheap and tacky African American caricature art - and he didn't know that our children are African American. The stuff wasn't even the old antique stuff. Just cheap reproduction knock offs surrounded by fake magnolias every where. I honestly thought our realtor was going to pass out! And to your original question, yes, our realtor would point out things like, "This will be spectacular with your favorite paint color and some elbow grease on those floors." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 It's possible the buyers are just pointing out the flaws in hopes of getting a better price. Oldest trick in the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 It's easy to fix for some people. Not everyone has that knowledge or ability. We bought a house in the fall. We sign to sell our old house this week. I know markets vary. Here...? We are competing against new construction. We heard, over and over, buyers wanted move-in-ready. The particulars of our buyer mean that ANY repairs would have been hired out. Sorry, I am answering the phone while I write here. I think those are easy fixes for buyers, actually. If I loved a house and it met my needs, I would make an offer on it with those little things being the only barriers. Sometimes buyers have trouble seeing through the "little things." When I'm a buyer, I don't let a red wall get in my way. I paint it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 I think the realtor should ask the potential buyer if they'd like to state their negatives (and positives!) and go from there. Good method. I think that reasonable, intelligent communication between the agent are buyer is essential. Could it be that the realtor was telling the OP this so she could just do a bit more cleaning for the 'persnickety' people? I'm not following you. And, I think I am the OP. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Maybe it's me who's confused! I thought viewers to your house were saying those things and your realtor wasn't reacting, then relaying their statements to you as a hint for you to clean the windows. I think it's stupid, though,and I wasn't saying anything about your cleaning methods, Mariann! :lol:I thought that was what happened -- no harm, no foul.:lol: nah, I was just wondering what, if anything, a realtor could/would say to a buyer who said those things -- not that they were saying those things about my house. We did have one agent tell our agent that 'clearly' we weren't living in the house b/c it was too clean and too staged. Our agent politely corrected her. Our agent is great in that she will tell a buyer's agent when they call for the appointment that our house is a pleasure to show -- and some realtors will put that on their feedback - that the house was a pleasure to show. Honestly, I think it's a dam*ed if you do, dam* if you don't situation. If you stage, they complain. If you don't stage, they complain. If you de-clutter, they say it looks bare and stark. If you don't de-clutter enough, they say they cannot see past your stuff. I am so trying not to see it as a no-win situation, but I guess a contract is the only thing that cures that.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Not a professional (sorry if I shouldn't be answering), but we have bought four homes as primary residences over the years. We also own two rental properties. When pressed, people might give comments about a home that don't reflect their actual reasons for not liking it. It might not have the right "feeling" yet they are unable to put that into words. They'll come up with something that doesn't necessarily make sense. They might not like your stairs or your road, for example, and yet come up with "the house looks empty." (Using stairs and interior strictly as examples here, because you'll remember that I am in complete love with your interior and mirrors and hope that the local TJMaxx does have a home section here!) We've had our agent tell us, "Oh, you'll love THIS house!" No, we won't, and it's clear that you haven't been listening to anything we've said in the past. You KNOW we don't want stairs, and we're assuming you remember that, so the next reason we can think of is that we don't like the interior either. Those aren't agents we'll use again. The buyer's realtor's obligation is to their client, to find them a house that they like, not to sell them a house they are shown. We've been on the other end of that, where we have had to convince the realtor that this is the house we wanted (one rental, one our current home). We're comfortable doing this; we're hiring him for his other assistance and advice, and this is the guy we've continued to use. (Hey, he's not looking for an easy sale, right?!) While this may not be as true now as it was ten years ago, you also have realtors who thought this might be an easy, who want to work part time, or otherwise aren't as fully committed as other professionals. They will agree with the sentiments you stated, color scheme, empty, etc. (Although in the current market, these kinds of realtors have probably moved on.) Your house will absolutely sell; I'm sure it won't be long. It's beautiful, inside and out. It's wonderfully priced. You are just waiting for God's perfect timing in this. :001_smile: You want someone who will fall in love and not waver before the closing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Not a professional (sorry if I shouldn't be answering), but we have bought four homes as primary residences over the years. We also own two rental properties. When pressed, people might give comments about a home that don't reflect their actual reasons for not liking it. It might not have the right "feeling" yet they are unable to put that into words. They'll come up with something that doesn't necessarily make sense. They might not like your stairs or your road, for example, and yet come up with "the house looks empty." (Using stairs and interior strictly as examples here, because you'll remember that I am in complete love with your interior and mirrors and hope that the local TJMaxx does have a home section here!) We've had our agent tell us, "Oh, you'll love THIS house!" No, we won't, and it's clear that you haven't been listening to anything we've said in the past. You KNOW we don't want stairs, and we're assuming you remember that, so the next reason we can think of is that we don't like the interior either. Those aren't agents we'll use again. The buyer's realtor's obligation is to their client, to find them a house that they like, not to sell them a house they are shown. We've been on the other end of that, where we have had to convince the realtor that this is the house we wanted (one rental, one our current home). We're comfortable doing this; we're hiring him for his other assistance and advice, and this is the guy we've continued to use. (Hey, he's not looking for an easy sale, right?!) While this may not be as true now as it was ten years ago, you also have realtors who thought this might be an easy, who want to work part time, or otherwise aren't as fully committed as other professionals. They will agree with the sentiments you stated, color scheme, empty, etc. (Although in the current market, these kinds of realtors have probably moved on.) Your house will absolutely sell; I'm sure it won't be long. It's beautiful, inside and out. It's wonderfully priced. You are just waiting for God's perfect timing in this. :001_smile: You want someone who will fall in love and not waver before the closing. Thank you -- you make excellent points and you make them articulately. I have also wondered (b/c I myself have done it) how much of feedback is really 'speak' for 'we are not going to buy your house.' You know, like: 'we only started looking - we need to see more houses.' OR, 'Our house hasn't sold yet.' How do I know? Maybe it has. :001_huh: OR, 'we need a formal dining room.' Maybe they do, but maybe they hate the road it is on. Years and years ago, my parents had their agent bring them to see the house that belonged to someone I went to a very small private high school with - in fact, the girl was a very close friend of mine - we didn't even know the house was on the market till the agent pulled up to it. And, back in the day, people did not vacate when their home was being shown. It was awkward to say the least, and the agent insisted that my parents were going in -- they had an appointment. My parents loved the house but would not buy it because it would always have been 'GF's parent's house.' I do remember that they said (and this was true, they needed to keep on looking as they had just started and they did want a 2 car garage instead of a one car garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Hmm, some of these would be pretty big obstacles for me. Paint may be easy to fix, but I'm not sure the same could be said about cigarette smoke. With my family's allergies, I wouldn't even consider a house that had been smoked in, or had an obvious cat presence. In some areas, there are so many houses on the market that you don't have to consider houses with paint, counters, or landscaping you don't care for. I wouldn't let those issues come between me and my dream house, but they might sway my choice. Mariann, our most recent realtor definitely told us whether or not the things we complained about should be issues. She also redirected our attention if we got busy looking at things that shouldn't matter. She'd tell us to focus on kitchen countertop space, and not the countertop material. She also made us aware of problems that seemed small to us. One thing I didn't think was a big issue was cooking odor from very strong spices. Our realtor said that actually was a pretty permanent problem (similar to cigarette smoke), and told us not to consider the house in question. Thank you for the cooking odor thing - I would not have known that. In december, the twins and I went to see a house that was GORGEOUS -- but reeked/was saturated with the smell of cigarette smoke. It was december, and the owners weren't home but they had left the back doors to the yard wide open -- if they thought they were getting rid of the odor, they were so wrong. This home had been smoked in every single day that these people lived in it. As soon as our agent cracked open the front door, it hit you. DS had to stay outside - that's how bad it was.` Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Well, I'm not a Realtor anymore, but I used to be. If the buyer was just talking aloud to themselves I wouldn't say anything, but if they were talking to me, as in "I don't know, I don't like the color on the walls," I would ask if that was a deal breaker or if they liked the rest of the house well enough to consider painting it. Most buyers absolutely cannot see past what is already in a house. I have no idea why. The trick though was to ask questions that led them to think of what it could be. I never said, "well, you know, it's just paint, you can change it," because that would make them feel dumb. If I asked how they felt about the rest of the house minus the problem part and if they thought they could change it, they would usually see more potential than they did originally. If they disliked multiple things about the house and were just meh on the rest of it, I would take them to see another property because that just wasn't the one for them. As a seller's agent, I would always pass along comments I got from buyer's agent. If it were something minor like the windows, doors, light switches, kitchen, etc were dirty or the rooms were to cluttered, they usually fix it. If it were something like the paint color didn't appeal or they hated the carpeting, I would ask the seller if they were willing to give a paint or carpeting allowance to entice the buyer. When we sold our own home, a set buyers really liked the house but didn't like the paint color in two of our rooms. Our agent told us and we offered a $200 paint allowance and they bought it. Yes, we lost $200, but that was a quarter of one month's mortgage payment, so really it wasn't a big deal to us. BTW, as a buyer's agent, if it was a relatively small thing like paint or in some cases bad carpeting or wood floors that needed to be cleaned/refinished I would ask the seller's agent if the seller would be willing to offer an allowance. Honestly, an allowance won't make a difference in the mortgage, but it makes the buyers feel like they are "getting" something. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 13, 2012 Author Share Posted February 13, 2012 Well, I'm not a Realtor anymore, but I used to be. If the buyer was just talking aloud to themselves I wouldn't say anything, but if they were talking to me, as in "I don't know, I don't like the color on the walls," I would ask if that was a deal breaker or if they liked the rest of the house well enough to consider painting it. Most buyers absolutely cannot see past what is already in a house. I have no idea why. The trick though was to ask questions that led them to think of what it could be. I never said, "well, you know, it's just paint, you can change it," because that would make them feel dumb. If I asked how they felt about the rest of the house minus the problem part and if they thought they could change it, they would usually see more potential than they did originally. If they disliked multiple things about the house and were just meh on the rest of it, I would take them to see another property because that just wasn't the one for them. As a seller's agent, I would always pass along comments I got from buyer's agent. If it were something minor like the windows, doors, light switches, kitchen, etc were dirty or the rooms were to cluttered, they usually fix it. If it were something like the paint color didn't appeal or they hated the carpeting, I would ask the seller if they were willing to give a paint or carpeting allowance to entice the buyer. When we sold our own home, a set buyers really liked the house but didn't like the paint color in two of our rooms. Our agent told us and we offered a $200 paint allowance and they bought it. Yes, we lost $200, but that was a quarter of one month's mortgage payment, so really it wasn't a big deal to us. BTW, as a buyer's agent, if it was a relatively small thing like paint or in some cases bad carpeting or wood floors that needed to be cleaned/refinished I would ask the seller's agent if the seller would be willing to offer an allowance. Honestly, an allowance won't make a difference in the mortgage, but it makes the buyers feel like they are "getting" something. :confused: I think those are good points and thanks for making them. During the summer when we were listed with the person who did not sell our house, one couple had alot of questions about the recreational amenities that we are able to use b/c our house is grandfathered into the country club -- we use these year round amenities for a nominal amount of $ per year -- $500. That includes green fees, tee times, fitness center, swim team, swim club, kids activities year round -- movie night -- just tons of stuff. We had literature about that stuff and when the couple asked, we told the realtor that we could certainly arrange for them to tour the rec facility if they so desired - we went so far as to tell our realtor we would pay one year's annual fee at settlement if we got that far. He would do neither - suggest a tour or bring up our paying a year's fees -- I thought he was so foolish not to --and it has alot to do with why he is not the lisitng agent now. I applaud you for your initiative.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 I think those are good points and thanks for making them. He would do neither - suggest a tour or bring up our paying a year's fees -- I thought he was so foolish not to --and it has alot to do with why he is not the lisitng agent now. Wait, your agent wouldn't do what you wanted??? That's not his decision to make. As the seller, you can offer anything you like! I'm glad you ditched him. BTW, I came on to let any sellers know that unless it is stated in the listing or contract, anything that is in the house (aside from furniture and personal items) are considered past of the house. This includes appliances and light fixtures. I had a buyer who loved a house, especially the very expensive crystal chandelier in the dining room. They made an offer and when we went to do the pre-inspection before the closing, the chandelier was gone. I called the seller's agent and asked where it was. They seller had taken it out and replaced it with a cheap light. My buyer was very unhappy. I scoured the listing (no mention the chandelier not staying)and the contract-which on my end stated that everything in the house was to stay, including all appliances light fixtures, etc and the privacy fence and landscaping outside the house (I have seen people pull up trees and bushes and cart them off to their new house). My buyer wanted the chandelier in the house or they wanted out of the contract. Isn't that insane??? The seller's agent contacted the seller and told them the chandelier came back or the house didn't sell. The seller did not want to leave the chandelier and almost let the sale collapse, but their new home was contingent on the sale of the old house and could not close until the other house had. They wanted the new house more than the chandelier and brought it back. Things were...tense at the closing table. If you don't want something sold with the house, make sure it is listed as not staying and spell it out in the contract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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