Common Frustrations When Selling

As real estate agents, we get to see firsthand the challenges faced by many home sellers when it comes to listing their home for sale. We reveal some of the most common frustrations faced by home owners when it comes to selling the family home and some solutions to help avoid them. For those who are in the process of selling a property or are planning to do so, the following annoyances listed will no doubt resonate.

KEEPING THE HOUSE CLEAN

By far the biggest irritation in the selling process is having the house spic-and-span for inspections. Many alluded to the challenges of trying to create the perfect ”display home” look whilst living in the property with young children and or pets. First impressions do count so getting the whole family involved in a ‘neat and tidy’ policy during the sales process will make it easier.

REAL ESTATE AGENTS

Next on the list are real estate agents. Causes of frustrations vary, but broadly speaking, these include agents not giving enough notice for inspections, visiting the property without permission, not turning up to appointments, holding back on market feedback to avoid offending the seller and setting unrealistic price expectations. Be clear with your agent on your expectations and get a communications plan and guarantee from the outset to avoid any confusion and angst. Not turning up to appointments or providing reasonable notice without good reason is not acceptable and need not be tolerated.

NON-SCHEDULED INSPECTIONS

Non-scheduled property inspections may be stressful because they can happen at the most inconvenient times, day or night, seven days a week. It’s important to accommodate buyer inspections where possible however pre-scheduled time slots throughout the week which provide options for buyers will reduce these unprompted inspections. In our busy world, finding the right time to suit all parties may not always be possible. Be open to being flexible.

PRIVATE AND HOME OPEN INSPECTIONS

Some feel uncomfortable having strangers coming into their house while others are more worried about having items broken or stolen. We are often asked if sellers can remain in the home during inspections and although not recommended is certainly an option to consider. Being comfortable and entrusting your agent to do the leg work for you and providing an environment whereby buyers can feel welcomed and provided space to view the property only helps to get the emotional attachment. Buyers are also less likely to reveal their true feelings of a property in front of a seller to avoid embarrassment and causing offence. Leave this aspect of the home sale to an expert. It’s what they are trained and best do to help you achieve the best result.

TIME WASTERS

These include people who put in ridiculously low offers or worse still, those who turn up to inspections only to nose around with no intention of buying. As real estate agents, we get to see all types of buyer profiles and this is certainly one which every agent comes across. They are simple to distinguish and as previously mentioned, one left to the professionals to handle.

LOW OFFERS FROM BUYERS

Although it is frustrating when unscrupulous agents quote unreasonably high potential sale prices, having buyers make an offer lower than your expectations also presents a trying experience, especially if your future plans hinge on achieving a particular sales figure. In any particular market there will always be what we call the ‘bargain hunters.’ They go from property to property submitting low offers in the hope they ‘snag’ a motivated vendor or worse still, and agent that will work with them to lower the seller’s expectations. It’s important to understand and establish what true ‘market value’ of the property is and setting a selling price around that value. Expecting the market to pay well above market value will also lead to frustration. The agent you engage with in this circumstance will be critical in the final result and outcome and you may also consider getting an independent valuation from a licensed valuer to help establish true market value. An independent valuation will give you peace of mind that you are not underselling your home, and in addition, not setting an expected selling price that is well above the market and scaring off potential buyers.

NEIGHBOURS BEHAVING BADLY

Although not common, we do receive comments about neighbours seemingly choosing the open inspection day to play loud music or have ear-splitting arguments. Some are also annoyed at neighbours who turn up to inspections just to snoop around. In the rare occasion this does apply to your home, avoid scheduled open for inspection days and have your agent conduct only private viewings. Although not ideal, it may help avoid any challenging conversations and incidents with inconsiderate neighbours.

KEEPING GARDENS AND LAWNS LOOKING FABULOUS

Making sure the outside looks as good as the inside can be tiresome as well, especially if there are extreme weather conditions such as heat waves, storms and heavy rains. However, that all important first impression is critical. If lack of time to attend to the maintenance of the garden is a factor, consider hiring a weekly gardener for a couple of hours each week primarily the day before an open for inspection. Reliving you of the responsibility and knowing that it is being attended will relieve you of this common frustration.

BUYER PULLING OUT

After all the inspections, the waiting, the negotiations and the paperwork, it is understandably a seller”s worst nightmare if the sale falls through because the prospective buyer”s finance has not been approved, a building inspection does not go well or simply the buyer cools off under the right of the contract of sale. This normally occurs only when the Private Sale method is used when selling the home. To avoid this situation, you may consider the option of using the ‘Auction’ method of sale. With this method, all these issues are addressed prior to the day of Auction and should a buyer purchase under auction conditions, the sale is deemed unconditional and the buyer cannot pull-out of the sale.

SPENDING TIME AND MONEY FOR REPAIRS

Having lived with small imperfections for years, the need to sell prompts many to shell out money and time on repairs around the home. Most sellers feel really frustrated in the knowledge that the home will now be perfect – for someone else to move in and enjoy! A classic case of get it fixed now, and enjoy it while you can. Avoiding the repairs is not the solution either as it may result in a lower selling price or extended period of time on market. There is no need to go overboard, and it is always advisable to have the repairs pointed out to your agent and get advice from them to see if the repair is warranted and will it help achieve a better sales result.

NO SHOWS FOR OPEN INSPECTIONS

Lastly, having no one turn up to your home open inspection after all the effort you’ve put in is not only disheartening, but also worrying. The volume of buyers in the market at any one time will be in direct reflection of the current supply and demand property sales cycle. Ensure you have positioned your home correctly with the use of quality marketing and pricing to attract the right buyers. Be sure to be knowledgeable in the current market cycle and recent comparable sales in your immediate area. Attend home opens yourself to see other like homes, what they have on offer, pricing and how many buyers are at those opens.

 

These are just a few of the more common frustrations when selling the family home. Engaging the right professional to represent you in the marketplace can help guide you through the selling maze and get you through not only unscathed, but with an enjoyable and extremely successful selling campaign. And with a successful selling result, you can move on with your plans as intended.

Wishing you every success Manos Findikakis, CEO – Eview Group