When Your Seller Tries to Sell Your Home

Quick True Story:The year was 1990, the location Southern New Jersey, I had to sell my home, and the real estate market was bad!

I received a call for a showing. I cleaned the home to the level of an operating room. I was ready. The agent showed with her buyers. They spent a little time walking around and were ready to leave. I met them out front of the home to give them my "sales pitch". I told them about the home and how the neighborhood was great for a family. My sales pitch was so good I could envision the offer.

The agent took me aside and made two comments: "Your home smells like Clorox and my clients do not have kids and are not interested in starting a family".

I was devastated. The next day the agent called me and bluntly asked me: "Do you want to sell your home. If so I can do it but I will do it my way". I mumbled yes ma'am, listed the home with her, and sold it a few months later for a slight loss.

That was 20 years ago.

My partner and I have been selling for 7 years now. We were #2 of 135 agents company wide for 2010. I can say with confidence that we know how to sell a home.

What I have learned from my clients about interaction with the actual sellers:

•Having the sellers in the home makes potential buyers very uncomfortable. They are hesitant to "dig" further into the home as they look. They spend less time because they feel that they are imposing.
•If the buyer wants to make an offer on a home they do not want to meet or see the seller. That adds personalities into the offer phase which makes buyers react differently.
•When a seller talks to the potential buyer at the end of looking at the home, the buyer again feels uncomfortable. Some tell me that the seller appears emotionally attached to the home and at times can appear desperate.
•The buyer has many homes to see that day. If the seller ties them up for an additional 30 minutes they fall behind schedule.
I realize that our sellers know everything about their home, the neighborhood, and the local area. However when The Wells Team list the home we also learn everything we can about the home also.

Our follow up with a potential buyers agent is always thorough. We take the time to point out the attributes to the buyers agent in order to foster interest.

Bottom Line: The home sells itself! If the potential buyer has interest then the agent will contact us. A "hard sell" from our sellers has not proved to be an advantage.

Home Warranties are Great but...

When other real estate companies need to cut back services because of the slow market, The Norton Agency is heading in the other direction.

One of the additional services we provide for our listing clients is a warranty from Old Republic Home Protection.

This warranty gives our home sellers a piece of mind during the listing period.

Barb and I usually negotiate a one year warranty when we assist in the purchase of a home for our clients.

We believe in them so much Barb and I have purchased ones for our own personal homes.

Recently I had to use my warranty when my hot water heater decided to move onto the next life. What I learned is that I need to thoroughly read my warranty before I use it. Ultimately I had to pay out of pocket cost for the installation of the hot water heater. This was a cost that I did not expect. If I had purchased an additional warranty coverage program I would not have had to pay the additional cost.

Bottom line: Warranties are good but...READ ALL OF THE TERMS OF YOUR WARRANTY BEFORE YOU USE IT!

This rule of thumb is for all warranties regardless of the company.

Barb, Sue, and I are The Wells Team of The Norton Agency. Our company is proud of our relationship with Old Republic Warranties and the service they provide for our listings.

If you are looking for property in the North Atlanta Metro area give us a call. You can see all of our listings at www.randywellsteam.com